The End Of Fast Fashion, Yes!

The end of Fast Fashion

The Portuguese textile industry was hit by the 2008 crisis. The European cradle of the textile industry, Portugal has been marked since the early 2000s by competition from new Asian factories. Indeed, this European expert in the field offered clothing and shoes at prices that were no longer competitive compared to those exercised in Asia. However, the 2007-2008 crisis plunged the country into a deep recession and Portugal was never again the king of “fast-fashion”.

Fast-fashion is a way of consuming that consists of constantly renewing products, collections and therefore wardrobes. What counts is the novelty, previously there were only 2 collections per year and today some brands offer eight or even more each year. Textile companies want to produce fast with extremely low production costs to meet rapidly changing consumer demands. Cheap products are rarely kept and very quickly end up in the trash.

However, this mode of consumption is increasingly criticized. The trigger was the collapse of a factory in Bangladesh in 2013, the Rana Plaza, housing major textile players such as Inditex and Primark to name a few. It caused more than 1,100 deaths and no less than 2,500 injuries. This tragic collapse has reacted to many people around the world, bringing to light deplorable working conditions.

A change of strategy for quality know-how

Portugal has managed to turn the corner and boost its growth by focusing on its traditional quality know-how. This one has been able to attract the big fashion houses but also young designers rooted in the values ​​of slow-fashion.

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Keywords: Manufacturers, fast fashion, consumption, textile, manufacturing.