Social Media Effect
It's no secret that we all buy disposable clothing. It's cheap, easily accessible and probably looks like a carbon copy of the top that we all saw on Kylie Jenner's instagram last night. No one can resist that. Right? Well you should.
Not only is fast fashion fuelling our addiction to following trends it is incredibly detrimental to the state of the earth, the industry being one of the main contributors to climate change. Believe it or not. According to a 2015 report by Deloitte, 47% of young people say that social media influences their buying habits. The rise of the "influencer" in recent years has allowed more brands like Fashion Nova etc. more notoriety and traffic on their sites by creating brand deals/partnerships with said influencers. The value offering of Instagram and most other social media platforms is the ability to is share real life updates in real time. With the rise of influencers and brands that have an online presence, the idea of 'real time' is blurred with thought out marketing through endorsements for content, leaving us with not true representations, but highly curated business strategies. While it is no secret that for these Insta-famous millennial personalities and celebrities, each post is a precious commodity, the victims of the scrolling generation subconsciously succumb to buying pieces they don't actually need or personally connect with.
"As consumers we have so much power to change the world by just being careful in what we buy."
Emma Watson
The Cut describes Fashion Nova as a brand "made for social media: meant to be worn once, maybe twice, photographed and discarded". It's not the only one. A recent UK survey also found that "one in ten shoppers admits to buying clothes to post photos on social media and then returning them". Various algorithms coupled with sponsored content, expose us to images that are ultimately diminishing our creativity, connections and choices.
Now Instagram in itself isn't bad. It is a great platform for self-expression and has opened up a democratic voice for not only the Fashion world, allowing smaller and more independent brands to have a voice, as well as individuals like you and I. Though scrolling can be a mindless action, being conscious of your feed and aware of what content you are drawn to and why. Couple this with some inspiration beyond the screen. Old school. By that, I don't just mean flicking through high-end editorials, where most of what we see is out of our reach, but leaves an impression allowing us to be slightly more creative in our outfit choices. I mean real life. Look up when you are walking to your next destination or waiting for public transport etcetera. There are a plethora of colors, textures, materials and images that surround us - both in nature and the momentum of the world, which we have the opportunity to draw inspiration from.
