Eva & Lola write about; Growing up with and without Fast Fashion

This concept of fast fashion is something that has risen due to the globalization of technology during the 2000s and 2010s. I was born in 2005 and thus I am a true fast fashion baby. When there was a new school year for example, me and my mom would go to ZARA for one big shopping session. This is when I got to choose a few new outfits for school and It was without doubt one of my favorite days a year.

But in no way was this sustainable. Business Insider wrote that ZARA produces a new collection every two weeks and restocks twice a week (Lutz, 2012). Compared to standard brands producing new collections every season, ZARA releases new collections 12 times more frequently. This means that the regular consumer at ZARA buys items 12 more frequently to attend to the trends. I can personally relate to this, I often find myself drawn in by every new collection notification I get on the app and getting the urge to buy something. This means that instead of buying curated items from quality materials and brands I more often buy cheap clothes from fast fashion brands due to the availability and price range of it. 

Growing up in the 80’s shopping was not a thing. There were little boutiques with brands like Oilily (which is a Dutch brand and was very popular and too expensive for us). And there were department stores (Bijenkorf was the high-end option and Vroom&Dreesman the mid-range and C&A the cheapest version). I remember when we were still growing - all our clothes were either made by my mother or hand-me-downs. I must say my mother made great outfits, she would copy things from fashion magazines and would be hunting for cool fabrics. But with 3 daughters and a household to run it sometimes took so long that she had to adjust the length when we were growing too fast. Getting new clothes was a special event. 

When I was a teenager my style was Grunge with a twist of Hippy, so most of my clothes were either from the 90 year old couple I cleaned for or from the Waterlooplein market in Amsterdam.

I guess for the longest time I didn't really feel like I ‘needed’ more clothes or wanted to keep up with a trend or style. I do wonder if it would have been as accessible as it is now, would i maybe have been tempted, i think the fact that it was not, made me focus on other things.

When I was Lola’s age I was traveling a lot and didn't have a lot of money. I used to walk into a Salvation-army and leave my beat-up shoes and walk out with better ones (sorry, I know this is not good). I think I started shopping and discovering fast-fashion for the first time when I returned to the Netherlands and got a job in the late 90’s. I must admit my wardrobe grew from 1 bag to closets full of clothes very quickly. 

These days I experience the same as Lola just said - if I wander into the ZARA, I always find something. Everytime i am so amazed by how they manage to pull it off again. I do sometimes wish they would use better quality fabrics, I would love to pay a bit more because their designs are just spot-on! The truth is that I love the fast fashion satisfaction, but nothing gives me a better feeling than shopping at small places or finding an amazing treasure from a independent designer. I realize that those finds last longer and are the items I truly care about. I guess I need to remember that more…. 

Love, Eva

All in all, I think we can all agree that fast fashion was once a miracle and gift for us but I think we are also slowly realising that we might have taken the old times for granted when you could get amazingly excited over a thrifted find or an item in a trash bag that your cousin doesn't want to wear anymore. It’s a vulnerable world we live in right now and going back to more sustainable ways could only help our earth and give fashion a new (or old?) kick.