An ugly piece of clothing can (objectively) still be ugly even with a brand’s name fixed on it. There is nothing that sets apart your average ukay from Bershka, Nike, Shein, etc. what-have-you.
Of course, there’s a factor of “how it’s made”. But unless, it’s Mui Mui, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Diesel, or anything that does not exude “fast fashion,” (Miranda Priestly would approve of wearing it, and) there’s nothing special in its manufacturing that warrants a possible high cost or any premium, for a fact.
It’s not that average fast fashion brands are awful, but the glamor and veneration associated with these become coercive. Often, they become the standards. Often, one is naked without wearing these brands.
Consumer behavior has been coerced into thinking, whatever is plastered in social media should be our go-to brand. Marketing towards certain age groups or demographics has been effective for fast fashion brands. While the money that was spent in purchasing these products is not anyone’s business to meddle with, the problem seeps from different roots.
Shein, for example, has not been transparent with its supply chain. Since the manufacturing of fast fashion clothing is outsourced to foreign markets, particularly in China or other Asian countries with cheap labor markets, some have speculated that Shein, Forever 21, H&M, or any fast-fashion brand exploit workers in these countries.
One Google search can confirm that not all fast fashion brands use child labor or manufacture their goods in Chinese sweatshops. But dubious market practices will still exist. Stealing design ideas from smaller competitors is as old as the fashion industry itself, and fast fashion only heightens the problem. Since supply chains are questionable, it’s hard to pin down who made what and who to blame for the stealing.
While exploitation might be out of the picture, there’s no perfect fast fashion brand. One misstep and consumers might see themselves casting their peso votes to exploitative market practices or design stealers. Profit comes first among other things for these companies.
Firms strive to minimize loss and maximize profits, and it seems as though these brands perfected the formula. Fast fashion brands’ supply chains are streamlined. Sometimes they do not have to market themselves, they just need a few social media influencers (or faux-influencers) to advertise for them. The series continues, and the chant goes:
Shein, Shein, Bershka, Nike, and whatnot...
Flex culture fueled the marketability of any brands that trust fund kids or anyone wore and used for clout in social media. Brands do not even have to try. Many influencers are open to sponsorship. As long as they have a platform, brands come and go. As long as they have a TikTok account, they can flex the brand for free.
Anyone is susceptible to the demonstration effect. Unless one is a monk living atop Mount Everest with a perfectly egalitarian society, at one point in one’s life, “I want that” has been uttered. Shein, Bershka, Shein, Shein, Nike, Adidas, H&M are everywhere. There’s nothing that stops anyone from purchasing them. The marketing felt like it is the only option-- the most viable one.
There are alternatives, though.
An average ukay is not as bad as it seems. Just grab and find quickly. Circular market practices or the act of recycling or reusing supplies of a product is far better than streamlining manufacturing to add new products out in the market. With a two hundred-peso budget, one can purchase multiple articles of clothing in ukay as opposed to just one piece from a fast-fashion brand.
Or if one is picky, some brands that practice sustainability and are cheap are out there. The fashion industry has not completely adopted the model, but a few brands that practice recycling emerged through the years.
Do not be blighty unaware of the fact that fashion is art. The hyper-commercialization brought by fast fashion brands capitalizes on its attempt to become an alternative to staples of the industry and hurts smaller brands. The petit-bourgeois tendencies of people are showing, and it emerging young designers.
There’s nothing so unique about wearing denim apparel or any fast-fashion clothing out there. A brand is all that it takes to “feel good” about wearing something. Unless a brand’s name is printed on the cloth itself, the tag stays inside.
Writer’s note: I was listening to commes des garcon while writing. I need to watch The Devil Wears Prada. Who’s with me?
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Written and Designed by: Jantzen Eros
Sources:
Claim: Fast fashion supply chain
Claim: Fast Fashion stealing
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