The history of fast fashion

Päivitetty viimeksi Keskiviikko, 07/02/2024

Never have we talked so much about fast fashion. However, you look at it, and there seems to be only negative consequences for people, our society, the environment. But have you ever thought about where fast fashion comes from and how we got here?

Whether it’s about its terrible consequences on the environment, its violation of workers and human rights or in the broad context of capitalism, fast fashion is often a hot topic. At this point, you probably feel like you know everything there is to know about it, and maybe you have even  taken the next step and started raising awareness about it. Nowadays a lot of young people are against fast fashion, they are boycotting big brands, buying second-hand, organising protests, and starting discussions with their family members. But it’s always important to understand the bigger picture and learn about the root of the problem. Have you ever wondered about it? Do you know in which historical context fast fashion was born? To know the answers, we asked Christine Dupont, museum curator at the House of European History in Brussels.

Christine Dupont is a museum curator in the House of European History in Brussels, a museum project by the European Parliament, where “we are presenting the history of Europe as key to understanding Europe today”. Christine is a historian who is helping to develop the content of this museum. She shared: “We currently have a temporary exhibition called ‘Throwaway, the history of a modern crisis’, about the history of waste".

Where did fast fashion come from?

Firstly, you have to place that question in a broader context by looking at consumption behaviour, industry production development and people’s changing relationship to objects.

“Clothing and fashion are something that historically begins with the vital need to get dressed.”

“Fast fashion is a very new phenomenon because, until recently, clothes were precious goods that people took care of, repairing and reusing them while being passed on from one generation to another. We must recognise this is something that is still being done in various cultures around the world, but in the majority of the Western world this stopped in the 20th century, just after the Second World War.” Today, many clothes get thrown away before being repaired once. We have developed a throwaway culture that counts on the ‘disposability’ of a variety of products, including clothing.

Before, fast-changing fashion was something reserved for the richer class, and even then, clothes were always given a second life. Nevertheless, it has to be noted that the idea of fashion (changing clothes according to the trend or season, as a way to sell more) is quite ancient. Already at the end of the 17th century, there is evidence of an English treaty where fast-changing fashion is mentioned as a tool that can help boost the economy. “The idea was that a product can be conceived, sold, and then, of course, bought by consumers as something which will not last. Here we can observe a small shift that appears in economic theory.” We cannot speak about fast fashion yet, nevertheless, the seed of fast fashion has been planted.

The marketing of consumption, convenience and disposability

“The real shift, in Europe, came after the Second World War. Consumption habits were changing, and the American consumption model made its arrival in Europe. Buying gradually became a defining trait in people's identities: “You are what you buy, and it has to be visible”. That's where fashion had an important role to play, since clothes are the first visible thing on your body. Pushed by advertising and new media, this idea of a consumption society that stimulated the desire of consumers for products they did not necessarily need, grew bigger and bigger.”

“At this point in time, it was much cheaper to make clothes than ever before, making clothes more affordable”. Some called it “the democratisation of consumption”, the growing affordability meant a big social progress there, “we should not deny it”, meaning that clothes were then more available to the masses.

From the 1960s onwards, there were lots of disposable products arriving in Europe, which is of course part of the problem of the waste crisis we are facing today. Europe gradually entered this model of consumption, a throwaway society. Finally, you have the delocalisation of production, which is relatively recent in Europe. This made clothing production even cheaper because Asian workers (or non-European) are paid much less than European workers.

What can we learn from history?

I would not say that we have to take the past as an inspiration. It is important to consider the situation before fast fashion happened in its own historical context, different from the one we have today: when people kept clothes for longer, it was never because of environmental reasons, but because they had no means to buy new ones. The Thriftiness of past societies was also driven by social and economic reasons and the value we placed on objects. What is interesting to ask ourselves is: do we really do need all of that? And the answer to that question we can find in (and understand through) history. There we can observe that the need for (over-)buying has been created by marketing and advertising. That is something we can reflect upon.

What role does Europe play in all of this?

When we look at European policies that try to address the waste crisis, we can see growing attention to it. Historically, the European Union has tackled those waste issues from different sides. Currently, there is a whole debate happening in the European Parliament on ‘the right to repair’. And while it does refer more to electronic objects, we could also make it broader and consider clothes in this question as well. I’m not a specialist in fashion, so I cannot tell you if there are clothes that are made specially not to be repaired. Nonetheless, there is inspiration from history, since it became so easy and cheap to buy a new thing instead of repairing it.

That's also a question we should ask ourselves. Why bother to repair something if we can just buy a new one, it's so easy. Then there is a whole question about quality, which is one of the areas in which the European Union is playing a big role. In June 2023, the European Parliament adopted recommendations for the EU strategy for sustainable and circular textiles. From now on products sold in the EU should be more durable, easier to reuse, repair and recycle, and their production should also respect human, social and labour rights, not forgetting the environment and animal welfare throughout the supply chain.

Nevertheless, you have to be careful because the European Union is an ensemble of forces that are contradicting each other. You can see how the Parliament is submitted to pressure by lobbyists and the industry has no interest in losing. Lots of industries are fighting against new directives coming from the European Union because they are just potentially reducing their benefits and their business. So it's a complicated debate.

What about recycling?

Addressing the challenge of recycling, it became apparent that textiles pose a significant problem due to their recycling complexity. It's thus recognised that the most impactful solution lies in lessening consumption and waste, rather than focusing mainly on recycling efforts.

What now?

What is important is that we do not only address individual responsibility. Of course, we have responsibilities as individuals, but accusing people is not enough or fair. It is more about raising awareness than really making people feel guilty. We must also acknowledge that there is a socio-economic aspect to the issue of fast fashion. That's why we have to be careful when we use this guilt dimension because it's not so much an individual problem, it is a systematic one.

“I mean, what is more questionable, according to me, is a capitalist system which is driven by profit. The profit of big companies and not that of its workers. Because for me the problem of fast fashion is, foremost, a social problem of the conditions in which those clothes are produced. It’s not enough to say it's because of us, because we are buying that. So the question, “why are we buying that?”.

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Meet the authors

Daria Yune Elizarrarás Veenstra

My name is Daria Yune and I grew up in a world of contrast. Quite literally. I was born in Mexico City and in 2019 I moved to the Netherlands to study LAS. Raised between two opposite cultures I always felt different per default, no matter the context. Though with time I have also come to appreciate living in the 'inbetween'. The experiences and people in my life have taught me how to constantly find different perspectives in what I do. I have developed a passion for languages and for finding the extraordinary in the ordinary. On my spare days you can find me writing slam poetry or organising a climate protest.

Rute Carlos Matos Cardoso

I’m a Portuguese young journalist and curious is my middle name. I’ve worked with all media formats (TV, radio, printed and online), covered almost every topic possible and moved to three different countries, so far. After writing for a youth magazine and founding a podcast, in North Macedonia, I took charge of a youth TV, in Denmark. Right now, I’m starting a freelancing career and I’m excited to continue to give voice to young Europeans through the European Youth Portal.

This article reflects the views of the authors only. The European Commission cannot be held responsible for it.