" Once you see how difficult it is to make clothes, how much time and effort it takes, you understand that it's just not possible that a t-shirt costs only 5 euros."
Wanda Wollinksy, a 31-year-old German fashion designer and co-founder of the eco-responsible brand Kasia Kucharska. Before her studies at the Berlin University of the Arts, she used to buy a lot of fast fashion clothes " because it's cheap, and when you're young you don't have much money ". She explains that at the beginning of her studies, it was a way to defend the democratisation of access to fashion. Today, based on her experience, she is no longer as convinced by this argument and only buys second-hand clothes.
The quantity of clothes that ephemeral fashion represents is what puts the young woman off the most.
"Most of these clothes are not biodegradable. It's alarming to think that they will continue to exist even after my death"she notes.
The co-founders of the brand, from left to right, Reiner Törner, Wanda Wollinsky and Kasia Kucharska © Laura Schaeffer
The paradox of fast fashion
Yet fast fashion is a hit, even when its practices contradict consumers' ecological convictions. Although climate change is a major concern around the world, sales of disposable clothing have risen dramatically in recent years. a dramatic increase in recent years. in recent years. Between 2000 and 2014, global clothing production doubled. At the same time, the number of times a garment is worn has decreased dramatically.
What explains this paradox? Expert Valérie Guillard says it's because " buying is rewarding ". Professor of marketing at the University of Paris-Dauphine, and author, among other things, of the book entitled " Du gaspillage à la sobriété: Avoir moins et vivre mieux? (De Boeck Ed. 2019), her research focuses on the psychology and practices of consumers.
" When you buy something, it's a pleasure. Especially when it comes to clothes, you think you'll look better, you'll have something new to show off. And when you can consume something, it means that you are in touch with society, because society values consumption. Moreover, fast fashion is not expensive, which allows many social categories to have this pleasure. To give up this is to give up a certain way of being in relation to society. "
Consuming a fast fashion brand is then more a matter of convenience. Kartik says it is willing to pay a little more for eco-responsible and ethical clothing.
" If I knew of a brand like this near me that matched my style preferences - a style that represents you, that's important - I would go there rather than to Zara "he says.
Micro-trends and social networks: the infernal duo
In fast fashion, the key word is fast - the speed at which new clothes are produced and brought to market. While high-end brands release two collections a year (autumn and spring), fast fashion companies such as Zara offer new styles and trends up to twice a week. In the case of Chinese online fashion retailer Shein, the design and production period is sometimes as short as 3 days days! As a result, consumers are encouraged to buy regularly for fear of running out. And the clothes are so cheap that you can easily justify an impulse purchase and feel like you are saving money.
Kasia Kucharska's underwear made entirely of latex and biodegradable Sandra Gramm
Piles of discarded clothes in Chile's Atacama Desert © MARTIN BERNETTI / AFP / Getty Images
Last November, startling images emerged in the media of mountains of used textiles stretching as far as the eye can see in the Chilean desert. This type of open-air dumping ground, which can also be found in Ghana, India or the Ivory Coast, appears in our news feed more or less regularly.
In 2013, it was the collapse of the Rana Plaza, which housed several textile workshops and caused the death of at least 1,138 people, that left its mark.
There is no shortage of images and events showing a certain consumerist frenzy and its catastrophic consequences. It is therefore difficult to speak of an information deficit about fast fashion. " But is the information aware? "asks Valérie Guillard. She explains that it is necessary to take a step back and understand where we stand in relation to this issue.
Some deplore the greenwashing by brands and the confusion it can cause. Kartik Chawla is wary, for example, of clothing labels indicating sustainable manufacturing or 100% recycled materials:
"Sometimes I go back and try to check this data, but it is an extra effort. There may be a lot of things going on in the background that you just don't know about".
H&M
