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FAST FASHION AND FAST FOOD

TRADITIONAL RETAILERS

FAST FASHION RETAILERS

INDEPENDENT RETAILERS

SPLURGE VERSUS STEAL

WARDROBE MALFUNCTIONS

Denim dress, $9.00, Forever 21. Black studded oxfords, $12.00, Forever 21. Chicken nugget value menu with large fries and a large drink, $5.69, Mcdonalds. Big Mac value meal with large fries and a large drink $6.85, Mcdonalds. Mcdouble, $1.00, Mdonalds.

“you can buy two value meals at

Mcdonalds for the price of this denim dress.

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FAST FOOD & FAST FASHIONA COMPARISONHave you ever wondered whether or not fast food and fast fashion are related somehow? They have much more in common than you think. No, it’s not only that they share the word fast. In this article you will find a compilation of six major similarities between fast fashion and fast food through taking a closer look at Mcdonalds and Forever 21.

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1. Low Prices You get more bang for your buck at both Mcdonalds and Forever 21. For example, you can buy two value meals at Mcdonalds for the price of this denim dress pictured in the bottom photo. The low prices at-tract consumers on a budget. Both offer afforadable pricing for their products. Both companies take pride in their lower pricing. For ins- tance, Mcdonalds likes to highlight their prices in their print ads and commercials, and Forever 21 boosts their low prices and huge sales on their website right on the homepage and through daily e-mails.

5, convinienceMcdonalds has over 34,000+ retail stores worldwide. They also of-fer a drive-thru service so that you can get your food quickly and conviniently without even getting out of your car. If you are in a hurry and need a quick meal, Mcdonalds offers that convinience. Although Forever 21 only has a little over 400 retail stores world-wide, they are quickly expanding and also, they sell online for con-vinience. You can get clothing delivered straight to your home with-out leaving the house. How much more convinient can you get?

2. promotionsForever 21 has what they call Daily Deals, where they offer already lowly priced clothing that is further discounted at 21% off for 24 hours. There are also new sale items added daily on their web-site and plenty of sale racks in-store. Mcdonalds on the otherhand offers seasonal items that are not always on the menu at certain points of the year, take for example, the McRib. They also offer gimmicky promotions like when they have the Monopoly pieces at-tached to the packaging that you can collect to win great prizes.

3. varietyMcdonalds offers twelve different values meals with a choice of the sizes of your fries an drinks. There are also many ala cart items that you can add onto your meal, including a whole menu dedicated to items priced at just one dollar. Forever 21 gets in new stock daily, so you have a lot of options of course. New arrivals contain 1,600 products to select from alone. Now, that’s a lot to choose from.

5. TRENDS Forever 21 offers the latest trends right off of the runway. Literally, they have “trendspotters” that go and scout out the latest trends at runway shows. Then, you can even shop by trend on the website. Mcdonalds uses trendy people in their commercials to appeal a wid-er audience. They want trendsetters to eat their food so others will.

4. overconsumption Low prices, promotions, and variety can all lead to overconsump-tion. For example, at Mcdonalds you can add a Mcchicken to your value meal for only one dollar! Do you really need it with your Big Mac, large fries and a large drink? Probably not, but it costs a dol-lar so why not? You can get it all without breaking your bank. It is the same idea with Forever 21. When browsing through the sales you come across items that are under $10.00, how can you resist? You might not need them, but they are so cheap you might as well..

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“Low prices,promotionsand varietycan all lead to overconsumption.

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initial sketches

review

final sketch

pattern making

sample making

review

production pattern

grading

mark making

cutting

bundling

assemblage

transport

inspection

distribution

purchase

$$

traditional retailerJ. Crew

$298.00


$148.00


$258.00


$188.00

TRADITIONAL RETAILERS7

TRADITIONAL PROCESS

raditional fashion refers to fashion retailers that produced higher quality garments and takefour to six months to design and produce clothing. Basically traditional retailers update their inventory according to the seasons, fall winter, spring and summ-er instead of on a daily to weekly basis. As you can see in the il-lustrative icons to the left , the process is pretty lengthy. I will now take you through the hypothetical process of creating the beauti-ful blue v-neck cashmere sweater you see in the photo to the left.The process begins with the lead designer sketching out a classic sweater to be made for the winter collection at a traditional retailer (let’s call this retailer Retailer Y). The sketches are then sent to a panel of designers within Retail Y for input. After a couple more revi-sions of the sketches and addition of detail including listing cash-mere as the material, pulling swatches for the colors of the sweater, and other notes, the lead designer takes the drawing back to the design panel and the design is finalized and approved. The final de-tailed drawing of the sweater gets sent to the pattern makers within Retailer Y’s own clothing production factory., and they create a n intitial pattern out of tissue paper that is light-weight and flexible. Af-ter the pattern is created, it gets sent to the sewing unit for sample making to analyze the fit of the sweater using materials similar to the final material but at a lower cost and quality just in case mistakes are made. Then, these samples are sent back to the panel of designers for review once again. Once the sample has been approved and finalized it goes back to the pattern makers who then create the pro-duction patten which will be the pattern distributed for assemblege.The production pattern is then graded, which means that they scale the patterns up and down to create different sizes (i.e. small, me-dium, large, etc). Once the patterns are graded, they are sent to the mark makers, who try to figure out the fabric allowance for each sweater. Then, the materials as well as the measurements from the mark makers are sent to th e cutting department to be cut. After they are cute they are sent to the sorting and bundling department, where the cut materials are sorted by size . Once sorted they are sent back to the sewing unit to be sewn. After the sweaters are assembled, they are sent to inspection for quality control. The defective sweat-ers are then removed and disposed of. The sweaters that pass inspection are then pressed and finished off, going through another inspection before being packaged and then transported to Retail Y’s warehouses and from there are distributed to Retail Y’s retail stores. The employees at these stores pput the sweaters out. Then, at long last the beautiful cashmere sweaters are available for purchase.

TRADITIONAL RETAILERS

A look at the garment lifecycle of the blue v-neck cashmere sweater in the photo to the left from initial ideas to when it is available for purchase.

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fast fashion retailerForever 21

$5.50trendspotting

final sketch

e-mail

sample making

assemblage

review

transport

distribution

purchase

$$

fast fashion retailerForever 21

$13.50


fast fashion retailer*Forever 21

$25.60

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Fast Fashion PROCESS

ast fashion is a method that certain retailers use to produce and manufacture their clothing as quickly as possible to keep up with current trends. The fast fashion process usually takes about four to six weeks to get from initial ideas to a finished article of clothing or a complete col-lection. Fast fashion retailers update their inventory on a daily to weekly basis. As you can see in the illustrative icons to the left, the process is not as lengthy as the traditional process. I will now take you through the hypothetical process of creating the blue and white floral dress complete with a white collar and blue ribbon that you see in the photo to the left.

The process begins at a fashion show in New York. A group of trendspot-ters that is hired by a fast fashion retailer (let’s call this retailer Fast Fash-ion X) is sitting in the second row of a Louis Vuitton runway show. They are about to reveal their Spring/Summer resort collection. The show begins and models walk out in pastel tones and floral dresses that are delicately balanced with peter pan collars of all shapes and sizes. The vibe of the collection is very feminine. Floral is deifnitely the trend of the moment that is reflect in this collection. The team of trendspotters begin snapping photos, jotting down notes about the collars, floral and feminine details, and finally they do a few rough sketches of those said details. Once the show is over, the trendspotters set up a meeting with the buying and design team at Fast Fashion X. At the meeting, they identify which looks to reintepret, they choose one of the looks that includes a flowy floral print dress with a white collar. The design and buying team sketch out the aforementioned dress as well a s a few other designs and then e-mail those sketches to a contractor (let’s call this contractor Henry).

Once Henry recieves the e-mail of the sketches from the buying and design team, he goes to one of the many factories he frequently c-ontracts for labor and then hands over the designs to the manager of the factory. Instruction goes out to the sample makers who begin to draft and revise the samples. These samples are then rapidly approved and sent off to the sewing unit where they are assembled. After a quick and final review, the floral dress is transported to Fast Fashion X’s ware-house and from there a limited quantity of the floral dresses are distrib-uted to all the Fast Fashion X’s retail stores. Once the garments arrive at the retail stores, employees of those stores put the floral dresses out on the floor and they are available for purchase. Now, that is fast.


A look at the garment lifecycle of the blue and white dress in the photo to the left from the initial ideas to when it is available for purchase.

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trendwatching

choosing fabric

sketching

sample making

pattern making

assemblage

upload

purchase

$$

shipping

independent designerRock N Reconstruct

$85.00

INDEPENDENT RETAILERS15

INDEPENDENTPROCESS

ndependent fashion designers work for themselves and usually do everything on their own. The turnaround time for independent designers varies depending on the project. Collections usually come out according to seasons, fall, winter, spring, and summer. A lot of independent designers are also able to make custom garments for their customers. Another aspect that sets independent designers apart is their ability to offer more services and be more personable. You can actually meet them, and put a face to the person that creat-ed the garment you bought. Also, if you buy from a local independent designer, they are able to measure you physically for your exact measurements and to determine your best fit. Many local and inde-pendent designers also offer free or low cost alternations to ensure that your garment will be the best it can be. I will take you through the hypothetical process of the zig zag maxi dress pictured on the left.

The process varies from designer, but this one begins with the de-signer “trendwatching” for inspiration. The difference between in-dependent designers and fast fashion is that designers don’t just pull from current trends based on fashion shows, they pull from trends that they see locally or from anything, even if it is not cur-rently trending. The clothing that they make are based on their own aesthetic decisions. So, while “trendwatching”, the independent designer (let’s call this designer, Designer Z) spots girls strolling downtown wearing maxi dresse with zig zag patterned scarves. After the “trendwatching” and having a grasp of initial ideas, she be-gins browsing the fabric store for fabrics that fit in with what she has seen. Designer Z then picks out a pretty zig zag fabric and begins to sketch out ideas using the pattern and “trendwatching” as inspiration. From the sketch she begins to create samples by draping material on a dress form. Then, once the draping is figured out, she creates a pattern for the dress. Once the pattern is created, Designer Z goes on to sew the dress. Once the dress is finished and is exactly how she wants it to look, she photographs it, and posts it online. The dress is ready for purchase. Designer Z is involved in the whole process.

INDEPENDENT RETAILERS

A look at the garment lifecycle of the pink zig zag maxi dress in the photo to the left from initial ideas to when it is available for purchase.

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SPLURGETOTAL $210.00

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DRESS traditional retailer

Bebe; $160.00

SHOES traditional retailer Steve Madden; $110.00

DRESS fast fashion retailer Charlotte Russe; $10.00

SHOES fast fashion retailer

Charlotte Russe; $15.00

STEALTOTAL $25.00

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A visual guide to buying outfits at lower costs from fast fashion retailers instead of splurging on the same outfits from traditional retailers. Can you tell anything about the quality from these photos? Which would you buy?

SPLURGETOTAL $577.00

STEALTOTAL $64.60

SWEATER traditional retailer J. Crew; $248.00

DENIM independent retailer Blonde Genius; $240.00

SHOES traditional retailer Dolce Vita; $89.00

SWEATER fast fashion retailer Target; $19.00

DENIM fast fashion retailer

Forever 21; $22.80

SHOES fast fashion retailer Forever 21; $26.80

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EXPECTATIONS REALITY

WARDROBE MALFUNCTIONS

Expectations vs. reality embarassing stories from real women about fast fashion purchases.

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EXPECTATIONS REALITY

One day, while I was out shopping at one of my favorite stores Forever 21, I spotted the most wonderful pair of pink lace shorts. I could just imagine the pefect outfit in my mind with pieces in my wardrobe that I already owned. To top it all off, the shorts were only $15.00, so without a thought I bought them. I mean, how could I resist? It felt like a dream come true. So, I went home and immediately tried on this “perfect” outfit I had imagined. It really was perfect, or so I thought. I tried out this new look at a birthday party fhat same night. As I got to the party I was ooz-ing with confidence, especially since I was getting so many compliments about my outfit. As I made my way to the nearest chair next to the cutest guy in the room, I sat down and the shorts busted open with this terrible sounding rip that seemed to just echo. Embarassed, I immediately ran to the bathroom to try to salvage what dignity I had left. Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do, and I just resorted to locking myself in the bathroom to wait for one of my friends to bring me a change of clothes. I have never been so embarassed! I should have known that shorts that cheap were too good to be true. Something that cheap just cannot last.

Forever 21 was one of my favorite stores until recently. About a week ago, I went into the store looking for an outfit for a lunch date. Of course, I needed to dress to impress! I found the most gorgeous lace top and floral skirt. I tried both on, and they fit pretty well. The top had buttons along the back that were a little loose, but it was only $6.00 on sale! I didn’t want to pass up such a good deal. The skirt was a little more expensive at $26.00, but I felt like it was a pretty high quality. It was a thick material that seemed sturdy and it had two layers. I imag-ined it would become a staple piece in my wardrobe. After I got home, I put on the outfit. To my dismay, three of the buttons along backside of the lace top had already fallen off, and of the tags must have caught onto the lace top and unraveled some of the seams! I was horrified. That’s not the worst of it though! I decided to wear the skirt out the next day. My friend and I went to the arts festival in town. I put on this skirt and felt very confident. I started to noticed people staring at my skirt and of course I just thought they all really liked my new skirt, but when I looked down, I was horrified to find that the zipper had busted and my underwear my showing! I ran to the nearest bathroom to try to fix this situation, but it could not be done. As much as I tried, there was nothing I could do. I would have to replace the zipper completely! Embarassed, I went home. The low cost of the top and skirt were not worth the embarassment and frustration they caused within the first two days of owning them. I had to throw both items away. What a waste!

“I sat down and the shorts just busted open with this terrible sounding rip that seemed to just echo.” - Monica, 28 from Phoenix, Arizona

- Cara, 20 from Albany, New York

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