Through this blog, I intend to explain the general fashion terminology frequently used on many environment-related forums in the simplest manner.
What is MASS PRODUCTION & Why do brands choose to do it?
The very purpose of any business is to make more margin with each sale. Other than operational cost, one important factor in MRP is product cost. The way to reduce the cost of a product is to negotiate with suppliers and get the best quote. So here the bigger order quantity game begins. The chase for slim cost & fat margin ratio in MRP is the concept behind mass production.
However, the nature of the apparel industry is not comparable to other industries like healthcare, agriculture, automobile, or FMCG. In the case of a recessionary market, the fashion industry faces the most dramatic transformation. The sales decline across channels. Given fashion’s discretionary nature, consumers always prioritize essentials first. We have witnessed recently how the COVID pandemic has affected many industries, luxury the most. Mass production leads to huge waste. Unused, unsold garments are not only polluting our environment but also represent huge financial losses for every participant in the supply chain – from manufacturers to distributors to retailers. Sustainable fashion aims to address these issues by promoting eco-friendly clothing and fair trade fashion practices.
What is FAST FASHION & what are the hazards of it?
To keep consumers engaged, brands strive to offer fresh collections periodically. Broadly, the collection launch works in 3 to 4 drops as per seasonal changes: Spring Summer, Festive, Fall Winter. However, rapidly changing fashion trends, the volatile nature of social media, and new celebration days added to the consumer calendar like Women’s Day, Father’s Day, Yoga Day, etc., have pushed brands to keep up with faster & event-based product lines. They launch mid-season collections linked to trends.
The front-side danger of fast fashion is that this target customer has a quick mind shift. This could lead to a lot of leftover stock for the brand if not sold or quick wardrobe rejection by the consumer. The blindside danger is the process of manufacturing garments with short lead times. The entire supply chain time drastically reduces to 15 days from the standard 45-60 days. One can easily imagine the consequences of rushed production & the environmental compromises made to make it possible. A cloth not intended to be worn longer than a trend cycle may not go through all quality tests, undermining eco-friendly clothing principles.
What is SLOW FASHION & why should you consider bringing it home?
In contrast to fast fashion, slow fashion sticks to long-lasting trends. Not frequent changes, but a broad shift in styles are tracked. An observation is made on which dressing styles are going to define fashion for a longer period of time. The advantage is that these products are made with consideration of longer shelf life. A classy style can be worn over decades if kept well. The brands that focus on slow fashion work intensely on creating distinct styles. The outcome looks more personalized compared to big retail stores catering to general common mass sensibilities. It not only helps consumers to evolve into their own signature look but also supports the environment in many ways. Small batch production, reorder based on sales data, customization, etc., are possibilities. This approach aligns with sustainable fashion principles by reducing waste and promoting recycled fabric usage.
SUSTAINABLE CLOTHING
As the word suggests, it has the ability to sustain. The garment industry has a very vast supply chain, from those harvesting the fibers used to make textiles to shop assistants selling the finished fashion products. Not to mention workers in low-cost sourcing and fashion manufacturing hubs such as Bangladesh, India, Cambodia, etc.
Sustainable fashion means every contributing factor should be benefited. Amongst this, the most harm has been done to these two silent contributors: 1. Low-cost laborers & 2. The Environment. To repair this, now the aware consumer set is adopting the “fewer, better things” mantra that environmentalists have been advocating over the past decade. More locally made with ethical sourcing. This model is certainly challenging & attracts higher costs, resulting in higher price points. However, the sentiments behind a purchase should be more than the product itself. Eco-friendly clothing and fair trade fashion practices are central to sustainable fashion, ensuring that both the environment and workers are treated fairly.
CIRCULAR FASHION
This term is a subset of sustainable fashion. It includes Repair, Reuse, Rent, Preloved thrift shopping, Upcycle, and Recycle. This means a cloth should live its full cycle before it goes to landfill, often incorporating recycled fabric to extend the life of materials.
FAIR TRADE
All the contributors in giving shape to your garment should be treated fairly. Genuine profit distribution to harvesters, proper sanitation in factories, child care, fair wages, statutory policies for staff, abuse-free environment to workers, etc. For decades, garment industry leaders have offered tempting, crazy low MRPs by taking the benefits away from trade workers. We at WildMoss Clothing have been able to trace the sourcing of our product elements to assure that we deal only in fair trade. No tears on our clothes. Only happy faces.
ECO-FRIENDLY
As we all know, the infamous fact that the garment industry is the second most polluting industry in the world. Fabric processing, dyeing, printing, different washes, etc., have polluted the groundwater of nearly all industrial areas. It is not only impacting the life condition of factory workers but also all the nearby residential localities.
The second demon is the huge landfill concern. All the unwearable textiles rot in landfills causing greenhouse gas emissions. The production wastage is one part; however, one of the biggest reasons is overproduction. Fast production, cheap quality, cheap costs & then disposing of them is creating tons of dumps, equaling hundreds of millions of rupees per year, showing a clear economic loss especially to a struggling developing economy like India. This can be easily improved by individual efforts at the home level. Repair, upcycle, recycle, donation, etc., are simple steps that align with the principles of sustainable fashion.
SEASON-FREE CLOTHING
This is another way to look at slow fashion. The brand need not strictly follow the retail seasons for launches. The compulsion of bringing newness in the collection every four months pushes modern retailers to reject unsold items & replace them with new stock each time. Thousands of usable garments are pushed into a corner wasting every resource involved. When this cycle stops, consumer behavior will also be less impulsive.
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