by By Emily Stevens
Today, fast fashion companies have dominated our fashion industry by creating cheap, trendy items that have captivated Gen Z’s attention. Social media platforms have paved the way for fashion influencers to encourage Gen Z to purchase items from fast fashion brands to stay current with relevant trends. Through Instagram and TikTok, Gen Z is hooked on the idea of cheap and stylish clothes at their disposal, leading them to purchase high amounts of clothing from various fast fashion websites.
When we look at Instagram and TikTok influencers, they highlight the affordability and versatility of fast fashion clothing. This creates a demand for Gen Z to follow suit to purchase the next best thing. Besides being cheap, fast fashion companies are known for fast shipping, allowing people to receive their purchases only a few days after submitting an order. This creates a strong incentive for the younger generation to purchase these products, presenting a clear win-win opportunity. Since influencers endorse fast fashion brands on their own accord, and through paid sponsorships, they must capitalize on the benefits of fast fashion, since there are fewer pros than cons.
The trick is to highlight the mass amount of clothing bought in one order. If you look at the following example, Loren, a paid partner to endorse Shein, has an entire haul to show her audience. As she demonstrates what she bought, her large following implies that if someone as popular as she wears Shein products, her followers should too. It’s a perception game that influencers showcase to their followers, suggesting that if they purchase and wear the same products as the influencer, they may gain the same popularity and status.
However, the influx of fast-fashion products creates a cycle of overconsumption, where buyers and manufacturers are purchasing and creating high amounts of clothing, leaving landfills with excess clothing and harming our eco-system. This is a major issue that is often overlooked by fast fashion companies in favor of social media promotions. They highlight the benefits of affordable and quickly delivered clothing, but ignore that these products are poorly made from cheap materials and created unethically.
This solidifies the power influencers have to persuade their audience to purchase what they promote. This system benefits both the company’s sales and the influencer’s income as they’re the person who’s successfully helping the brand expand. Social media has introduced a new level of influencer platforms that resonate with the younger generation to be stylish and up-to-date with the latest trends. Most importantly, influencers would have no say among a wide audience without trust. This begs the question, what are influencers doing to gain their audiences’ trust when they’re promoting fast fashion companies that harm our environmental and social well-being through production?
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed my work and would like to explore more, visit my blog at https://emilybstevens.com/ or connect with me on LinkedIn.
Featured Image from Steffi Saturdays.
This post was great! It made me really think about the TikTok shop and the role that it plays with influencers and fast fashion. On my own TikTok I am constantly seeing influencers promote cloths that can be found in the shop. Most of these cloths are very cheap, which is a big selling point for the influencer. It is interesting to me how an app has embraced fast fashion and influencers in this way.
This is a really great post on how influencers fuel the fast fashion cycle, Emily! I’m particularly intrigued by your closing question about trust. It raises a crucial point about the ethical responsibility influencers have to their audience. Thanks for shedding light on this important issue!
Great read! I feel like another huge thing that is promoting fast fashion is the rise of TikTok shop! Influencers, even micro-influencers are promoting things from TikTok shop with no care of how they are being produced, solely just for a check.
I enjoyed reading this! I found your exploration of how social media influencers drive fast fashion trends both insightful and thought-provoking. It’s important to highlight the impact this has on sustainability and how it shapes consumer choices.
This post brings up such an important conversation about fast fashion, influencers, and their impact on consumer behavior and the environment. As a college student, I’ve definitely felt the pull of these trends on social media, especially when influencers make fast fashion look so appealing with affordability and quick shipping. Great read!
Hey Emily! Your post brought so many important things to my attention. I have fallen victim to fast fashion a lot because sites like Shein have made it so easy for me to buy a lot of pieces at a super cheap price. Social media has definitely influenced this for me because of the same reasons you shared. I get caught up in how cheap and accessible fast fashion is, that I forget to look at the bigger picture. Your post really helped open my eyes, thank you!
Hi Emily! I really appreciated how you pointed out the trust factor between influencers and their audiences—it’s such a key part of why this cycle continues.