Fast Fashion isn’t Forever

It’s safe to say that nothing lasts forever, and especially now more than ever after Forever 21’s alleged recent file for bankruptcy. There is definitely a nostalgia for the brand that just about every millennial can relate to, except Ariana Grande. 7 Rings was the hot hit of the summer not only musically, but fashionably through Grande’s visuals and styling in her music video. The video stars Grande at an urban pink playhouse filled with friends and fun times. Just like Grande and friends, this generation is known for the look of an hourglass waist filled with bigger assets. To top off this physical look everyone, including Grande, are styled by the trends of crop tops, baggy pants, platform or heeled booties, and hair accessories filled with fluff and sparkle, alluding to the iconic fashion sense of the 2000s. While Grande is revamping old looks, Forever 21 is stealing hers. This past year, Grande released her album, Thank U, Next, followed by music videos that would catch the attention of fast fashion brands such as Boohoo, Pretty Little Thing, Missguided, Fashion Nova, and most importantly Forever 21. Recalling on this past spring, Forever 21 released a collection “inspired” by Grande’s music video. The brand did bring themselves in contact with Grande about the idea but fell too short on the cent for the countless award winner and role model for this generation. The point of the deal was so that Forever 21 could utilize social media as the forefront for the marketing through Grande’s copycat model and her song lyrics that tend to become trendy slang. Against Grande’s wishes, Forever 21 went ahead with the campaign.

Presenting smarter for not only the sake of better representing fast fashion, Pretty Little Thing is making the cat walk look too easy in contrast to the more respectable faces of high fashion. Pretty Little Thing, more famously known for its e-commerce form of shopping, decided to hold their own fashion show in the light of New York Fashion Week far across the pond. The irony is that these high fashion brands predict and display trends on the runway versus how fast fashion brands will typically copy and paste the various styles into their quick production system. This can be attested to looking back on how Forever 21 wanted to copy Grande’s style even to the extent of going against consent, or when Fashion Nova decided to create a much cheaper replica of Kim Kardashian’s vintage Mugler dress from the ‘90s.

These issues truly spark the question, do fast fashion brands deserve runway time just as much as respected brands like, Gucci, Chanel, Versace, and so on? Pretty Little Thing obviously seems to think so with its makeshift runway show. If you weren’t at the show, one missed out on a star-studded performance by Saweetie, her hubby Quavo, Lil Kim, and Ashanti. In reality, maybe Pretty Little Thing isn’t working as smart as we thought. Although it is great these brands are representing all diverse types of women, a concert might be a bit of a tacky way to showcase a collection. Through the years, it’s true that fashion shows have become this display of art and performance, but through the theatrics of the clothing, models, atmosphere, and environment. A concert can only distract from the clothing, versus an outfit that catches the eye through its color, shape, and texture.

Maybe these fast fashion brands should be investing more into their clothing and sustainability, rather than a concert show. When it comes to fast fashion one has to consider, will this material last, why is it so cheap, how is it truly made, and so forth. To truly put the consideration of the substance and time that goes into making fine pieces like Chanel’s iconic bouclé suit jacket, versus a blazer from any fast fashion brand, I recommend watching Netflix’s show 7 Days Out. Watching this episode of the series truly feels like an honor, as one receives the ultimate behind experience of the most historical fashion brand and late icon Karl Lagerfeld. Just as well, Gucci announced on Instagram this past week that they will be carbon neutral in hopes of offsetting the emissions caused by the high fashion operations.

In contrast, brands like Pretty Little Thing are not only killing the planet through environmental factors like water consumption, but by teaching poor sustainability habits through the consumer as well. At the rate we are going, brands like these are targeting the younger millennial to gen z generations, ultimately portraying certain behaviors much more dramatic than they really are: repeating outfits or generally wearing an old trend. Even worse, the amount of e-commerce marketing for sales and promo codes through the homepages, pop-ops, advertisements, and e-mails, are persuading these generations to waste money on pieces they’ll only wear once or throw away. With the climate issues we are facing today, brands should be teaching the newer age of fashion consumerism to be investing in pieces that they will love forever and last a lifetime. Maybe fast fashion brands don’t deserve the big catwalk, but they should still be performing more respectable acts behind their operations and actions for the planet. Although “better late than never” for Gucci’s act of sustainability moving forward, Pretty Little Thing couldn’t agree more with this statement, as seen through their outdated trends on the runway.

Strike Out,

Writer: Joey Flanagan

Editor: Gillian Mckendree and Savannah Tindall

Tallahassee

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