The fashion industry is changing—and it’s doing it at a faster pace than you may realize. Clothes that used to take three months to produce—to design, manufacture, and distribute to clothing stores—are now being produced in just two weeks. “On-trend” fashion, once available to an elite few, is now available to a much larger spectrum of consumers at bargain prices at places like H&M and Forever 21. Known as “fast fashion,” this trend explores how such large volumes of clothing can be produced in such little time.
Some attribute this trend to top-down “process innovations” at big companies like Inditex, the parent company of Zara. Others attribute the trend to the generally sped-up pace of life in the digital age.
No matter what the source, one thing is clear with this new trend: the dynamics of fashion consumption are changing. Clothing looks and feels cheaper, there are lower barriers to gratification, and stylish clothing has become far more disposable than it once was. What do you think, collegiettes? Should the fashion industry slow down the pace and up the quality, or do you enjoy getting the latest trends at discounted prices?