What your fast fashion says about you

Just as the world comes to grips with what fast fashion is and its impact on the environment, the phenomenon already seems to already be on the way out.

This is according to head of Stadio School of Fashion, Maryne Steenekamp, who sat down with The Citizen to discuss fast fashion, the local textile industry and where fashion lovers of all kinds fit into the vast value chain of the fashion industry. 

Steenekamp believes there is a definite shift in the arena of local fashion as people are becoming more fond of sustainability as they become more aware of the impact that fashion has on the environment. 

As such, there is a significant shift away from fast fashion to more slow fashion and purchases made on informed decisions. 

What is fast fashion? 

According to Google’s English dictionary, provided by Oxford Languages, fast fashion refers to inexpensive clothing produced rapidly by mass-market retailers in response to the latest trends.

An Al Jazeera docuseries, which aired on TV earlier this year looked at the global fast fashion industry, found that the planet is overwhelmed with clothes. 

“​​Close to 56 million tonnes [of clothes] are sold every year… Pollution, very low-paid factory workers, associated community health problems and even our manipulated consumer psyches are all the consequences of this growing industry,” reported the news outlet. 

Local stores like Mr Price, The FIX, LEGiT and Cotton On are among those that contribute to the fast fashion industry. 

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Steenekamp explains that thanks to fast fashion, you get a simulated look and avoid using a more expensive natural fibre like cotton, but it won’t stay in your wardrobe, “it is not one of those timeless pieces”.

“The textile isn’t manufactured to withstand temperatures, to withstand wear and tear, it is actually made to have hanger appeal,” she added. 

Hanger appeal is basically meant to attract you but not meant to last past one season. 

“The more our consciousness starts to move towards that price tag, to not think of it as rand vs rand in the moment but where you think about ‘what does it say about me as the wearer of this narrative?’ Because that’s what fashion is, it’s stories

“So when I wear my fast fashion, the person that I am displaying to a much more aware consumer is someone who does not care about the environment, someone who is not aware of current trends about being responsible consumers.”

In that event, the price tag actually becomes aligned to the individual consumer’s choice. 

“So, ‘I choose rather to buy something more expensive, that’s locally made because, in turn, that’s the story that I wear that’s associated with my presence in society.”

The fashion and textile industry in the last year or so

“The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) and the South African Cotton Cluster’s 2020 report, Assessing the Economic Value of the Designer Fashion Sector in South Africa, shows that designers working in the clothing and textile sector in South Africa contributed approximately R1 billion to South Africa’s GDP during 2019,” said Steenekamp. 

“Fashion can be an important part of South Africa’s post-pandemic recovery, creating jobs and an appetite for South African design both locally and internationally,” she adds optimistically. 

According to Steenekamp, when most people hear the word “fashion,” they think of the runway and the more glamourous side. However, “as more people are engaging with fashion, they’re becoming more aware of the fact that fashion is also an expression… “

“What Covid has brought to the fore is that locally, our fashion supply chain is very much imported while we’ve actually got most of the natural resources to really make a flourishing business work within our local economy.” 

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She believes that people think that the pandemic, lockdown and issues such as environmental wastage (and landfills) have negatively impacted the industry but it has not. 

Despite the impact that lockdown had on purchases overall, Steenekamp has observed a large shift towards communities that wish to uplift local creative entrepreneurs financially by supporting their entrepreneurial endeavours. 

“We are seeing a definite move towards embracing our designers, our garment constructionists, pattern designers in that space… but then, furthermore, there is a kind of a movement towards localising supply chain processes that speaks to the business side of fashion.”

One of the greatest barriers to localising processes, however, is cost. Producing locally in the textile space is not cost-efficient. 

Advice for people aspiring to get into the fashion industry:

The great thing about the fashion industry is that thrives in both formal and informal ways. 

For those involved in fashion in an informal way, Steenkamp advises accessing Stadio’s range of short courses for people who wish to broaden the skill set they picked up through less formal means. 

She says that people can never stop improving upon skills and can therefore keep adding to their portfolios. 

“It’s about keeping your mind creative and keeping your hands busy with constructive and creative outputs.” 

Stadion offers numerous online sessions and discussions as well. 

“It is definitely a path, formally or informally that will always be there. Your need for a designer will always be there and a designer can always transpose that skill set to many paths.”

Stadio boasts alumni such as Werner Wessels and 2019 LVMH Prize winner Thebe Magugu who was the first African designer to be awarded the prize. 

“He went on to launch his debut collection at Paris Fashion Week in February 2020 and his clothing has been worn by the likes of stars like Zendaya, Miley Cyrus and Wendy Williams.”

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