01 trendy clothing is cheaper than ever, and cheap clothing is trendier than ever. This is largely thanks to the rise of fast fashion retailers, producing stylish, low cost clothing John Oliver, political commentator and TELEVISION host
OVERCONSUMPTION OF FAST, DISPOSABLE FASHION. The world has reached a crisis point, as the fast fashion supply chain model continues to generate a wealth of environmental and social hazards. We are beginning to see a new generation of young fashion retailers operating an ever-faster supply chain model, turning fast fashion, into ‘ultrafast fashion.’ They have shorter and leaner supply chain cycles than ever before, and their rapid turnover of new products sees them featuring new items every one to two weeks. With a clothing industry encouraging the act of mindless purchasing and overconsumption of disposable fashion, the technical service life of garments is dramatically shortened, and thrown to waste in a short space of time. John Oliver recently made a video about the price of fast fashion. He states, “trendy clothing is cheaper than ever, and cheap clothing is trendier than ever”. The global fashion system has been re-invented, to the point where it is now largely based on materialism, which comes at an extremely high price.
SOCIAL HAZARDS: The harsh reality is that garment workers in LEDC countries are paying for the masses of cheap, disposable clothing. Initially, the promise of “Globalisation” was set to be a win-win. Consumers in MEDC countries would have access to cheaper goods, and people in LEDC countries would get jobs. Those jobs would give them the
opportunity to work their way out of poverty. Unfortunately, this has not been the case. The reality is that underage and underpaid garment workers are being forced to work unethical hours in extremely dangerous factories, in order to supply our high-street brands with enormous, unsustainable amounts of throw-away fashion. Many have been wondering how such an enormous, rapacious industry, that generates so much profit, is unable to support its millions of workers.
ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS: The UK’s clothing industry has a significant environmental footprint across its supply chain, which is exacerbated by high consumption levels in the developed world. In fact, one of the key issues the environment faces is the volume of garments being sent to landfills, propelled on by the alarming rates at which we consume fast fashion items. In the UK alone about 2 million tonnes (value £23 billion) of clothing are purchased per annum, with the ultra-fast fashion sector - characterised by low cost, short lifetime garments - making up onefifth of the UK market. The fast fashion business model is entirely
unstable. The global fashion industry has turned its attention to solely making a profit, and as a result, has turned a blind eye human rights and the environment.
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THE emergence OF THE SHARING ECONOMY. The “sharing economy” is a business model, built on the sharing of resources – allowing customers to access goods when needed. The UK has emerged as a hub for the sharing economy, which is set to expand at over 30% per year over the next decade, “facilitating about £140bn worth of transactions per year by 2025” (Outlook for the Sharing Economy in the UK, 2017). This growth in rental and collaborative consumption start-ups throughout the UK highlights consumers’ growing preference for ‘experience’ over ‘ownership’. Collaborative consumption is one part of this flourishing sharing economy, and is defined by Belk (2014) as, “people coordinating the acquisition and distribution of a resource for a fee or other compensation”. A plethora of similar terms have been given to this modern consumption trend, including “access-based consumption”. The principle idea that links these terms, is to promote the notion of ‘using’ as opposed to ‘owning’.
ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS: Hamari et al., (2015) states that, “The rise of the collaborative consumption business model has been partly fuelled by growing concerns about the ecological and social impacts of consumption, because sharing resources is considered more sustainable than buying and accumulating”.
There is considerable hope that the sharing economy and collaborative consumption will transform society, and bring with it a host of environmental benefits. The sharing economy also encourages better use of resources, which generally helps to reduce the amount of waste created. For instance, a bed that is passed down from one person to another via ‘Freecycle’ (a collaborative consumption-based organisation that connects users who give each other unwanted items for free to divert reusable goods from landfills) means fewer trees being used to make new beds. Many are beginning to look at the sharing economy as a as a post-crisis antidote to materialism and overconsumption.
Role of Technology in Sharing Economy: Advancement in technology in recent years plays a vital role in the growth of the sharing economy. Fuelled by IT consumerization, people today have easy access to sharing services with just one click on their mobile device. The internet makes it cheaper and easier than ever to aggregate supply and demand. The sharing economy giants of today are supported by technologies that have the capability to maintain and process huge amounts of data, regarding people and assets. These aspects allow millions of total strangers rent things to each other, within an ‘asset-light’ lifestyle.
03 FOR GENERATION Z, A GROUP WHO HAVE GROWN UP WITH SUCH SERVICES SUCH AS UBER, SPOTIFY, AIR BNB AND NETFLIX, THE IDEA OF SHARING RATHER THAN OWNING WILL ONLY GAIN MORE TRACTION JOSH WALKER, JOURNALIST, LS:N GLOBAL
THE ARRIVAL OF GENERATION RENT. As the largest generation in history, Millennials are set to reshape our economy as we know it. Born between 1980 and 2000, Millennials attitudes towards ‘consumption’ and ‘ownership’ are shifting as the sharing economy influences their purchasing decisions. Coupled with the rise of sharing economy giants, such as Uber, Spotify and Airbnb, companies across all sectors - including fashion and retail are being forced to rethink their business in order to survive.
“The key drivers for businesses which rely on the economy of sharing are consistent with millennials general demands - affordability and convenience” Surveys from the likes of Goldman and Sachs and PwC indicate that purchasing and owning a house are no longer realistic aspirations for most millennials in the UK, and increasing number of millennials still live at home with their parents. However, despite the growing trend away from home ownership, close to a quarter of millennials surveyed by Verdict (23.8 percent) say they are not concerned with a home of their own and would be content to rent for the rest of their lives [Fashion United, 2017]. This huge shift in ownership attitude is likely to have an impact on shopping behaviour.
Millennials also value experiences over the ownership of goods - known as “The Experience Economy”. According to a study conducted by ‘Harris’, for millennials “Happiness isn’t as focused on possessions or career status. Living a meaningful, happy life is about creating, sharing and capturing memories earned through experiences that span the spectrum of life’s opportunities”. Over half (53%) of UK Millennials would rather spend money on an experience versus a possession (only 22.6% who valued material goods more than experiences) [Inkling 2015]. Because of this, the concept of shopping has shifted from owning stuff to buying into new ideas.
04 40%
AS MUCH AS OF Londoners would be interested in engaging with unlimited clothing subscriptions for a SET monthly fee. WESTFIELD GROUP, 2017
FASHION WITHIN THE SHARING ECONOMY. The concept of the sharing economy and collaborative consumption has been operating within the UK’s apparel industry for decades, with the likes of suit hire and occasion wear-rentals. The luxury rental model has performed well within the industry, as premium clothing and accessories often have high value and low usage, characteristics of other item’s that have proved popular within the sharing economy. Despite the moderate success rate of luxury rental companies in the past years, it is a business model that is slowly dissolving for various reasons.
This offer is especially appealing to millennials, as it leaves them with more spending power and choice.
Most of these businesses require online ordering, which means waiting, and only cater for special occasions. Moreover, with the inevitable rise of fast, disposable fashion, shoppers do not want to change their wardrobe every couple of weeks, they want to change them day-by-day, in a simple, effortless and cost-effective way.
There is the possibility that fashion subscription could become a replacement for the money spent on disposable, fast fashion pieces from the likes of H&M or Forever 21, considering many women often buy those low-priced items knowing they’ll wear them only a few times. They will own the staples, and rent almost all the rest, like passing fads and trends.
More recent emerging business models offer a monthly subscription, which lets consumers rent out X number of garments per month and then return them at the end of the month in exchange for a new selection for a fixed amount. Some offer item-rotation throughout the month. This concept is rapidly gaining traction because not only do they offer consumers access to a wide and endless range of clothing, but they also offer them the chance to try out new fashion trends or designs without having to invest in owning the garment.
The advancement of technology has created new, innovative ways to rent fashion and normalize it. This tech-advancement, paired with the imminent arrival of the aptly named ‘Generation Rent’, is the catalyst that lights the fire in the emergence of the subscriptionbased rental model, which is much more immediate and ‘everyday’ than the luxury fashion rental concept that launched years ago.
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GRADUATE FASHION WEEKs MOVEMENT TOWARDS SUSTAINABILIY. Over the past 20 years, the fashion industry has been faced with monumental changes. Industry leaders, designers, and consumers are and beginning to show much more consideration and awareness towards responsible design and clothing consumption. We are also witnessing increased levels of interest from a younger generation, wishing to make a difference. This heightened sense of awareness can be seen at Graduate Fashion Week year on year, not only by the work produced by graduates at the show, but the awards and competitions which focus specifically on sustainable design. Previous sustainability awards and competitions have included the “Lenzing Sustainable Denim Competition”, “Swarovski Sustainable Accessories Competition”, “Dame Vivienne Westwood Sustainable and Ethical Award” and the Dame Vivienne Westwood sustainable and ethical award sponsored by Levis”. Graduate Fashion Week have also been using their invaluable platform to collaborate with big brand names and iconic fashion figures, in order to support and encourage Britain’s’ next generation of ethical designers, to adopt more sustainable practices across all levels of the fashion industry’s supply chain. Graduate Fashion Week continues to receive support from many organisations, who strive to achieve a much more sustainable clothing industry.
support from “the ethical fashion forum”: The Ethical Fashion Forum is the global industry body for sustainable fashion, representing over 10,000 members in 141 countries. Members are supported through an online platform that provides intelligence, resources, networking opportunities, and events that promote a more sustainable fashion industry. The Ethical Fashion Forum is delighted to support the next generation of sustainable fashion designers.
support from “the sustainable angle”: The Sustainable Angle is a not for profit organisation that initiates and supports projects which contribute to minimising the environmental impact of industry and society, and that help make it easier for companies, institutions and individuals, to make better informed decisions when it comes to sustainability.
06 As consumers, we have such a constant craving for newness. Wear the Walk and the subscription fashion concept satisfies that craving without being irresponsible in the way that we’re currently CONSUMING ZOE PARTRIDGE, FOUNDER AND CEO, WEAR THE WALK
BRITISH FASHION SUBSCRIPTION PIONEERS WEAR THE WALK. “Wear the Walk”, founded by Zoe Partridge, is a woman’s fashion subscription platform operating both offline, at their studio in Hackney, London, and online. Wear the Walk offers emerging designers collections for subscription, at an affordable price. This company prioritizes sustainable design, and only works with ethically sourced brands and designers. They also work closely with the next generation of young, ethical designers in Britain, helping them to get their foot in the door of the UK’s fashion industry, with the aid of their subscription-based rental model, offering them the opportunity to take advantage of a wide consumer and client reach.
Wear the Walk’s subscription-based business model is ethically disrupting the way women shop for clothes. In a recent interview, Founder and CEO of Wear the Walk, Zoe Partridge states, “People are looking for more sustainable ways to consume and more ethical production practices. We as consumers are seeking out sustainability which is a real turning point for my company. Renting is no longer seen as cheap, but as efficient”. Wear the Walk’s business model offers women a rotative, cost-effective and sustainable wardrobe, paired with the ability to experiment with their style on an everyday basis - minus the buyer’s remorse.
Wear the Walk’s transformative business model has proved to be popular in London; however, it is yet to take off within the UK. Despite this, it has been proven that fashion subscription services can offer huge environmental gains in the long run. Fashion subscription services like Wear the Walk encourage a much more sustainable way of consuming fashion, pushing the ‘Experience Economy’ over the need for ‘Ownership’.
Over the next two years, Partridge envisions consumers becoming a lot more socialized into renting and subscribing for the everyday. Not only would this ease pressure upon the environment, but it would also help create a much more circular economy within the UK’s apparel industry. This would dramatically increase product use intensity over time and reduce the need to overconsume fast fashion.