what is fast fashion 
fast fashion describes low priced but stylish clothing that moves quickly from design to retail stores to meet and capitalize on trends collections are often based on styles presented at fashion week runway shows or worn by celebrities fast fashion allows mainstream consumers to purchase a new look at an affordable price fast fashion resulted from cheaper speedier manufacturing and shipping methods the consumer s appetite for up to the minute styles and increasing purchasing power especially that of young people fast fashion challenges the established clothing labels tradition of introducing new collections and lines on an orderly seasonal basis understanding fast fashionshopping for clothing was once considered an event for which consumers would save over time to buy new clothes periodically the style conscious could get a preview of the styles to come by reading fashion magazines and seeing fashion shows that displayed new collections and clothing lines several months before their appearance in stores in the late 1990s as shopping increasingly became a form of entertainment discretionary spending on clothing increased fast fashion emerged offering cheap trendy knock off garments mass produced at low cost consumers could wear something similar to what they saw on the runway fast fashion was boosted by innovations in supply chain management scm among fashion retailers the assumption is that consumers want high fashion at a low cost fast fashion follows the concept of category management linking the manufacturer with the consumer in a mutually beneficial relationship the size of the fast fashion market is projected to reach 197 billion by 2028 1fast fashion leadersmajor players in the fast fashion market include uniqlo gap forever 21 topshop esprit primark fashion nova and new look two of the leaders are zara spanish retail chain zara the flagship brand of textile giant inditex is synonymous with fast fashion due to its short supply chain zara s designers can have a finished piece appear on store racks in as little as four weeks or can modify existing items in as little as two weeks over half of its factories are located near its corporate headquarters in a coru a spain it produces more than 11 000 pieces annually versus an industry average of 2 000 to 4 000 pieces 2h m founded in 1947 sweden based h m group short for hennes mauritz is one of the oldest fast fashion companies as of 2024 h m group operated in 76 countries and had over 4 200 stores 3h m group functions like a department store selling clothing cosmetics and home furnishings it does not own any factories but relies on independent suppliers for its products h m production offices oversee suppliers with state of the art it systems that track inventory and communicate with corporate hq the factories that it works with are based all over europe asia and north america 4the traditional clothing industry model operates seasonally with fall fashion week and spring fashion week showcasing looks for the four traditional seasons fast fashion labels produce about 52 micro seasons a year or one new collection of clothes a week meant to be worn immediately 5advantages and disadvantagesprofitable for manufacturers and retailersoffers fast efficient deliverymakes clothes affordabledecline in domestic manufacturingencourages throwaway consumer mentalitynegatively impacts the environmentunregulated labor practicesimpact on the environmentconsumers may find it difficult to avoid products manufactured by companies that practice fast fashion however they can investigate fast fashion brands to see if they use sustainable processes and support fair labor practices they can determine for themselves the impact that fast fashion may have on the environment and people who work in the industry shopping for clothes at secondhand stores helps to reduce the amount of garment waste and to extend usage according to statistics from the united nations environment programme and the ellen macarthur foundation 