Over the past few years there has been an apparent change in the fashion retail industry which is taking control of it‘s speed. ‘Fast Fashion’ is the new 21st century phenomenon currently dominating high-street retail.
Stores like H&M and New Look have become the masters of the quick turnaround and are closing in on trends at such a speed that they can have fresh looks on their shelves for the customer, months before the original designer can get their garments shipped out of the factory.
They are racing their competitors to deliver catwalk trends at cost-effective prices and are managing to win the hearts and purses of both wealthy fashionistas and penny-pinching hopefuls! So much so that buying your latest handbag from Peacocks has now become something to boast about than to shy away from and people everywhere are parading their Primark carrier bags!
Stores are making very large profits by selling very large quantities of inexpensive clothing to consumers who look for something new every week and this is due to consumer demands. As fashion continues to grow within society and more and more people seem to take interest and pride in what they and others wear, these high-street stores are feeling more pressure to create new looks faster and cheaper.
“The scrapping of a long-standing quota agreement allows China-which already dominated the market-to increase it’s exports, forcing the price of textiles down even further. Fashion brands may pass this saving on to their consumers”, says Mark Tungate, author of Fashion Brands A-Z “Chain stores could lose out as supermarkets continue to develop lines of cut-price clothing. The gap (no pun intended) between added-value ‘fashion brands’ and everyday clothing is likely to become more evident.”
So who is to blame for this dramatic outbreak?
Fashion Weeks are held twice a week all over the world, in order for established designers and fashion houses to display their latest collections. They are held