It’s tricky not to fall in the pit of the fast fashion culture with problematic hauls endorsed by Instagram influencers with picture-perfect shots to make you forget the real cost of ‘trendy’ clothes.
Fast fashion brands have their branches spread out worldwide by heavily covering physical retail spaces, enticing innocent window shoppers to hoard stuff they do not need. Every second advertisement that flashes up on our phone screens is that from a fast-fashion brand. It is as if we are literally being spoon-fed to not engage in sustainability. Amidst all this, the last thing we needed was fast fashion hauls, brought to you by yours truly, Instagram influencers.
The Power of Influence
Of late, Instagram influencers have transcended to a celebrity status having the same kind of influence and brand power over their enormous sea of an audience as would an A-lister. Whether it is endorsing a piece of product or exclusively launching new collections with brands, Instagram influencers hoard the capability to make or break a fresh release in a matter of one post.
Via: Fashion Revolution
Jazzed up in studio lighting, wrapped around a popular figure, and styled professionally, any piece of clothing no matter how unsustainable it is would look like a must-have if wrapped up like a present like this. And that’s exactly what is being monetized here, well, that and our destructive need to stay on top of trends and gain instant gratification from shopping mindlessly.
This leads us to exactly why the promotion of fast fashion by Instagram influencers is insanely problematic.
Problematic Fast Fashion Hauls
While we understand they need to pay their bills as well but doing fast fashion hauls but they are contributing to damage bigger than themselves. While they are deriving validation from millions of likes and bucks through such endorsement, the flip side is that they are promulgating a mindset that bases sartorial supremacy on having more clothes which the herd then follows.
Moreover, what we forget is following trends with new fits stands on a heap of landfill waste and is dipped in the sweat of underpaid garment workers and the blood of the victims of the Rana Plaza tragedy. So, falling victim to such perfectly curated promotion posts makes us consumers miss the dark underbelly of the environmental damage and human exploitation that ensues.
Via: Fashion For Good
So, to foster change from a ground level, remember the keywords: shop smart and stay sustainable sisters.