A call to fashion brands to fight the growth of the throwaway culture – and help to save the planet.

The pandemic, and the immediate aftermath, has resulted in many changes in the way that people work, play and purchase products.

Working from home, and not having to make the effort to ‘dress to impress,’ has impacted the major fashion brands, speeded up the decline on the high street retailers and encouraged the rise of online purchases.

This in turn has spawned a whole new industry that has been named “fast fashion.”

The goods produced by the leaders in this industry are not ‘fashion.’ The do not invest in style, they do not provide the spark of originality in the use of design, fabric, and findings of the fashion designers of yesteryear.

Nor are they brands. They make no effort to set a market benchmark in quality, styling, and price.

They are perpetuating the growth of a throwaway culture. The so called ‘fast fashion’ industry is one of the biggest consumers of water on the planet and a larger emitter of global carbon than all the airlines combined. The carbon footprint of bringing these goods to market is enormous.

Past generations have been castigated for their part in the industrial revolution which, in turn has led to the global warming issues that we all face today. The younger generation is, quite rightly, at the forefront of the movement to reduce emissions to save the planet. Afterall, it is their future that is being threatened.

By supporting the throwaway culture, they are unwittingly helping to do the very opposite!

At the start of the 1960’s the branded fashion market was almost non-existent.

In the UK, menswear shirt and jeans manufacturers led the way by adding value to their product offerings by virtue of style, fabric, and quality. For the first time, branded constituents such as labels, and back pocket patches on jeans, were added as part of the differentiation of one brand from another.

Throughout the 1970’s to 1990’s, major jeans companies such as Wrangler and Levis led the branded product revolution using the full range of integrated marketing techniques. These included designing sophisticated consumer research methods to determine consumer fashion and sales trends, national advertising on television, cinema, radio and outdoor posters, instore brand support, public relations, sponsorship, and endorsement.

Brand labelling is still a mark of reassurance that helps fashion followers stand out from the purchasers of generic alternatives. Wrangler and Levis are still major international clothing brands.

The real fashion brands can help to reduce their carbon footprint by investing more in R&D to design their ranges from more sustainable fabrics produced in a more environmental way. Reducing their carbon footprint can be achieved by sourcing their fabrics, findings, and manufacturing facilities closer to their markets.

In the 1970’s through to the mid 1990’s, brands like Wrangler UK produced as much as they could in UK and Europe. This gave them more control and greater flexibility in all aspects of the design and manufacturing process. It also offered security to their manufacturing workforce who became strong advocates for the company and its quality control requirements.

If a product was not selling, the company had the flexibility to increase or reduce production orders, alter the size ratios, and colour options or introduce new ranges. This approach kept the brand at the forefront of innovation and more able to meet the quality expectations of their customers.

They were able to sell at a premium because they knew what their customers wanted, offered them the right style options, and delivered the quality of finished garments that was consistent with what they promoted in their marketing communications.

In 2024, UK Fashion brands have a wealth of design and marketing talent to call upon. They have the tools to enable them to study how their predecessors coped with even more difficult marketing conditions and yet were able to make their brands famous and profitable.

To give in to the throwaway culture will result in the total demise of fashion as we know it!

It is time to look forward to the past, rediscover the benefits of our cultural heritage in fashion design, manufacturing and marketing.

Tinkering around the edges will not save the fashion industry. Drastic action will not only help to achieve these goals it will help to save the planet in the process!

Robin Dilley

Retired Senior Marketing & Communications Manager, Marketing Business Management Consultant and Author of: More than a Touch of Jeanious, available on Amazon More than a touch of Jeanious: Amazon.co.uk: Dilley, Mr Robin Michael: 9798356381126: Books