Fast Fashion Faux Pas: Brands on Fast Decline with Recent Announcements Facing Backlash

Online retail clothing brands Boohoo and Missguided have seen a lot of backlash with their recent releases this month, with people becoming more aware of the dangers of fast fashion and following movements such as #WhoMadeMyClothes, it is clear that for brands to continue to flourish, they need to do more and do better when it comes to their customers.

Missguided announced their £1 bikini online last week which instantly caught people’s attention, but not for the right reasons.  Their £1 bikini was released as a celebration for empowering women for 10 years, which raised a lot of questions for consumers, mainly being that at such low cost with non-sustainable materials, how empowered are the women making these ridiculously cheap garments, and is there really a way to be empowered when Misguided is one of the biggest contributors to global carbon emissions – being the second biggest industrial polluter as a fast fashion brand, only second to the oil industry.  The people took to Twitter and Instagram with many things to say; one of them being:

“If you’re thinking about buying that 1 pound Missguided bikini, google Rana Plaza” - @Molliegslt on Twitter

However this wasn’t the only problematic release for fashion in June, with Boohoo releasing a 34-piece recycled fashion line not long after Missguided’s unfavourable announcement. 

Boohoo released a line that they have claimed to be ethically sourced and the beginning of ‘green initiatives’. With new products being made from recycled polyester that would end up in landfills, and also claiming that the clothing won’t contain dyes or environmentally damaging chemicals.  Some items have also been created in the UK to reduce air pollution; however a lot of shared views have been that this is imply a marketing gimmick, claiming that if you were to ethically source clothing, you wouldn’t turn to Boohoo.