FAST FASHION BRANDS TO AVOID
Did you know that humans consume 400 percent more clothes than they did just 20 years ago? And it is estimated that an average American produces an average of 82 lbs in textiles waste each every year? We’re buying more clothes than ever before, yet we’re wearing them less. We can explain this by the rapid growth fashion has experienced over the last two decades.
WHAT IS FAST FASHION?
Fast fashion refers to companies which produce large quantities of clothing all through the year. The fashion industry is now producing clothes for less than they were previously. This means that consumers are able to update their wardrobes easily and at a reasonable cost.
However, this soaring consumption of cheaply made clothing is causing the massive growth in textile waste and pollution, as well as the loss of resources. This is causing social problems that we should not avoid, like Human rights abuses.
The most effective option we have as consumers is to stop supporting this sector. We should stay clear of fast fashion companies and start by supporting fashion brands that are sustainable instead.
HOW TO RECOGNIZE A FAST FASHION BRAND?
Fast fashion companies release new clothing collections every week, and employ marketing strategies to convince consumers to purchase into the latest fashions.
They are usually incomprehensible and aren’t completely transparent regarding their suppliers or how their products are created. They do not provide specific information on what they’re doing to reduce any environmental harm. They also don’t give evidence of their offering their employees decent and secure working conditions as well with living wages.
Many fashion companies have been accused of environmentally friendly. They’re releasing false information to deceive clients into thinking that they’re a sustainable and ethical business.
Low prices are also an excellent indicator of the popularity of fashion and its low quality. It’s not possible to make an affordable $5 t-shirt, compensate workers fairly, and use manufacturing methods which do not impact the environment.
22 FAST FASHION BRANDS WE SHOULD AVOID
- Shein
With more than 20 million followers of Instagram, Chinese brand Shein quickly gained a lot of attention due to social media. It adds 500 items to its website daily with very low costs.
By doing this, the company is contributing to the disposable culture fast fashion brands promote and costs the environment. There is no evidence to suggest that Shein is trying to reduce their environmental footprint. Shein also doesn’t provide any details about the place the place where its products are manufactured and is extremely indelicate regarding their supply chains.
Shein claims that it doesn’t employ child or forced labour and also offers its employees above-average salaries. However, it’s hard for one to think that this business has fair pay for its employees while selling goods that are priced so low. In the year 2020, the company was heavily criticized for putting the website of a pendant that was the form of a swastika and being a seller of Islamic prayers mats.
- Mango
Mango is one of the Spanish clothing retailer with an extensive network of stores spread across 110 countries. Mango has made some progress towards becoming more eco-friendly. It’s putting out more clothes made of organic polyester and recycled cotton, and has made steps to remove the harmful PFC chemicals..
Although it has disclosed the exact quantities of the greenhouse gas emissions from its factories emission, Mango has not yet established a goal to reduce these emissions. The company hasn’t yet disclosed the method it is planning to use to cut these emissions, and hasn’t released a list of its facilities. Mango’s Code of Conduct reveals that minimum wage workers receive minimum wages, which is the ” legal minimum, not the recommended wage level“. Mango ought to be more transparent and pay its employees living wage!
The company also did not disclose its contribution towards the foundation which was created to pay those whose families were affected by the deaths of 1134 garment workers who lost their lives at the time of the Rana Plaza collapse in Bangladesh back in 2013.
- H&M
H&M known as a renowned Swedish brand is the second-largest clothing company in the entire world and one to stay clear of! The year 2018 was a disaster for the company. Despite promises, the brand did not pay its 850,000 workers an adequate living wage. A lot of female employees are sexually and physically assaulted.
H&M hasn’t done anything to stop these practices at the factories of their suppliers. The company has also been accused of not paying attention to the situation of workers who complained about inhumane work conditions that led to the deaths of over 100 workers.
The brand has made huge improvements in removing harmful chemicals such as PFCs, phthalates and APs/APEOs, from its products. The brand also has a textile recycling program, however just 30% of its clothing is recycled. The company should take greater steps to reduce its environmental impact and decrease greenhouse emissions. Perhaps H&M could begin by donating clothes it has not used rather than burning the clothes?
- Boohoo
British clothing retailer Boohoo has seen rapid growth over the last decade. The company has made a number of promises, but does not accomplish much in the environmental and social areas.
The company says it will reveal in 2021 the list of its factories and its purchasing methods, along with its social impact plan to aid local communities. We’re waiting, Boohoo! The Sunday Times recently investigated and discovered that workers at the Leicester factory were earning less than PS3.50 an hour. It’s a lot less than the minimum wage in the country.
The workers were required to attend work even though they were suffering from COVID-19. Additionally, the company offered no protective equipment or hand Sanitizer. It was reported that the Environmental Audit Committee published a report which categorized Boohoo to be one of the most environmentally unsustainable fashion companies within the UK. This is not surprising for a company selling such a large amount of poor high-quality clothing!
- Forever 21
Forever 21 is an American clothing retailer that offers affordable clothing, however this has a environmental and social price. Its social Responsibility website, you find: “Forever 21 also shares the goal of eliminating child labor and forced labor”. Does this mean that the firm still employs these abusive practices?
US Labor Department investigators found that workers in a plant located in Los Angeles were paid as only $4.50 per hour which is far lower than the minimum state wage. Forever 21 also refused to sign the Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety and Fire Safety, which indicates how much the business takes care of its workers.
The brand doesn’t provide any information regarding the way its products are made and where they are made. We’re also not sure whether it’s taking steps to reduce its environmental impact. In addition to different scandals Forever 21 was accused of body-shaming after it sent the diet bar to people who bought large-sized clothes.
- Urban Outfitters
Established more than 50 years back, Urban Outfitters is one of the biggest fashion stores in America. Does that mean it’s a good idea to shop there?
Apart from announcing that it’s installed LED lighting throughout its stores, and solar panel panels that are on top of the distribution centre, Urban Outfitters doesn’t disclose any specifics regarding what it is doing to protect the environment most likely due to the fact that it’s not doing anything! Customers don’t have access to any information regarding the brand’s supply chain or the location of its suppliers. There is no proof that employees of the company receive fair compensation.
In the year 2015 Urban Outfitters asked employees to work no cost during the weekend, because it was an “great team-building activity”. In 2020, the business was once more accused of copying the concept from one of the Australian native artist and utilizing it to market outdoor rug.
- Primark
Irish firm Primark is among Europe’s biggest retailers of fashion. Primark outsourcing the production of its merchandise It has no control on the working conditions of the garment workers.
Even while Primark declares factories have to adhere to the Code of Conduct, there is no evidence to show that workers are paid fairly or working in safe and decent working conditions. Customers have discovered “SOS” messages in Primark clothing that were written by Chinese prison inmates who work in factories that produce garments. They claimed to work all day long for 15 hours and expressing their displeasure at the inhumane practices of labor.
Although Primark shares the location of the factories it’s working with There is the potential for improvement in regards to transparency. Primark is a part of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, and it has donated unworn clothes to charitable organizations. But, there’s insufficient information on the things Primark is doing to minimize its enormous environmental footprint. Primark also needs to do more to reduce its impact.
- Missguided
Missguided the UK fashion retailer, advertises its products as not just selling fast fashion items, as well as “rapid fashion”. In reality, the brand introduces 1000 new designs every week! This means that Missguided promotes excessive consumption that contributes to the huge amounts of textile waste that we generate every year.
In addition to revealing some vague information on its Corporate Social Responsibility website Missguided doesn’t seem to be taking any specific steps to minimize its environmental impact. It’s not surprising that, just like Boohoo, Missguided was named as one of the most environmentally friendly fashion companies across the UK.
The brand’s goal is “empower women”, female employees are paid considerably less and have a lower chance to be awarded bonuses when compared to male employees. We don’t even know whether they are compensated living wages. As of 2017, the company was discovered to be selling products that claimed to be “faux fur”, with real fur from the raccoon dog, cats minks, rabbits, and cats.
- Zara
Zara is one of the Spanish fashion label which is part of Inditex. Inditex. Although the brand is a recycler of packaging and an recycling program for textiles however, it isn’t open about the amount of resources used in the creation of its clothes.
We don’t know whether the brand is on track to reach its goal to cut greenhouse emissions. The good thing is that the supply chain of Zara is more transparent than other fashion labels. Zara revealed an inventory of suppliers however, it did not reveal its entire supply chain.
It’s conducting audits of its subcontractors to see if they’re complying with the company’s Code of Conduct, but the results aren’t made public. Zara also does not pay its employees the living wage. As of 2017, Zara clients in Istanbul discovered secret messages inside their garments. These messages were written by employees of the garment industry who claimed that they had to work for no pay prior to the time that the company producing clothing for Zara went under.
- Victoria’s Secret
Victoria’s Secret is one of the most well-known lingerie brands in America. The brand has joined an agreement with Greenpeace “Detox my Fashion” campaign to remove any hazardous chemicals from its supply chains and products in 2020. We currently don’t know if the brand has achieved its goal.
It doesn’t appear to have taken any steps to lessen its carbon footprint. its products are mainly constructed from non-sustainable materials. Victoria’s Secret is not doing better in the social realm. Since its supply chain isn’t accredited by the official standards of labor, we cannot be certain that the workers get paid fair wages and treated with respect.
Ten years ago, the company has been accused of employing child labor It is now in the middle of another scandal. A lot of Models were to be sexually and physically harassed and abused by two executives at the top and the ones who complained of this were sacked from their jobs within a short time.
- Brandy Melville
Brandy Melville is an Italian fashion label that was established in the 1980s in Italy. It launched its first store within the United States in 2009, and soon became well-known among teenagers.
The most notable thing about the company is their distinctive size range. Brandy Melville says it is “one size fits most” which is why most of the clothes it sells are size XS/S.
By doing this, the company encourages the idea that women are all extremely slim, which can make many women find themselves uncomfortable in their body and desire to shed weight, even if they don’t need to. The brand’s body-shaming tactics are not allowed!
Brandy Melville also does not appear to be doing anything to lessen the (huge) ecological footprint, and has a long way to go before it can be described as a responsible company.
Many employees have reported being dismissed because they cut hair or adding weight. Some reported that their appearance influenced the rate of pay as well as they claimed that “you will not get hired at a Brandy store if you are black”
- Garage
Garage is an Canadian clothing retailer with more than 300 stores all across North America.
The company could do more transparently It doesn’t disclose details about how its products are produced or where they are produced, and it doesn’t provide any details about the factories that are involved in the production process.
Garage’s supplier code of conduct is very brief and stipulates that factories have to determine their hours of operation and pay overtime in accordance with the laws applicable to them. But, if the garment is produced in countries where laws like these aren’t in force the rights of workers may not be protected. It’s likely when we consider how expensive the clothing of the brand are!
Garage’s clothing is made of lots of synthetic materials that are unsustainable. The company launched with a “sustainable denim” line, boasting that its jeans are constructed using natural cotton. If we take a closer look at the fabric, it is comprised of only 25% organic cotton. Garage You can make it better!
- YesStyle
YesStyle is an internet-based retailer selling products for skincare, fashion and lifestyle products from various Asian brands.
The biggest problem that is a problem with YesStyle is the way in which it’s brand’s name is. As customers, we are able to see where the products we purchase come from as well as the people who designed the products!
The company does not provide any information concerning its source chain and the process by which the items on its website are manufactured and from where. YesStyle also doesn’t have any reduction in greenhouse gas emissions goals, and doesn’t seem to be taking measures to minimize its environmental footprint.
YesStyle has no guidelines for the brands it collaborates with or their suppliers. This means that There isn’t any evidence to suggest that the brands they work with provide fair and reasonable wages and living conditions for its employees.
A few customers have reported that they received sagging and damaged clothing
It’s not surprising since everything sold on YesStyle are very cheap and likely reflect their low quality.
- Romwe
Established in 2010, the the fast-fashion label Romwe offers people the opportunity to “discover new things you didn’t know you needed” on its website. This statement already tells much about the brand and the way it encourages excessive consumption.
Encourages its customers to buy ever more clothes and accessories, the Romwe business model is essentially unethical and insane. The prices are incredibly low therefore I doubt the employees who create the clothes of Romwe are compensated fairly.
Romwe’s customers often complain about sizes that are completely off, and deliveries are delayed for months, and clothing being so poorly manufactured that they are quickly falling into pieces. Romwe’s customer support is nearly absent, and it’s extremely difficult to obtain an exchange if you wish to return a purchase.
Romwe was found offering animal-based fur that was advertised as vegan, cruelty-free, and cruelty-free fur. Additionally, Romwe doesn’t seem to take any steps to reduce the environmental impact of its products.
- Nasty Gal
Nasty Gal is a Los California-based company that is owned by Boohoo that offers cheaply-made clothing for women of the young age.
Although the brand has launched an (small) sustainable line, it appears tiny when compared to the reality that the majority of the clothing sold by Nasty Gal is constructed from synthetic materials.
Nasty Gal can also be incredibly indecipherable and needs to disclose more information regarding their supply chains. Nasty Gal has stated that it would release its list of factories and purchasing policies in 2021 but it has not been implemented. What’s the point of waiting?
We don’t know if the employees earn decent wages and treated with respect and fairly, but it’s unlikely that they are. in 2015 Nasty Gal came under fire and accused of the firing of four employees when they were pregnant and were scheduled to take motherhood leave. The company was also extensively criticised for its sexist workplace.