Is High Fashion Dying or Taking Over?

“I could buy designer, but this Fashion Nova fit.” Cardi B is not shy about showing her love for the fast-growing brand Fashion Nova, and people love it. Recently, consumers have started to move away from high-fashion and transitioned into an era where fast-fashion has taken over. Let’s be real; people like buying affordable clothing instead of it being expensive. As a result, people tend to buy cheap clothes that they need for one event, and never use them again.

According to Caldwell, “In 1901, Americans spent 14% of their income on clothing. Today, we spend only 2.8% of our income on clothes.* Clothes, that apparently, we don't even like or wear.” It is interesting that the percentage that people spend has significantly gone down, but I would not say that it is surprising.

As a college student, I am guilty of relying on fast-fashion brands to buy outfits that I can wear for events, and because they are cheap and trendy, I purchase them. Another reason why this practice has been so successful with consumers is that it is convenient and timely. However, affordable does not mean good quality. There have been several instances where some of the clothing that I have purchased look nothing like what I saw online. But, then specific questions arise: Do consumers realize that fast-fashion is not ethical, and do they care enough to not purchase from these websites? Will high fashion disappear due to the rise of fast-fashion?

According to Social Media: How to Engage, Share, and Connect by Regina M. Luttrell, “Ethics has been defined as ‘standards of conduct that indicate how one should behave based on moral duties and virtues.’ These values provide the framework for determining the difference between behaviors that are considered correct and those that are not.”

KIM KARDASHIAN HAS HAD ENOUGH

So, how exactly does fast-fashion work and what are they doing to get ahead of the fashion industry? The Investopedia website defines fast-fashion as “the term used to describe clothing designs that move quickly from the catwalk to stores to meet new trends.”

Kim Kardashian West wearing Theirry Mugler on February 17, 2019, in Los Angeles, CA.

Recently, Kim Kardashian West was photographed wearing a vintage Thierry Mugler gown from the Spring 1998 collection. Approximately 24 hours later, Fashion Nova had posted a picture of the replica they created of the gown, captioned “Don’t Worry, We’ve Got You Covered.” The post has since been deleted off of the Fashion Nova Instagram after Kim took legal action against the fast-fashion brand.

In plain words, Kim Kardashian West is officially tired of brands ripping off her very expensive fashion taste. In the picture below, Kim boasted about a two-piece outfit that Kanye West made for her, and at the end of the caption said, “PS fast fashion brands, can you please wait until I wear this in real life before you knock it off?” Then three hours later, another brand, Missguided, responded to her with an Instagram post of a replica of the two-piece she had on and almost mocked her comment.

A side by side comparison of the Instagram captions of Kim Kardashian West and Missguided.

The Instagram post has since been deleted, but it conclusively shows how fast-fashion works and their priorities. To create replicas of trendy clothing pieces at an affordable price that consumers will appreciate.

How do you feel about fast-fashion? Have you purchased off of these websites and have you taken into consideration how ethical their work is? However, the question that is most important and raises conversation: DID HIGH FASHION DIE?