Fast Fashion

bj

For me cost is as important as life of garment when worn and washed.

I find brand name clothes sometimes are not s good quality fabric as the cheaper brands. I paid $85.00 for a linen dress I liked on line as it was reduced, big brand name only to find it was made in Asian country, it had loose threads in seams. When washed it shrunk, when I complained to company I was told they have no responsibility once the item is washed. I never will buy that brand again.

Caperteewaratah

Most of this junk clothing is coming in from overseas via the internet - now can governments regulate that? Only thing they can do is put a hefty tariff on this incoming rubbish - make it too expensive to buy and use what funds they get from that to recycle and promote Australian companies producing natural fibre products.

Bob

Australia needs to resume making clothes here, as most of the clothing that was made here was well made and made to last. I still have a Fletcher Jones suit that was purchased in 1971, I still wear it to events that require me to wear a suit.

No clothing should be made from plastic, i.e. polyester.
Cotton, Wool, Silk clothes are so much more comfortable and longer lasting.

Caperteewaratah

Australia needs to resume making clothes here, as most of the clothing that was made here was well made and made to last. I still have a Fletcher Jones suit that was purchased in 1971, I still wear...

I remember Fletcher Jones shop in the mostly boarded up (at the time) Queen Victoria building in Sydney. They had well made and tailored clothing. It was very traditional and old style but the fabrics were beautiful and the quality of the clothing, nothing else compared, and it was all natural fibres mostly wool.
The polyester - plastic junk of today I cannot buy or wear - just don't know how this junk material became the thing that most clothing in Australia is made of - even uniforms - my workplace uniform supplier brags - using so many recycled plastic bottles to make this and makes out they are ecological --- what?
To me, first off stop producing all this plastic junk a petroleum product that is ruining the earth and then stop telling me that "recycling" is fixing it.
Yes, Australia was not able to compete with cheap junk products from Asia where workers slave away for $1 a day in unsafe work environments and work long hours to produce this junk clothing that is garbage after washing it, if polyester - horrible to have on your body, smells offensive when worn, and environmentally a nightmare for the planet. Can't even use it as a cleaning rag after its discarded for wear.
I buy only natural fibre clothing and wear it until it becomes gardening yard clothing, then it becomes a cleaning rag. Costs more but is wearable and comfortable.
I think people need to think first before buying the junk clothes and support small business making good clothing. One good quality item you wear for years is far more worthwhile than 6 junky items discarded quickly to foul up the planet.

Bob

Australia needs to resume making clothes here, as most of the clothing that was made here was well made and made to last. I still have a Fletcher Jones suit that was purchased in 1971, I still wear it to events that require me to wear a suit.

No clothing should be made from plastic, i.e. polyester.
Cotton, Wool, Silk clothes are so much more comfortable and longer lasting.

squeekums

What would encourage me?

Prices im willing to pay - $50 for a plain black top - no thanks
Designs i like for me, not natural or pastel colours, i like black, alternative prints - shein and temu have heaps in this area
Fabrics i like - natural fibers to stiff and scratchy for me, plus require to much bs care. I like the soft silkyness of polyester, no ironing
My size -. Shein and temu run Asian sizes, fits me perfectly
Op shops dont usually have my size or stuff i like, plus they put on new prices

Im picky and wont just make do, i like what i like

no name

Pay more, have less and keep it for years! Wash clothes gently, dry clean at home, ( lots of info on line, far more gentle on your clothes and health), mend and maintain. Fast fashion is not designed nor manufactured to last. Avoid shoddy purchases. Op shops have some very well made clothing at very reasonable prices. Develop your own style and avoid fast fashion.

jules 1

I feel stricter regulations are needed. I find the quality of clothes these days are nowhere as good as they were 6-7 years ago.

ab

I must begin by saying I hadn’t heard this expression before, but after some research fast food, fast fashion… I get it. Fast fashion is about making trendy clothes accessible to many at affordable prices as quickly as possible.

Australia already seems to have some regulations in place but the environment minister has highlighted the need for the fashion industry to move away from fast fashion due to their environmental impacts. After comparing how we address the issue against other countries, there seems to be room for improvement in Australia.

That said, I am intrigued by how you might ‘encourage’ consumers to change their behaviour. The traditional methods for ‘encouraging’ are either education or pricing. I’d only be speculating on why people try to keep up with fashions, maybe it’s because they feel the need to be ‘on trend’ or maybe it’s fast fashion (being affordable) that enables people to chase fashion as quickly as one might smack down a burger. I don’t know… there could be a whole host of reasons.

The imposition of additional or stricter regulations will most certainly have a knock-on effect on pricing, and this price increase may be the 'encouragement' consumers need to change their behaviour.

On the ‘how can we balance…,’ well, the free market will find its own balance. We, or should I say, the government, will impose whatever it thinks is necessary to reduce carbon emissions and landfill waste, prices of clothes will see a rise, and the market will respond. That response may include any or all of:
- Changed behaviour with fast fashion choices
- Cries over the ever-increasing cost of living
- Reserve bank increasing interest rates to counter the increasing inflation.

Whatever happens, the industry needs to told of what's coming, so maybe they can get their ducks in order before the stricter regs are enacted.

site77

Support Sustainable Alternatives: Encouraging consumers to purchase from sustainable brands or to choose rental or second-hand options can reduce the overall demand for new clothing. More access to second-hand stores or platforms can be one way to encourage this.

Zanyt

We should be donating clothing to op shops and encouraging people to buy from op shops. I went on a op shop tour in my local area which was organised by our council and it was amazing to see what they have and at all the op shops it was commended that they had never see so many people in the store as one time, there was 30 people on the bus. It just goes to show how many people do not go to op shops to buy clothes, toys etc.

jjdrer

It may be that companies have merged, possibly to save some being closed but obviously it wasn't successful.
In SA about 55 years ago 2 companies - SC Eyles and Foodstuffs merged and the name was changed to Associated Cooperative Wholesalers. After many, many changes the company is now called Metcash

dee

Yes it should do this.

MariaG

Looking at what is happening at the moment, I think pretty soon fast fashion will be only one of the few survivors.
Autograph, Rivers, Millers and Rockmans to name a few have, or will, disappear. So, what will be left?
It seems the problem is multi faceted. How can one company, not local, be allowed to operate in Australia will so many outlets having different names?
Also, who has their finger on the pulse?
I think the regulations regarding conglomeration and how they operate would be a good place to start.
The other question I ask, why call it fast fashion when in fact it is affordable fashion.

MariaG

Looking at what is happening at the moment, I think pretty soon fast fashion will be only one of the few survivors.
Autograph, Rivers, Millers and Rockmans to name a few have, or will, disappear. So, what will be left?
It seems the problem is multi faceted. How can one company, not local, be allowed to operate in Australia will so many outlets having different names?
Also, who has their finger on the pulse?
I think the regulations regarding conglomeration and how they operate would be a good place to start.
The other question I ask, why call it fast fashion when in fact it is affordable fashion.

Emily3267

I think everything has its pros and cons, and the government needs to coordinate and not just use the argument that "the minority is subordinate to the majority".

Mihi

If we consider this from a demand vs. supply point of view, it's the supply that's the real issue.

Demand for fast fashion has been engendered by supply. The industry has done a great job convincing people that buying mountains of cheap, poorly made tat is essential to feeling good and looking good. This is not about affordable clothing - which is an important issue and related to many other serious concerns like the cost of living and rising wealth inequality. This is about arbitrary fashion trends, the 52 micro-seasons (which replaced the four calendar seasons), and all the latest "must haves".

The fast fashion industry is in the business of producing landfill more than producing clothes. The whole point is to make it cheap, make it fast, and make it disposable. They are deriving big financial rewards for themselves (and their shareholders) and a huge cost for everyone else. The actual price we are paying includes human suffering (exploitation of workers), massive waste of resources (this is the second-largest consumer industry of water), pollution, and piles and piles of refuse (landfill, baby!).

Yes, consumers need to be better informed - there are absolutely changes in consumer behaviour already happening. But, considering the actual cost of this industry and the magnitude of its negative impact, governments absolutely need to use regulation to reel it in.

It's a complex issue for sure, and ultimately both the supply and demand side will need to be addressed. But changing consumer behaviour takes time. In the short term, governments could use regulation and legislation to create firm boundaries around resource consumption, pollution, and waste. Increased consumer protection would also help to enforce certain quality standards and encourage a shift away from looking at clothing as single-use and disposable. What makes it tricky is the fact that we're talking about a global industry, that tends to manufacture where labour is cheap (and regulation lax) and sell where labour is expensive.

This was a very long-winded way of saying, a bit of both but mainly regulation.

Libbazz

Government can only do so much with the population in a democratic nation. People are free to do what they like as long as it's not against the law. Some people would rather go near naked than wear secondhand clothes, but they are the people that can afford expensive clothes & don't have to be penny pinching. Trying to change consumer behaviours & attitudes would be hard as there are such varied attitudes around fashion & clothing.

marktime

Governments can't legislate against morons , so we would have to to try and encourage consumer behaviour. as it is
a large proportion of donated clothing coming to charities is already turned into rags for the oil and gas mindustry.

jtmorri

I'm not sure you can change a person's mindset of wanting the latest, not wanting to miss out. People like to be up-to-date, or they feel they will be judged by others as being a loser, poor or both. So, partly it is a person's lack of self-confidence and boosting it by fitting in.

Ultimately, the designers always coming up with a fashion trend say from a short skirt to now long skirts are in and all the other reinvention and revisiting of clothing cuts we have seen throughout the decades are to blame for the rise of cheap fast fashion. People want the new look and want it cheap. So, the fashion industry itself has to change and not be so concerned about us not buying the older styles and "expecting" something new which always about them making more sales moving forward.

A good start by government would be to ban some materials being used for garments such as polyesters and nylons. These are hugely a big contributor to the fast fashion industry. They could also ban the import of such fashion items. The more durable and better quality a fabric the better, and it also lends itself to mending.

Another avenue the government could take is to charge a person a fee to dispose of every clothing item made of these synthetic materials. It would have people think more before they do buy an item in the first place.

Thirdly, a government education program about fast fashion and generally synthetic low-quality clothing ending up in landfill and being a major problem may help.

Pricing has the most to do with it. Not all of us can afford designer labels of longer lasting clothing items, unfortunately.

intelligent

iT'S REALLY GOING FASTER AS THE WORD "FAST" SUGGESTS. MAJORITY LIKE IT BECAUSE IT MAY BOOST THEIR SELF ESTEEM TO DISPLAY " NEW"
CLOTHES OFTEN. tHE GOVERNMENT DOS NOT CARE MAYBE BECAUSE IT CREATES MOR REVENUE....I DON'T KNOW.

musicmum

Just heard my local Best and Less store is closing, another victim. It was always great to buy online and be able to take back if it did not fit. Buying online can be an issue in regional areas where we don't get the choice. Are we all going to end up having to get our clothes from overseas? With no chance of refunds or exhanges. I cannot afford a lot of the wonderful upmarket Australian made clothing, thanks to the industry being destroyed by imports. What really gets me is big overseas companies can use our postal system without paying what we pay in Australia for postage and this puts a strain on Australian companies too. Why can't our Government regulate the postal system better so overseas sellers pay the same price as Australian sellers? Yes some sort of regulation must be made but what? In the meantime yes you can encourage consumer behaviour but for only those who can afford to pay more for clothing. Time to start making our own clothes?

jatz50

I just wish the Govt would step in and try and save so many companies that are disappearing. I would do all my clothes shopping at Rockmans, Katies, Noni B, Millers and no idea where to go now as all disappeared. These were the places that had affordable clothing. I do always donate my clothes which are always in good condition to our local op shop who send out west to Australians that need them. I myself haven't bought any clothes at an Op shop though. Everyone should donate back to op shops though as there are great bargains there at a fraction of the cost to help them out.

Sus1

The single biggest choice that consumers can do to help with fast fashion is to buy less clothes and repair the ones we already have. Which is hard as it's resisting the urge to keep up with trends. To buy less clothes we need to buy ones that will last in the first place. Which takes time as it requires finding out which brands have sustainable materials and ethical standards and production practices.
Handling our clothing carefully by using eco friendly detergents and not washing them quite as often if they aren't stained or dirty will also help.
Borrowing friends outfits for important events means we won't buy items that we are only going to wear as one off's and then never again.
Government regulations on the production process for fashion will also help change the way fashion brands operate. This will only go so far though if consumers don't change habits.

Crocboy

I think a combination approach is needed. Stricter regulation on fast fashion but also incentives to promote second hand clothing and vintage clothing stores, promoting the concept of second hand. I have some vintage and second hand clothes that have lasted me years and years, way longer than things ive bought from say asos in past. Promoting how well second hand goods hold up a lot of the time i think would also result in greater quality of clothing

mare

There needs to be stricter regulations

Ellessri

I tend to buy most of my clothes in the op shop and only buy new for things like basic long sleeved ts or tanks, and then its so hard to find a basic that fast fashion is the only option for something that actually works for layering. I do get quite a few years out of the ones i buy and then they become cleaning rags or donated to a textile recycling place

hispania

There are a number of online companies specialise in fast fashion. Some of these companies seem to present an image that suggests they are local companies in the various states but checking online shows that they just change their names all the time. The ads are identical. The online company showing greatest/fastest growth is owned overseas and has a growing list of dissatisfied customers particularly in the fast fashion area where the clothes are of such poor quality, if they actually turn up at your address, that they end up in landfill within weeks. It is good to see the interest younger people are displaying in purchasing from op shops and I congratulate them for spending their money wisely and for saving us from more landfill dumping.

Jodilee

Fashion is the most wasteful industry, almost by definition - every season it 'has' to change to remain relevant. I think if the demand lessened then the industry would slacken off, but that means changing mindsets not manufacturers. We live in influencer world, and in order to remain relevant, influencers also change constantly and mostly by their appearance. Fast fashion is not about affordable clothing - there is ample clothing already - it is about consumerism. Perhaps we should treat fashion like libraries (some swap shops exist, but not many, perhaps local governments could foster clothing exchange, though I guess cleanliness and hygiene may be concerns); perhaps we should encourage fabric recycling as we do with paper goods, glass and plastic.

Phlippa

I love OP Shops also, but I do like a bargain cutting out the middle man. I would prefer to always buy Australian, but it is getting rare to find anything. I don't like to hear about sweat shops and poor ethics.

Michelle32250126

Both. I’m pleased to notice more and more op shops popping up and the younger generations are educated early about the environmental impact. Perhaps big companies could be given hefty fines if their products are found in bulk quantities (new) in landfill ir washed up on beaches.

Bigbear

I remember this 'fast fashion' trend evolving back in '80s with all it's rapid production inexpensive garments and footwear as quickly and cheaply as possible.
I can understand how this 'fast fashion' can appeal to customers who want to get their hands on up to the minute trends cheaply. But I also realize how 'fast fashion' comes at an enormous environmental price.
I know that the 'fast fashion' clothing supply chain is a complex system and the related environmental impact and human rights issues leave me frustrated and helpless to make things right.
I think that brands do respond to consumer demands and maybe if enough consumers demand change, the fashion industry will need to reassess its current practices within this fast fashion supply chain.

So I think that Government regulation needs to be established to disclose and map fast fashion supply chains so as to reduce ( or at least make people aware of) the environmental and social impacts and help fashion apparel customers make better choices.
Perhaps our government can intervene and introduce a directory or app resource to compare how different fashion garment factory brands impact people, animals and the planet, this will help consumers make more sustainable and ethical choices.
So all in all, together with consumers demanding change and government intervention, I believe a difference can be made to create a more responsible fashion industry.
Consumerism should not be valued over a transparent, safe and ethical 'fast fashion' supply chain.

Mevanwy

We should encourage people to donate clothes regularly and to buy at charity shops.