Consumerism os the curse of the 21st century. Sales are getting bigger and better, Cyber Monday, Black Friday, Single's Day and beyond. Fast fashion is becoming ultra-fast and we're topping up our wardrobes at an exponential rate.
Retail Therapy
Spending money on new clothes is often associated with positive emotions, related to refreshed ownership, reinforcing our identity and a quick fix gratification. They very term 'retail therapy' suggest that shopping is an effective form of self-love.
Marketing promises fulfilment to us, trading cash for clothes for an enhanced image and lifestyle. New clothes enable us to communicate individual style to peers, either in person or through a constructed 'self-image' on social media. We regard the ability to keep up with fashion trends as aspirational, suggesting that, "if happiness was dependant on our consumption levels, we should be 100% content" (Vrany, 2017). Consumption levels have now reached dizzying heights, but studies consistently how that we, as consumers, are in fact more dissatisfied than ever with the things we own.
In the sense of Western attributes, shopping comprises "significations which compose iconography and scopicregimes of modernity" (Nava et al, 1997:2). We return to high street retailers each time an urge to shop arises as our dependency on brands isn't telling of some sort of shallowness but rather an efficient method of product associations which enables us to make shopping decisions with greater ease. Comfort in the familiarity of established brands means that emerging sustainable brands have to overcome psychological consumer barriers to draw us in, as "the more established and routine the behaviour, the more likely it is to be dominated by unconscious drivers" (Graves).
Shopping is a modern norm and accepting our participation in the broken 'take, make, waste' fashion system would mean sacrificing 'retail therapy'; discarding the notion that our self-image must always be updated with new trends.
Current consumption is seemingly based on asking how much we can get for as little as possible. Instead we should be asking how much can we give for all that we get?
Fast Fashion
Fast fashion is, for most, an accessible tool which enables us to continuously update our self-image with new outfits, without breaking the bank. Planned obsolescence comes hand in hand with fast fashion, with us accepting that garments bought today will serve a short-lived purpose, before the desire to upgrade an item arises; regardless of its condition.
Fast fashion garments are not expected to last; therefore we arguably invest less emotional value into them. Lacy and Rutqvist summarise how fast fashion retailers profit, claiming that "one of the most efficient ways to grow is by increasing throughput". Shifting mass volume requires encouraging us to continually replace our clothes.
Prospering brands in a high-speed, digitalised retail sector provides convenience and social purpose by enabling identity- using clothes to express the language of ourselves as seemingly unique individuals. Brands provide this by introducing new stock on a weekly basis. Subsequently, something you try on one week may not even be in the store next, therefore, purchasing prevents a fear of missing out (the dreaded FOMO).
"Distinct neural mechanisms anticipate gain versus loss" (Kuhnen & Knutson, 2005), which influences our decisions of whether or not to purchase a garment, although biological factors alone might not cause our impulsive purchases. Shopping is pleasurable because the process is curate through external intentions, from friendly staff to curate store layout and presentation.
Ultimately, the aftermath of impulsive purchases is that 53 million tons of clothing are produced each year. 87% of this ends up in landfill or is incinerated (Williams, 2018). Furthermore, "half of fast fashion items are disposed of in under 12 months" (Stitched Up, n,d.). Garment overproduction is rinsing Earth's finite resources. Overconsumption is leading to mass waste. We're becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the clothes that we own and the primary beneficiaries are profit-centric brands.
Sociologist Giddens addresses the characteristics of late modernity. Arguing that 'within contemporary Western societies identity has been linked to movements of self-affirmation... [becoming]... integrated into lifestyle decisions made about the self".
Modernity Has Failed Us
Fast fashions prosperity, whilst enabling indulgences of materialistic self-affirmation, has negative externalities on our fragile planet. The industry is so unsustainably resource-intensive that "it take 2,700 litres [of water] to make one cotton shirt, enough to meet the average persons drinking needs for two-and-a-half years" (Drew & Reichart, 2019). So, fitting quote The 1975's Matty Healy himself, 'Modernity has failed us'.
Perceived garment values has decreased with the cost of both manufacture and the cost to us end consumers, therefore creating a systems where we merely like our clothes, rather than love them, and the accepted narrative is to replace garments with shifting trends. Meanwhile, a lack of transparency in garment manufacturing keeps is accepting planned obsolescence, getting in return cheaper fashion and more freedom of choice to update 'self-image'. For convenience we might settle for a garment, failing to regard so much garment choice as actually overwhelming, under the illusion of offering style freedom.
Whilst fast fashion has enabled us greater access to cheaper clothes, this often means that the price tag isn't reflective of the environmental and labour cost of producing that garment. Increasing product prices could reduce consumption levels, but might also hinder fair access to shopping, by excluding consumers of lesser affluence to participate in a normalised social activity. Sustainable fashion could therefore be a problem of privilege and accessibility. In 2017 "Britons binned clothes worth £12.5 billion" (Ellson, 2018). Ellen MacArthur Foundation (2017) summarised globally, that this is the equivalent of one garbage truck of textiles being landfilled or burned every second. Every. Single. Second.
Clothes within this polluting industry "release half a million tonnes of microfibres into the ocean every year...Microfibres are likely impossible to clean up and can enter food chain". The interwoven complexity of this problem extends dar beyond the fashion industry itself. Omittance of environmental care and considerations is consequently seeing the natural world around us diminished.
If human impact is inevitable, minimising it should be a shared non-negotiable goal. But resisting the pull of trend-led clothing seems hard to implement on an individual basis, despite growing knowledge of these environmental concerns. With a possibility of policymakers failing to effectively respond and implement serious action in time, we may have to step and take individual responsibility, recognising that every purchased could be casting a subconscious consumer vote, for continuing linear product practices.
Reducing our consumption alone will not solve fashion's core industry issues, although it may buy us a window of time. Fashion's ineffectiveness at meeting modern consumer demands in harmony with the environment should really be at the forefront of considerations regarding how all retailers operate. We hold brands accountable for improve our quality of life, therefore a company's environmental footprint risks eroding a brands value (Lacy & Rutqvist, 2015:12). However, this perspective shuns all responsibility onto the brands, creating blurred lines between who should be held accountable and who hold the greatest capacity to initiate necessary industry change.
Dopamine Junkies
Shopping is a scientific burst of happiness, with dopamines released in the brain as we do it.Chemical reactions cause the positive feelings associated with shopping and brand marketing campaigns leverage this biology for profit. Neurobiologist Sulzer (2017), reports that the "neurotransmitter surges when... considering buying something new...when unforeseen benefits enter the cognitive field-e.g. 30% off! - the dopamine really spikes".
Marketing strategies manipulate the psychology of our relationship with ourselves, creating integrated desires to obtain peer validation through materialism and Western cultural liberation movements.
Just like substance usage, a shopping binge is followed by the hangover. Contradicting the fulfilmet shipping promises, Greenpeace surveyed shoppers finding that around half of responded admit that their shopping high wears off within less than a day.
Just like substance usage, a shopping binge is followed by the hangover. Contradicting the fulfilment shipping promises, Greenpeace surveyed shoppers finding that around half of responded admit that their shopping high wears off within less than a day.
The root of addiction, however, is the building of tolerance to these chemical reactions in our head. Each time requiring a larger dose to get the same effect (Bilder, 2017). Compulsive desires to shop stem from needing to satisfy desired fulfilment through perpetual acquisition.
The psychology behind 'why' we shop could go a way towards explaining why we've become more readily bored of our clothes. Murray (2014) explains that having what you want implies that a goal preceded the acquisition. Happiness is derived from the "motivations for making those purchases." Therefore, the clothes are not the direct cause of out stimulated happiness but rather the 'by-product' of an acquisition triggered, emotional reward, of coming into product ownership. Buying without regard to the likelihood of garment usage and with trends shifting so quickly, impulsive fashion purchases fall short of justification for the resources required to manufacture them in the first place.
As you might expect, FOMO is an imposing sales driver for online shopping, creating a compelling urgency to spend- particularly when we feel we're in direct competition with other shoppers to obtain products with limited availability. You see, fast fashion retailers work by drawing inspiration from two traditional catwalk seasons (Spring/Summer, Autumn/Water), to produce 52+ seasons a year: weekly drops are becoming the norm! Merged with the growth of social media, it results in todays new, hyper-connected consumer market, demanding non-stop trend innovation.
The Fashion Cycle
Trends are generally illustrative of the zeitgeist, and according to Vinken (2017:15) "fashion trends are a reflection of the spirit of the times" and the "goal of determining a trend is to be able to monitor that it achieves full integration among the majority".
The immediacy of trends today is arguably due to them being manufactured out of concepts stemming no deeper than visual aesthetic, with less emotional backstory to rationalise the reason for a trend's emergence and growth. Do we then, seek newer trends in pursuit emotional fulfilment which previous trend consumption failed to achieve?
The 'Fashion cycle' shows how micro – trends become macro – trends, involving five key stages: Introduction, rising popularity, peak of popularity, declining popularity, rejection. Once a trend is accepted amongst the majority, the fashion conscious will seek the next new thing to sustain a trend setter identity, continuous fashion consumption leads to the Western problem of 'Stuffocation... Feeling suffocated by the sheer volume of clothes that wallow in your wardrobe' (Wallman, 2015).
Sifting through a full wardrobe becomes more effort than buying something new and more 'on trend' instead, increasing consumption and perpetuating this feeling of stuffocation. In fact, research shows that we'd actually feel more content with less clothes, is in the process of outfit selection – although this requires overcoming a persistent desire to shop first.
Fashion trends are born out of desirable equities, not fundamental for survival, but idolised as a means to an enjoyable lifestyle. The argument for legitimate essential needs and "OMG I need this new jacket" needs, is that the materialistic needs can only arise once we have all our basic living needs met. A human desire to strive for progress sees Western societies socially construct materialistic needs, to give us aspirations, readily attainable through fast fashion consumption. Suggesting that the choice to buy into trends gives false illusions of individualism – the sentiment trends supposedly facilitate. "if we are following trends and we are following the masses… A trend becomes only a trend because it is shared by others" (Strähle, 2016). The power of marketing is what keeps us false deluded and buying into this broken narrative.
The acquiring of fashion garments directly associates to positive emotions around self-image construction. Looking at the theory of power dressing is the construction of the type of self: identifies power addresses as open speech itself he demonstrates that she is ambitious, autonomous and enterprising by taking responsibility for the management of the appearance." (Molloy 1980:18), which can be seen illustrated still, in modernity, through social media.
The Social Media Effect
This year Kylie Jenner became the youngest self-made billionaire but we have cosmetic line, epitomise in contemporary western measures of success. For her 21st birthday she wore a millennial pink, Swarovski crystal bodysuit. Overnight, fast fashion retailer Fashion Nova produced an affordable knockoff, advertising their copy on Instagram. With those flaunting the trendiest lifestyles and social media idolised, it's an increasing phenomenon that we appear to engineer wardrobes for association to subcultures were deemed successful, based on subjective beliefs about what a successful life visually comprises. An outfit expresses these desired associations and shopping aspirational fulfils self-perceived requirements of identity significance.
Fast fashion enables clothes to be utilised as a language of wealth stemming from the look-at-me culture, we're seemingly competing to out dress each other for the sake of curated self-image portraying subjective levels of trend affluence.
Between 2014 and 2030 there are expected to be 2.5 billion new middle-class consumers globally, potentially looking to address each other for peer approval; raising concerns about fashions increasing strain on the planet – which is already balancing on an environmental tipping point.
What's Next?
Where do we go from here? Perhaps looking inwards towards the end consumer and shopping babe you'll be a good place to start, not just scratching the surface. Like, really digging deep into our own consciousness to try and understand why we buy we buy, shopping certain stores; are drawn to certain styles… only when we begin to truly reflect inwards can we then hope to understand how we can have a positive external impact outward into the world. Maybe you'll find that you're not so interested in cutting back on how much fashion you consume, but a little self reflection probably would do your energy some good all the same (we've all got room for improvement).
Fashion. It's not as easy to define as you may think. It's a complex system filled with pragmatic construction, emotional responses and intertwined actions. Your role within the fashion system is suspended, not fixed. We have the power to cut ties to the intense system when we're ready to challenge fashion consumption as it's presented to us today and question the true meaning of it all.
However, what you choose to do with all this information is ultimately up to you. You are, after all, a completely original an individual syncing entity with your own unique identity to fulfil… aren't you?
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