Slow versus fast: The future of fashion

Consumers intentions are still not aligned with their actions when it comes to buying sustainable clothing. Credit: Shutterstock

Opinion polling indicates efforts to steer demand away from mass-produced unsustainable fast fashion in favour of high quality, sustainable, made-to-last slow fashion have borne fruit. However, researchers reveal consumers are still reluctant to follow up their stated good intentions with purchases.  

A September 2022 study by researchers at Sheffield Hallam University, UK, concludes Generation Z consumers regularly buy fast fashion despite saying they want their clothes to be sustainable - showing a “clear gap between ideals and practice.” 

The study shows that 90% of those surveyed bought fast fashion and only one in six could name a brand which made sustainable clothing. Moreover, women were more likely than men to advocate for sustainable clothing, but less likely to buy it. While 17% of all participants admitted shopping at a fast fashion retailer each week, 62% monthly and 11% yearly with only 10% claiming they had never purchased from a fast fashion retailer.   

Meanwhile, data from UK-based market researcher Gitnux published in March 2023 shows no signs of any decline in fast fashion demand. It values the segment’s sales worldwide at $122bn in 2021, being projected to reach $283bn by 2030, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.13% from 2023 to 2030.   

According to Kate Fletcher, professor at the Royal Danish Academy, Copenhagen and Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway, the gap between intention and action when it comes to sustainable clothing is “long-standing.” She says this is partly because “intentions come from our mind and action from our gut or body,” hence the need to think more with “our hearts and limbs”.   

Buying more, she argues keeps us in a social trap: “We buy goods to satisfy needs, like acceptance and belonging, yet when we are more materialistic, we are less happy, and then we buy more… We must spring this trap,” she says.   

That said, will consumers ever be satisfied with having a few capsule pieces in their wardrobe? According to Fletcher: “Consumers are part of a system, and the logic of the system is one of continuous growth.” And most of the time the logic of continuous expansion and economic growth feels like it is beyond question, but that’s not the case, she says: “We designed it that way. We can design something else. We can design a system in which healthy communities and vibrant ecosystems are the goal of the economy. And then consumers would be part of a different system, acting differently,” she notes.   

In short, this will mean a profound shift in consumer psychology and the clothing industry, where fewer pieces will be made: “High volumes and overproduction and overconsumption of clothing is the chief factor that inhibits the fashion sector transforming,” Fletcher explains.   

Slowing sales would inevitably reduce production volumes. What will this mean for thousands of garment sector jobs is “still being understood,” Fletcher adds.  

However, what we know is that “current livelihoods are not viable and that companies could pay more,” and points out: “With many producer countries already experiencing climate change promoted by industrial manufacturing, fast fashion is “not a trustworthy broker of human wellbeing.”   

In fact, an upcoming study may conclude that slow fashion consumption could make consumers happier, imparting a sense of wellbeing. Dr Lis Ku senior lecturer in psychology at De Montfort University in Leicester, UK, tells Just Style there is evidence that slow fashion “related to the sense of engagement, [is] an indicator of eudemonic wellbeing”.  

It follows on from Chinese research that explored the correlations between people’s wellbeing and slow fashion. Although Ku is still in the process of conducting detailed data analysis, initial assessments of the responses from 500 UK-based participants indicate slow “fashion consumption is related to the sense of engagement,” says Ku.  

She explains psychology includes the ‘self-determination theory’ positing three innate needs - autonomy (the sense that we have choice and freedom), mastery (that we are developing our abilities, and are in control of our environment) and relatedness (that we are related to others, not necessarily just our close friends and family but also our community). And “if these needs are met, we thrive. If these needs are frustrated, we tend to engage in compensation activities to satisfy these needs in an indirect way.”  

She highlights that slow fashion is most certainly related to autonomy because slow fashion consumers often talk about the freedom from the 'tyranny' of fashion trends, and bespoke clothing allows them to be involved in the design and even the production process.  

Nevertheless, cutting down on apparel consumption is tough for many consumers, according to Ku. “Empowering people and equipping them with the necessary skills and toolsets is very important.” Clothes and fashion are often a means to express ourselves and convey our identities. But if this entails quick and recurring consumption, then persuading consumers to stop or reduce consumption might cut against their identities and be difficult. 

Ku highlights it is “important to convey the message that we can achieve self-expression purposes by other means”. For example, consumers could buy or acquire vintage clothing and upcycle it, enabling them to “express themselves and their identities better than buying something new”. But most people lack the means, skills and opportunities to upcycle: “So, I believe this is where slow fashion shops, designers, producers could come in, by providing consumers with this opportunity to mend, customise, and create unique pieces for themselves,” she says.  

Innovative initiatives such as US-based Rent the Runway, a self-proclaimed shared designer closet, offers its customers rented clothes through a subscription programme to help consumers to discover brands they love.   

But is such a profound shift in buying habits essential for cutting fashion waste? Fast fashion retailer Shein tells Just Style it “only produces 100 to 200 pieces of any Shein brand product at launch and responds with increased production only if demand warrants it.” A company spokesperson argues Shein “consistently limits excess inventory to single digits through on-demand production, a percentage that is much lower than traditional retailers,” which it says results in less waste.