A recent collaboration between a fast-fashion brand and a luxury hotel had fashion lovers scratching their heads.
What's happening?
Mindful consumption influencer Andrea Cheong (@andreacheong_) posted a video on TikTok about the collaboration between clothing brand Sporty & Rich and the luxury Hotel Du Cap-Eden-Roc in France.
@andreacheong_ I rerecorded this to be nicer but essentially what a waste of resource this is embarrassing #sportyandrich #qualityfashion #mindfulmondaymethod #fastfashion #fashioneducation ♬ original sound - Andrea
"The fact that they have this collab with Hotel Du Cap-Eden-Roc is really beyond me, because you would really expect the quality of the clothes to reflect the status of the hotel," she says. She proceeds to show several of the pieces, which include a terry-cloth polo, a jacket, and a pair of shorts.
"It's so fast-fashion coded with the shoddy finishing," she points out, mentioning the sparse embroidery, rattling jacket hardware, lack of real leather trims, and cheap, synthetic materials. What's worse, she points out, are the prices: The jacket is listed at an eye-popping price of over $500, with the shorts alone listed for nearly $100.
"I'm SHOCKED the hotel stooped to that level," one commenter said.
"What a waste of resource," Andrea wrote. "This is embarrassing."
Why is fast fashion so bad?
On S&R's website, it categorizes itself as a brand of "simple, yet thoughtfully designed products that emphasize longevity over momentary relevance." Yet commenters were quick to point out the reality.
"Their quality has declined RAPIDLY just over the last couple years," one person said. Another agreed, calling it "trash."
That said, noticeably cheap clothing quality is hardly limited to just S&R. Fast fashion — the name deriving from how quickly its cheap products are made and then discarded — is a growing problem for people around the world.
🗣️ What should the government do about the fast fashion industry?
🔘 Set strict regulations 🚫
🔘 Incentivize sustainable options 💰
🔘 Use both regulations and incentives 🏛️
🔘 Nothing 🙅
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
Not only is clothing production a massive drain on resources, from water to electricity, but the synthetic materials that go into these cheap clothes are made with dirty chemicals, microplastics, and even known carcinogens.
Add to this the fact that most people only wear an item a handful of times before tossing it, and the picture becomes clear: The more of these pieces sit in landfills and break down over time, the more hazardous waste leaks into the environment and pollutes the planet.
As Andrea warns, "This is the reality we're facing, guys."
Are there any alternatives to fast fashion?
In order to create an alternative to fast fashion, many companies are experimenting with more sustainable materials, such as potato thread, upcycled fabrics, and even biodegradable clothing.
In the meantime, it is possible to find clothing that's made more sustainably — just be sure to do your research. Or, an arguably better option is to simply buy secondhand, whether at a thrift store, an online secondhand shopping platform, or locally within your community through "buy nothing" groups.
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