Should I shop fast fashion?
I WANT: Minimalist white sneakers, a fluid trench, an holographic clutch, a neoprene skirt, leopard derbies, a new black leather bag, a grey boyfriend coat, a colorful scarf, a pair of gloves, a transparent coat, a fluffy feather skirt, a…. Stoooop that is too much things to want!
Fashion has never been moving so fast and we want it all in our closet!
Indeed, since the beginning of the 21th century there are not 2 but 4 collections a year without counting the capsules… Fashion week seems to be all year long.
And, with fast fashion, that statement has literally become true. Every week real and virtual shops are refilled with new items that you shall shop fast before they disappear.
The result? Lots of us buy too much and buy wrong.
But hey, that is not a problem cause fast-fashion is so cheap right?
Well, it might SEEM cheap but it can actually get very expensive, both for you and for the planet.
Why?
=> Fast-fashion leads us to make purchase mistakes
The fast fashion item we purchase is more likely to end up laying unworn on our closet shelf than the item you would have bought for an higher price.
The explanation is that lots of us buy fast-fashion items without wondering if they really suit them, just because they are cheap.
Then, they end up not wearing that cheap 20$ top they bought cause they do actually do not like it. Which doesn’t sound like a big issue to them: “come on, that’s just 20$, that was worth the try”.
You think. But if you do that every week, you’ll spend 80$ a month on 4 synthetic tops that you do not really care about when you could have owned a perfectly fine cotton one that would have become one of your everyday favorites.
=> Fast-fashion items do not last
Some women go to fast fashion shops every week just like they go to their grocery store as if clothes were perishable.
And indeed, most fast fashion items won’t last you more than a season.
This is why, in those shops, I advise you to go for little fashionable things like tops, dresses and accessories but not for big items that are meant to last such as coats, bags or shoes.
Otherwise, you’ll have to buy a similar item the year after, which is a waste of time, of money but also of raw materials.
You shall better invest in a 500$ coat that will keep you warm for more than 5 years than buy a 100$ coat in which you’ll freeze for only one season and will not look half as good.
=>Fast-fashion has a high environmental and human cost
Last but not least, those items might not cost you a lot but remember that they are made by real people with real materials.
Shopping is lot of fun, but clothes shall never be bought ONLY FOR fun but also for dressing you.
This does not mean I am entirely against buying fast-fashion!
I just think that, when buying in cheap stores, you should:
– only buy things you actually mean to wear
– avoid buying items that you could keep for years (coats, shoes) because they will probably not last long
Fast-fashion is a great wardrobe addition when you are shopping on a budget, but, even if you do have a small budget, that should not be your only source of clothing because that will end up cost you more than you would think with a cheap result.
You do not need as much clothes as you think to be stylish and buying just one silk blouse for the season is a better fashion investment than the 5 cheap ones you could have bought instead 🙂
And you? Do you buy fast-fashion?
hi, where can we get quality coats and shoes? as i get into the world of woke i want to transiition my wardrobe into high quality classic items and no fast fashion trends, where to get these kinds of things are my problem, because even some “designers” are just expensive because they have been “hyped” too much, for examplei just saw a par of about £300 ballet pumps…made of pvc!
Hello,
This question is too wide for me to answer it in just a comment but I can only tell you I agree about this. It is a shame that some brands take advantage about their names to sell crap at super expensive prices…
Look for good fabrics and neat cut is my best advice.
Aloïs
Bonjour Aloïs,
Merci d’abord pour cet article très agréable à lire. N’étant pas vraiment intéressé par la mode, c’est celui que j’ai préféré sur ton blog. Je suis tout à fait d’accord avec ton point de vue. Je n’achète que des t-shirts de qualité qui durent dans le temps (au moins 5 ans sinon c’était un mauvais achat). Mes vêtements doivent durer car je ne m’en sert que pour m’habiller. Pour tout t’avouer je préférerais vivre nu si c’était possible.
Sinon oui l’impact environnemental et humain des mauvais vêtements est terrible (voir récemment les émeutes au Cambodge car les ouvriers du textile réclamaient un misérable hausse de salaire). Je t’encourage donc à continuer d’orienter tes lectrices/eurs à faire des achats de qualité.
Bonne journée,
Martin.
Merci Martin!
Bonjour,
Je ne suis pas surprise de trouver à des prix défiants toute concurrence, des vêtements mal coupés dans des matières synthétiques dans des enseignes telles que H&M.
Je consomme moins mais mieux… du moins j essaie depuis quelques années.
J’économise et investis dans de vrais pièces.
Par contre, certaines marques de luxe accessibles n’ont rien à envier non plus à H&M.
Leurs vêtements ont une design sublime ( rien à dire ). En revanche, les matières proposees ( acrylique, polyamide, polyester …) sont une incitation à nous prendre pour des imbéciles surtout au regard des prix stratosphériques affichés.
Tout comme h&m et Zara, leurs vêtements ( “hypocritement “désignés en France ) sont fabriques en Inde. Pakistan, Chine.
Je ne parle même pas de l arbitrage fait sur les mensurations des vêtements. Dans le luxe accessibles, les tailles 38/40 .ou 40/42 ( taille Max ) peuvent être un cauchemar …je ne sais pas comment ils taillent leurs vêtements… Pour peu qu on dévie de la silhouette filiforme et qu on ait de la poitrine ou des fessés ou des cuisses ( ou les 3 en même temps, sans pour autant être une “plus-sizes”/ grandes tailles ) Certaines pièces sont trop petites, trop serrées et ….oh surprise pas de taille supérieure ( pas de 42/44 ) contrairement à mango, Zara, h&M.
Au regard de tous ces éléments, on peut également comprendre également que l’ on cède a la Fast Fashion.
Il est vrai que certaines marques de “luxe accessible” ont un rapport qualité prix très mauvais qui n’incite pas à s’éloigner de la fast fashion.
Mais d’autres proposent des pièces d’excellente qualité à des prix raisonnable.
Je suis en train de rédiger un guide shopping des marques que je recommande, bientôt disponible sur le site.
Aloïs
Hi, Aloïs! Could you please telle me where to fond this guide with jour recommendations? I always try to buy pieces taking the materials in account, but wool, silk and good cotton blends are too expensive in the fast fashion stores. So I’d prefer to put a bit more money to have a piece that was made in decent conditions, but I just don’t know where to find them. It would be a big contribution if you can share this list.
Thanks for your work in this blog, your tips and concerns are really nice.
Have a nice weekend!
Erm, sounds like something I planned but did not actually made. Have to replan!
Je suis pas française mais je voudrais t’aide avec tes petites fautes 🙂
Fashion have never been moving so fast and we want it all in our closet!
Fashion -has-
…you could have owned a perfect fine cotton one that would have become one of your everyday favourites.
…you could have owned a -perfectly-
…which is a waist of time, of money but also of raw materials.
…which is a -waste-
Bisous
Thank you so much!
A “waist”… Where WAS my mind?
Je suis d’accord avec cet article mais fais attention aux fautes
Merci Jenny. Ce n’est pas facile quand on est son propre correcteur. Pourrais tu me notifier de quelles fautes il s’agit stp?
Spot on post! As you say fast fashion is too expensive, for our wallet and for the planet in terms of resources. I bought cheap coats from zara in the past, big mistake. I was cold and in- stylish.
Beeing cold in a coat really prooves the coat is not a useful one!
Je suis tout à fait d’accord !
🙂
Eh bien, ce fut déjà un certain Mr. Rotchild qui a dit “Je ne suis pas si riche pour pouvoir acheter des choses pas chères”.
Merci pour cet article et la réflexion qu’il inspire.
Merci pour ton commentaire!
Nowdays fashion is made for shooting up consumerism.
Finally, what you can wear season after season and year after year are the same quality classic pieces.
So no, in general, I do not shop fast fashion.
Let’s buy with head.
Let’s!
Je n’ai jamais consommé de fast-fashion, je n’y arrive pas,quand je rentre dans ces magasins je trouve tout sympa, pas cher mais la quantité m’ecoeure.
J’aime la mode mais j’ai toujours eu une toute petite garde robe,avec des pièces de qualité que je garde très longtemps, ça me suffit.
Les belles pièces sont souvent hors du temps elles ne se démodent pas .
Je reçois suffisamment de compliments rassurants sur mes tenues qui me confirment que je n’ai pas l’air de sortir des années 90 !
Je suis donc tout à fait en accord avec ta publication, mais ce n’est pas étonnant car je suis….
Ta mère 🙂
Could you perhaps do an article regarding faux fur?
Merci, Bisous xx
I’ll think of it 🙂
Not often because of my height many clothes/outfits don’t fit me well. I usually will have to spend time/money on alterations and apart from basics I have a particular style which is also hard to shop for in stores.
I agree it’s better to buy a higher quality item like coats than many cheaper versions which will break down faster.
Yes it is hard to dress when your are a tall girl!
Haha, I’m actually the opposite at 4’11″/149cm many clothes look strange on me.