New and Cheap designs that are showcased daily or weekly on websites, catalogues and store fronts are what fast fashion is all about.
A few decades ago, the concept of fashion only involved four seasons: spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Clothing was made and advertised depending on a particular season.
However, with the turn of the century, trends contradicting the seasonal way of fashion have been introduced, so much so that clothes are introduced on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.
The four signs of a fast fashion brand are:
– clothes and designs are released as soon as a particular trend is spotted on the runway or in fashion shows
– the clothes are produced in big factories with labour related problems
– the designs are available in limited amounts only
– the clothes are made from low-quality and cheap fabrics
In the past, we perceived seasons as times when the weather adjusted and believed that the major fashion seasons revolved around changing what people wore in adapting to the dynamic weather.
Warmer clothing in cooler temperatures, brighter colours in the heat, and more practical designs in wetter conditions.
It turned out to be much more challenging. The pace and duration of creating, promoting, and marketing new collections are determined by the seasons, which act as a global pacemaker for the fashion industry.
Many other people who run businesses that follow the cycles of the fashion industry need to be aware of it, in addition to those who design, produce, and sell apparel.
The ethicality of a brand comes into question when it is deemed as fast fashion. One such brand is Subdued.
Women and girls that are fun-loving, resilient, and independent are Subdued’s main audience. Their designs are inspired by teenagers, their world, and way of life.
Established in Italy in the 1990s, the company has always tried to add something special to every item of apparel, making it distinctive and different from the norm.
They have an Italian design team, and it shows in everything they do. In addition to big locations like Paris, Rome, London, Madrid, Amsterdam, and Berlin, they have 130 stores worldwide.
The Subdued designs are tailored to the needs of fashion-conscious youngsters and draw inspiration from their environment.
They are the ideal fusion of elegance and originality. But for them, catching up with the current trends is insufficient.
At a price that is appropriate for their target market, they want to provide their customers with something consistently unique and creative that will make their ensembles stand out.
Is Subdued an ethical brand?
Subdued is not an ethical brand.
Like most fast fashion brands, Subdued copy their designs from the runways and fashion shows of popular luxury houses and tries to reproduce them using cheap and hazardous fabrics.
They continue to sell the same subpar clothing that does not last. Their styles and trends merely contribute to the fast fashion industry’s disposable mentality.
They manufacture a large variety of goods employing materials including fur, leather, down, and skins from exotic animals.
Subdued’s sustainability is a very low 0.5 out of 5, and it is listed as one of the brands to avoid in order to live a sustainable lifestyle.
Subdued’s lack of transparency is another reason why it is not considered an ethical brand.
There is no information available on their websites about the type of materials they use in their products, or whether they have any sustainability and environment-related aims.
They provide no information about their effect on the environment, what steps they take to try and reduce their carbon footprint which affects the people, the planet amd its inhabitants.
Similarly, they do not mention any Code of Conduct they may ask their suppliers, vendors or third-party partners to follow. They do not even list who these suppliers and partners could be.
Where does Subdued make their clothes?
On their LinkedIn, Subdued states:
“Osit Impresa SpA produces and sells Subdued, an urban chic apparel line that was created in Rome, Italy.”
This is very vague information that does tell us that the clothes are designed in Italy. However, Subdued does not list the locations of its warehouses and factories anywhere.
Overall, Subdued seems a very shady fast fashion brand.
It is the right of the consumer to know how the clothes they want to purchase are sourced and where they are manufactured, and Subdued does not seem to take that into account.
Although many fast fashion companies have made incredible progress toward improving working conditions and lowering their environmental effect, there are always stragglers.
It’s no mystery that the fashion business is wreaking environmental havoc, with its carbon footprint contributing to nearly 10% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.
A change is desperately needed, from raising awareness of sustainable fashion methods to actively participating in enacting change.
