Fast fashion news and archive

Probe reveals persistent labour issues at Shein, despite promises of improvement

Despite Shein's public assurances to improve working conditions in its supplier factories following the exposure of poor labour practices over two years ago, a recent follow-up investigation reveals that 75-hour work weeks remain commonplace in southern China. Data from Swiss-based watchdog Public Eye, who interviewed employees in Guangzhou,...

Podcast

Podcast: The struggle of a garment worker in the US

Hear the true story of Lorena (not her real name), a garment worker in Los Angeles' Fashion District in this podcast. She goes to work every day and sews about 30 t-shirt collars or 50 backpack zips, depending on the day's assignment. She gets paid a few cents a piece. This is now illegal under California's 2022 Garment Workers Protection Act,...

Business

Patagonia: 'The Shitthropocene' explores the age of cheap clothing trash

In a documentary that is as humorous as it is revealing, the US outdoor company Patagonia has taken a critical look at consumer habits and the resulting clothing waste. The 45-minute film entitled 'The Shitthropocene' - an allusion to the current geological age of mankind (the Anthropocene) - takes a satirical but brutally honest look at how...

Business

Vestiaire Collective: “Our world cannot afford fast fashion”

“The idea that fast fashion is more affordable is simply wrong” - this is the conclusion of new research by Vestiaire Collective. The French resale platform published its ‘Circularity Report 2024’ last week. The company's third annual impact report shows the results of a joint study with carbon tracking software Vaayu. A consumer survey with...

ManagementFeatured

EU toughens safety rules on Chinese fashion retailer Shein

The European Union on Friday added Chinese-founded online retailer Shein to its list of digital companies that are large enough to come under stricter safety curbs. The company joins Facebook, TikTok, X, YouTube in a list of 23 "very large online platforms", which have more than 45 million monthly active users in the European Union. From the end...

Background

Plagiarism in Fashion: Why is there so much imitation and is it allowed?

Trends are traditionally dedicated by the runway. The apparel industry looks to runway designs, haute couture as well as ready-to-wear, for inspiration. Designs are reinterpreted for a wider audience or diluted and made more accessible while being sold at ever-lower prices. Source: the background article ‘Fashion: from catwalk to closet’ Some...

Business

Shein in focus as France fights back against fast fashion

With jaw-droppingly low prices and a seemingly endless selection of trendy clothes, Shein has taken the world by storm -- and found itself in the crosshairs of French lawmakers who want to curb the excesses of fast fashion. Customers love the Chinese-founded firm's massive catalogue of ultra-cheap items, from 8 dollar sundresses to 48-cent...

Business

Jaded London item found to have Shein label according to TikTok user

A shopper on TikTok was left in disbelief after finding a label by controversial fast fashion platform Shein that appeared to have been sewn into her garment from Jaded London. In a video posted to the social media platform, Emma Silverman showed the lining of the supposed Jaded London top, in which both a tag from the brand and a tag from Shein...

Fashion

French parliament votes to slow down fast fashion

France's parliament on Thursday backed a string of measures making low-cost fast fashion, especially from Chinese mass producers, less attractive to buyers. The vote makes France the first country in the world "legislating to limit the excesses of ultra fast fashion", said Christophe Bechu, minister for the ecological transition. Key measures...

Fashion

France is one step closer to taxing fast fashion

As the curtain closes on Paris Fashion Week, the French government advanced a step closer to imposing penalties on fast fashion producers. Proposed on Monday by parliament ministers, a new bill suggests fines of up to 10 euros or 50 percent of the selling price of garments for major players like Shein, aiming to counterbalance their...

Fashion |Opinion Featured

France's 5 euro fast fashion tax - A game changer for sustainable fashion?

In a pioneering move to counteract the detrimental effects of fast fashion, France has introduced a proposed levy of 5 euro on each fast fashion item sold. Spearheaded by French MP Antoine Vermorel Marques and backed by the Horizons Group, this tax proposal is a decisive statement against the environmental and social havoc wreaked by fast...

Business

Australian environment minister warns clothing industry 'must roll back fast fashion'

Tanya Plibersek is considering regulating the garment industry. The Australian environment minister spoke of a possible levy on the sector, which is responsible for between 4 and 8 percent of global CO2 emissions, as reported by ABC News. Australia has a fast fashion problem. The average Australian buys 56 garments every year and, according to...