In recent years, with the rise of fast fashion, Volkswagen’s fantasy has been greatly satisfied.Especially in the 21st century, fast fashion items such as casual suit, cool sweater, and old jeans have gradually become a must -have in urban white -collar wardrobe.
The concept of fast fashion comes from Europe in the 20th century. Europeans call it “Fast Fashion”, and Americans call it “Speed to Maket”.The British “Guardian” also created a vocabulary “MCFASHION”, which means that it is as cheap and fast popular as McDonald’s.
In Western society before the 20th century, fashion is still a niche concept.It is largely separated from the social class, and fashion communication activities have obvious exclusiveness.
Entering the second half of the 20th century, the third industrial revolution opened, the development of economic and social development and the enhancement of social liquidity made the concept of fashion from “overflow” from the noble class to the citizen class.After that, capital, communication media and global production and marketing models further spawned the phenomenon of “fast fashion”, and a number of fast fashion retailers rose.Its business logic is to copy the design concepts and elements of fashion shows and luxury brands, and quickly launch new products and penetrate the market at a lower cost to meet the fashion needs of ordinary people.
The Spanish fast fashion brand ZARA was once a leader in this field.
In 1975, Amancio Ortega, who was born in the Spanish workers’ family, opened a principal of Zara in Laomo Ortega with a 5,000 Bita (Spain, equivalent to 30 euros).Fashion stores soon emerged through fashionable design and low prices.At the end of 1989, Zara New York’s first store opened. The New York Times used “the focus is fast fashion” to describe its brand positioning, and emphasized that it has “the ability to push the designer concept into the store shelves in just 15 days.”Subsequently, ZARA began to expand to the global market. The rise of ZARA was used as a classic teaching case by major business schools in Europe and the United States. The “Harvard Business Review” even called it “Dell Computer in the clothing industry”.
In fact, fast fashion not only responds to fast demand, but also launch new products fast, but also the pace of occupying the market is not slow.Take the Chinese market as an example.In 2002, the Spanish fast fashion brand MANGO and the Japanese fast fashion brand UNIQLO entered the Chinese market; in February 2006, ZARA’s first store in Mainland China opened; in 2007, the Dutch fast fashion brand C & A appeared in Lujiazui, Shanghai.In 2013, CBRE issued a report that from the total number of stores, China has become the most important overseas market for international fast fashion brands.In just a few years, the clear and huge logo of fast fashion stores covers the business districts of most first -tier and second -tier cities. Every holidays and promotion season, consumers can see consumers outside the test room and the front row of cashier tables.Start up.
However, in recent years, the situation seems to have changed, and the news of fast fashion brands has heard.Taking the Beijing Huiju Center as an example, since 2018, more than 10 fast -fashion brands including British brand New LOOK and American brand Forever 21 have successively closed their stores.Zara’s number of stores in mainland China also dropped from 183 in 2018 to 96 at the end of January this year.
For fast fashion decline, market participants have made a lot of analysis.
Some people say that when “fast” has become the standard of Chinese domestic fashion brands, the advantages of “fast fashion” no longer exist.Many local brands can achieve a cycle from 6 to 7 days.Essence
Some people say that “fast fashion” can no longer guess the consumer’s thoughts.With the increase in market maturity, personalization has occupied the consumer mind of “Gen Z”.Like American retro, French light luxury, Japanese -style salt system, idyllic forest, laziness, and new Chinese -style young people, they are happy in their respective “small circles”.Fashion began to “unable to keep up.”
Others say that the new generation of consumers pay more attention to the “quality ratio”.At this point, “fast fashion” obviously has no advantage.Especially from the perspective of fabrics and workmanship, many fast fashion brands and “white cards” clothing that have risen in recent years are not significantly different. Some are even slightly inferior, but the price is significantly higher than the white card.
In the international market, the days of “fast fashion” are not good.For a long time, fast fashion brands have been questioned by public opinion because of high work intensity and excessive product iterations.In recent years, this situation has intensified.In September 2022, the world’s official website of the World Earth Day played the slogan “Fast Fashion is out of Fashion”.Britain, the Netherlands and other countries also require fast fashion brands to advertise themselves with “vague sustainable words”.
