Fast fashion is cheap, trendy, and quickly produced clothing based on timely celebrity and social media trends. It is made very quickly in reaction to fashion trends and shipped around the world.
This method of clothing production has numerous issues related to the environment, ethics, and more, especially when you look at the specific companies.
Shein
Shein is a private company founded in China, known for cheap, but often low-quality clothes
Shein was launched in 2008 by entrepreneur Xu Yangtian. At the same time as TikTok’s popularity, its success began to increase exponentially; ‘Tik Tokers’ often advertise Shein, and sharing “Shein Hauls” is a popular video style.
Customers get ‘points’ and coupons from logging on regularly, ordering, or making sponsored videos.
Shein uses the “test and repeat” method, made famous by Inditex and H&M:
They will make a small batch of a new item, and test for reception. If it turns out a success, they will make more.
Temu
A Boston-based company owned by PDD Holdings (which also owns Pinduoduo, a popular online shopping website in China), Temu was launched in August 2022.
Temu advertises with incredibly low prices, often saying the deals will end soon, further encouraging customers to buy quickly, and without much thought.
They achieve their low prices by connecting users directly to manufacturers. Shipping costs are much lower for a single trip, so by cutting out the middleman, they sell impressively cheap items.
According to Greenpeace International, “…shoppers were spending about twice as long on Temu than on the apps of retail majors Amazon and Target.” Temu is not only popular for shopping, but the interface is addicting as well.
Temu advertises through social media sites such as TikTok. Celebrities praise Temu, gaining the support of their followers. In the current age, people trust the celebrities they follow, making this an effective strategy.
Temu also collects user data for personalized recommendations and advertisements, often utilizing AI software.
Environmental Effects and Ethics
Fast fashion produces timely clothes, meaning that when the trend is ‘out of style’, many customers will discard them. It also encourages frequent shopping and owning a large wardrobe.
Overall, online shopping tends to generate more waste than in-person shopping.
Temu ships over 1.6 million packages daily, according to GreenMatch, a company dedicated to informing people on how to be environmentally friendly. Not only do the shipments use energy and pollute the Earth, but the packages are rarely environmentally friendly.
Not only do fast fashion companies contribute to climate change, but they also bring up ethical concerns around labor.
According to BBC News, “[Shein] found two cases of child labour in its supply chain last year,”. The cases were dealt with swiftly, and the suppliers were suspended, but this demonstrates a larger issue of what unethical labor conditions fast fashion companies encourage and often require to function.