FEATURED ARTICLE
Let’ s Take It Slow
Raia Gomez
Founder of Relevé Fashion
They say slow and steady wins the race. The notion may seem completely contrary to the current retail landscape and the fashion industry. If anything, more collections, more drops, more selections and more price reductions appear to be all the better. It seems fast and furious isn’ t just in the movies but, over the years, has also become ingrained within the retail industry, and particularly with fast fashion. However, if the past year has shown us anything, it’ s that sometimes we have no choice but to slow down.
The term fast fashion was coined in the 80’ s by the New York Times to quite literally describe the rapid production of low-quality clothing. Over the years, the fast fashion pace has fueled overconsumption and the perception of clothing as cheap and disposable. However, fast fashion is far from cheap. It’ s just that someone else is paying the price( underpaid garment workers manufacturing in unsafe conditions) and it comes at the cost of our planet( the carbon footprint of the fashion industry is larger than global shipping and aviation – combined.)
The growing demand for sustainable fashion and conscious consumerism isn’ t just some fleeting trend. As many reports now show us, fashion is one of the most destructive industries with some reports even citing it as the second most polluting industry in the world. Unfortunately, what these reports and documentaries have also revealed is that behind the gloss and glamour, behind the fast fashion curtain is massive environmental devastation and labor exploitation. To say that I was surprised when I began to learn all this would be an understatement.
26 27TH NATIONAL RETAIL CONFERENCE & STORES ASIA EXPO 2021 AUGUST 12-13, 2021