Shein. Zara. Fashion Nova. Pretty Little Thing.
Most young people have bought from, or at least heard of, these fast fashion giants.
At first glance, these brands seem great - who wouldn't want cheap clothes that are also fashionable and current? But when you take a closer look at these designs, you may find that they cause more harm than you think - trends and sometimes specific designs are frequently taken from low-income communities and/or small designers (mainly BIPOC).
This is nothing new…
At first glance, these brands seem great - who wouldn't want cheap clothes that are also fashionable and current? But when you take a closer look at these designs, you may find that they cause more harm than you think - trends and sometimes specific designs are frequently taken from low-income communities and/or small designers (mainly BIPOC).
This is nothing new…
Let’s take a step back and talk about fashion trends. When something is “trendy,” this means it is fashionable and current (Merriam-Webster, n.d.). Ever thought about how things become trendy? Who decides what’s cool before it’s cool?
As you can imagine, social media and influencers have something to do with this. But before there were Instagram influencers, there were coolhunters - people whose job it was to figure out what was going to be cool before it became cool, by talking to young people and gathering data (Gladwell, 1997).
Here’s the issue with that.
Here’s the issue with that.
A lot of trends start off in small communities, as a shared cultural idea or as a way to navigate financial difficulty. This is referred to as “subcultural market doctrine” (Powers, 2019). Coolhunters “viewed subcultural groups as trendsetters and thus market leaders,” so they looked to young people in these communities to find possible styles, products, ideas, etc. that would soon become trends (Powers, 2019, p.65). Unfortunately, the creativity of individuals and subcultural groups often go unnoticed because the fast fashion industry takes their ideas and profits off of them. These trends become popular among white affluent groups without acknowledgement of their cultural origins.
This idea can be explained by the processes of excorporation and incorporation. Excorporation is when “subordinate groups make their own culture out of the resources and commodities provided by the dominant system,” taking what is available to them and making it their own (Fiske, 1989, p.15). By subordinate groups, think mostly BIPOC and low-income individuals. Then, the mainstream picks up on this trend, incorporates it into the industry, and commodifies it (Fiske, 1989). So, the subcultural groups are the creators of the change (i.e. trends) but do not receive credit. Unwillingly, their efforts to resist dominant groups end up becoming part of a process that continues to support them - mainly white, upper-class individuals and large corporations - showing how difficult it is to stray away from mainstream culture (Fiske, 1989). This is the process of incorporation, as it relates to excorporation.
Let’s look at some specific examples of this.
Appropriation of Black culture: Headscarves.
The fast fashion industry has been loving the headscarf trend recently, and it didn’t come from nowhere! In fact, it can be offensive when head scarves are worn in certain ways by non-Black folks. Head wraps have a deep history - they originated from Africa in pre-colonial times and have a strong connection to slavery (Bare, 2017). More recently, they were reclaimed by the Black community, becoming a popular fashion statement in the 1990s - now, they are widely known as durags. Recently, white people (including Kylie Jenner) have been wearing head scarves as a fashion statement (Pickens, 2016). But they aren’t acknowledging the history of this item or how adopting it can minimize the challenges that come from harmful stereotypes about style choices in Black culture (Pickens, 2016).
Appropriation of working-class inventions: Ripped/repurposed jeans.
Everyone remembers when ripped jeans became trendy, right? Whether you rocked this style unapologetically, or made fun of others for it (one of my favorites: “did you pay extra for the rips?”), you probably remember this fashion staple emerging among young people in the 2000s and 2010s. While it seemed bizarre at first, the trend still continues today. Now, repurposed jeans (e.g. RE/DONE, Urban Outfitters) - whether actually repurposed or just made to look like it - are all the rage. But what you might not know is that these ideas began with low-income individuals who couldn’t afford new jeans, so they wore ones with rips in them or tried to make the best out of materials that were accessible to them (hence, repurposed/patched jeans) (Fiske, 1989). Remember excorporation and incorporation? This is a perfect example of how subcultural groups made their own culture out of what was provided to them by dominant culture, and then mainstream culture picked it up.
Appropriation of small designers’ creations: Fast fashion rip-offs.
Oftentimes, fast fashion companies see products being sold by small designers - often BIPOC and more sustainable designers - and recreate these designs almost exactly. Because they are large companies, they can make more of these products for cheaper (which harms the environment) and can get away with stealing the designs (which harms the original creators) (Michie, 2021). For example, a Black designer named Mariama Diallo called out the popular fast fashion company Shein for directly copying one of her designs and even how it is photographed (Michie, 2021). Unfortunately, this happens all the time with plenty of fast fashion brands (Brucculieri, 2018). This really hurts small businesses, and there isn’t much the designers can do about it (Michie, 2021). Fashion items aren’t usually protected by copyright laws because these products are considered useful objects - you can’t copyright a trend or piece of clothing like you can a brand name or slogan (Brucculieri, 2018). And even if the item that is being copied is very specific and could be breaking copyright laws, small creators usually do not have the means or money to file a lawsuit (Brucculieri, 2018).
What’s the solution?
Well, luckily there are a lot of people already calling out brands that copy small designers (e.g. Diet Prada) and spreading the word about these knockoffs (Brucculieri, 2018). Brands cater to consumers, and if the consumers are unhappy they’re likely to change their ways. So watch out for fast fashion companies who are exploiting small designers or appropriating cultures!
References
Bare, E. (2017, September 15). Head wraps aren’t just a NYFW accessory. Teen Vogue. https://www.teenvogue.com/gallery/head-wraps-nyfw-history-cultural-appropriation#:~:text=The%20practices%20dates%20back%20to,to%20bring%20to%20the%20Americas.
Brucculieri, J. (2018, September 4). How fast fashion brands get away with copying designers. HuffPost. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/fast-fashion-copycats_n_5b8967f9e4b0511db3d7def6.
Fiske, J. (2010). The jeaning of America. In Understanding popular culture (pp. 1-21). Routledge.
Gladwell, M. (1997, March). The coolhunt. New Yorker, 78-88. Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Trendy. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trendy.
Michie, N. (2021, June 16). Fast fashion giant Shein accused of stealing from small designers –again. Fashion Magazine. https://fashionmagazine.com/style/shein-stolen-designs.
Pickens, J. (2016, September 15). Kylie Jenner needs to check her privilege. Refinery29. https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2016/09/123233/kylie-kardashian-do-rag-cultural-appropriation.
Powers, D. (2019). Cool Hunting. In On trend: The business of forecasting the future (pp. 62-80). University of Illinois Press.
This idea can be explained by the processes of excorporation and incorporation. Excorporation is when “subordinate groups make their own culture out of the resources and commodities provided by the dominant system,” taking what is available to them and making it their own (Fiske, 1989, p.15). By subordinate groups, think mostly BIPOC and low-income individuals. Then, the mainstream picks up on this trend, incorporates it into the industry, and commodifies it (Fiske, 1989). So, the subcultural groups are the creators of the change (i.e. trends) but do not receive credit. Unwillingly, their efforts to resist dominant groups end up becoming part of a process that continues to support them - mainly white, upper-class individuals and large corporations - showing how difficult it is to stray away from mainstream culture (Fiske, 1989). This is the process of incorporation, as it relates to excorporation.
Let’s look at some specific examples of this.
Appropriation of Black culture: Headscarves.
The fast fashion industry has been loving the headscarf trend recently, and it didn’t come from nowhere! In fact, it can be offensive when head scarves are worn in certain ways by non-Black folks. Head wraps have a deep history - they originated from Africa in pre-colonial times and have a strong connection to slavery (Bare, 2017). More recently, they were reclaimed by the Black community, becoming a popular fashion statement in the 1990s - now, they are widely known as durags. Recently, white people (including Kylie Jenner) have been wearing head scarves as a fashion statement (Pickens, 2016). But they aren’t acknowledging the history of this item or how adopting it can minimize the challenges that come from harmful stereotypes about style choices in Black culture (Pickens, 2016).
Appropriation of working-class inventions: Ripped/repurposed jeans.
Everyone remembers when ripped jeans became trendy, right? Whether you rocked this style unapologetically, or made fun of others for it (one of my favorites: “did you pay extra for the rips?”), you probably remember this fashion staple emerging among young people in the 2000s and 2010s. While it seemed bizarre at first, the trend still continues today. Now, repurposed jeans (e.g. RE/DONE, Urban Outfitters) - whether actually repurposed or just made to look like it - are all the rage. But what you might not know is that these ideas began with low-income individuals who couldn’t afford new jeans, so they wore ones with rips in them or tried to make the best out of materials that were accessible to them (hence, repurposed/patched jeans) (Fiske, 1989). Remember excorporation and incorporation? This is a perfect example of how subcultural groups made their own culture out of what was provided to them by dominant culture, and then mainstream culture picked it up.
Appropriation of small designers’ creations: Fast fashion rip-offs.
Oftentimes, fast fashion companies see products being sold by small designers - often BIPOC and more sustainable designers - and recreate these designs almost exactly. Because they are large companies, they can make more of these products for cheaper (which harms the environment) and can get away with stealing the designs (which harms the original creators) (Michie, 2021). For example, a Black designer named Mariama Diallo called out the popular fast fashion company Shein for directly copying one of her designs and even how it is photographed (Michie, 2021). Unfortunately, this happens all the time with plenty of fast fashion brands (Brucculieri, 2018). This really hurts small businesses, and there isn’t much the designers can do about it (Michie, 2021). Fashion items aren’t usually protected by copyright laws because these products are considered useful objects - you can’t copyright a trend or piece of clothing like you can a brand name or slogan (Brucculieri, 2018). And even if the item that is being copied is very specific and could be breaking copyright laws, small creators usually do not have the means or money to file a lawsuit (Brucculieri, 2018).
What’s the solution?
Well, luckily there are a lot of people already calling out brands that copy small designers (e.g. Diet Prada) and spreading the word about these knockoffs (Brucculieri, 2018). Brands cater to consumers, and if the consumers are unhappy they’re likely to change their ways. So watch out for fast fashion companies who are exploiting small designers or appropriating cultures!
References
Bare, E. (2017, September 15). Head wraps aren’t just a NYFW accessory. Teen Vogue. https://www.teenvogue.com/gallery/head-wraps-nyfw-history-cultural-appropriation#:~:text=The%20practices%20dates%20back%20to,to%20bring%20to%20the%20Americas.
Brucculieri, J. (2018, September 4). How fast fashion brands get away with copying designers. HuffPost. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/fast-fashion-copycats_n_5b8967f9e4b0511db3d7def6.
Fiske, J. (2010). The jeaning of America. In Understanding popular culture (pp. 1-21). Routledge.
Gladwell, M. (1997, March). The coolhunt. New Yorker, 78-88. Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Trendy. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trendy.
Michie, N. (2021, June 16). Fast fashion giant Shein accused of stealing from small designers –again. Fashion Magazine. https://fashionmagazine.com/style/shein-stolen-designs.
Pickens, J. (2016, September 15). Kylie Jenner needs to check her privilege. Refinery29. https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2016/09/123233/kylie-kardashian-do-rag-cultural-appropriation.
Powers, D. (2019). Cool Hunting. In On trend: The business of forecasting the future (pp. 62-80). University of Illinois Press.
I really enjoyed reading your blog post about fast fashion companies and found it to be very interesting, Eliza! I did not realize how many popular and current trends actually emerged from small designers who are often BIPOC. What struck me the most was the paragraph on ripped jeans. Ripped jeans are an article of clothing that I see worn almost every single day, for they are seemingly at the forefront of modern popular culture. It is quite disappointing to learn that ripped jeans' reign in fashionable popular culture stemmed from the appropriation of working class people who were unable to afford new jeans. I think that another concept that can be discussed here is Adorno and Horkheimer’s incorporation. Under the idea of incorporation, whenever someone or something tries to break away from mainstream popular culture, it is always pulled back in. It seems that in the context of your blog post, objects that started off as unique or pertaining to a particular person or group of people, ended up getting swooped up by these large fashion companies like Zara, Shein, Fashion Nova or Pretty Little Thing. Ripped jeans definitely fall into this category, for they are at the core of fashionable popular culture and can be found on almost every single clothing website that sells pants. Another perfect example of this was the one you highlighted, where Mariama Diallo’s design was both copied and photographed by Shein. Your blog post really opened my eyes to this issue and hopefully this issue will be brought to the attention of more consumers.
ReplyDelete- Amanda Pantzer
Hi Eliza, I thought your blog post was extremely interesting! I knew some about the fast fashion industry, but never did such a deep dive into its problems. The idea that trends in subordinate groups were thought down upon until they were picked up by the industry and made popular is very familiar to me. However, I never considered the lack of credit given to these communities that are largely BIPOC. One trend that is a great example of this that also ties into what you said in your post is the long nail trend. Until a few years ago, long, bright nails were considered trashy. At this time, long and bright nails were very popular among many people in low income communities and people of color. When the trend was mostly done by BIPOC or lower class people, it was seen as trashy and not stylish. However, a few years later, the Kardashian-Jenner family began getting long nails. Soon enough it became classy to get longer nails and fun to get bright colors. This example doesn’t completely align with what you wrote about, but I think is in a similar vein. I enjoyed your connection between the fashion industry and incorporation. Fashion trends might be one of the most prevalent forms of incorporation in recent years. In addition, I had never considered the damage done to smaller businesses when big fast fashion companies are able to parody their work for a fraction of the cost. I have always favored buying from small boutiques rather than large companies, however, I figured the suppliers for small boutiques were the same as that for big corporations. Now that I have read your piece, I understand that small businesses are hurt immensely by fast fashion, and will keep that in mind in the future.
ReplyDelete-Chloe Greenstein
Hi Eliza! I thought you made so many important points about appropriation in fashion trends. I loved that you tied in numerous examples to demonstrate how reliant the fashion industry is on incorporating countercultures and the culture of marginalized groups. I actually remember seeing Mariama Diallo’s TikTok on my For You page about Shein and WeWoreWhat stealing her design. I particularly liked how you connected the recent rise of “repurposed” jeans to the rise of ripped jeans discussed by Fiske and in class. In addition to recognizing ripped jeans’ origin with low-income individuals, Fiske describes jeans as a denial of social differentiation, which gives wearers the freedom to be their selves, while ripped jeans specifically represent a disfiguring and distancing from shared contemporary American values. Whole jean wearers attempt paradoxically to achieve individual self expression, while ripped jean wearers paradoxically utilize the exact item they are resisting to represent their resistance. Given that ripped/repurposed jeans were picked up by the mainstream, as you wrote, I decided to look up the companies that you mentioned. I found their branding pretty ironic in that sense: RE/DONE brands itself as “a movement to restore individuality to the luxury fashion space” and Urban Outfitters as “unique combination of product, creativity and cultural understanding.” I think this not only perfectly represents the individualized politics of repurposed jeans but also a kind of pseudo-individuality that Adorno and Horkheimer define in their piece. These companies create an appearance of uniqueness in their designs but in reality engage in questionable mass production practices.
ReplyDelete-Juliana Yu
DeleteEliza, I thoroughly enjoyed reading your blog post about fast fashion and the concepts of excorporation and incorporation as they relate to the appropriation and reclaiming of fashion trends by the mass fast fashion industry and the subordinated groups from which they “borrow” these styles. I particularly loved your layout with several examples of this process in action, as it really helped me to visualize the conceptual framework you outlined in the beginning of your blog post. I found your argument to be even more so convincing with this evidence provided, and those examples made the post incredibly engaging to read! As you speak to the minimization of “the creators of the change [that] do not receive credit”, I cannot help but think not just about the invisibility of the origin of the trends that are being appropriated by large corporations, but also the invisibility of the supply chain and those who do not receive ample pay or recognition in the making process of the garments sold at stores like Shein or Fashion Nova. While Kate Crawford discusses the invisible supply chain in the context of technology and algorithms, I feel her points have many parallels to the invisible supply chain of fast fashion as well. The “remoteness” of most of these fast fashion brands’ factories (often on opposite sides of the world) allows people “to remain ignorant of what was happening” to the environment and those who perform labor for these corporations (Crawford, 2021, pg. 27). Her attention to “the thousands of homeless residents denied basic necessities… in contrast to the record number of billionaires who live nearby” bears some resemblance to the power dynamics created by such a system of outsourcing labor to, oftentimes, third-world countries (Crawford, 2021, pg. 28). While people working in fast fashion factories often struggle to make a livable wage, the higher-ups at these companies reap millions in benefits. It is true that the fast fashion industry (and a few of its major players) are generally moving in the direction of more supply chain transparency and greater consideration to employees and human rights; however, the industry still has quite a ways to go to combat the consequences of its invisible, often out-sourced labor.
ReplyDelete**** Anaya Shroff's response ****
ReplyDeleteHi Eliza! I really appreciated your choice in discussing the detrimental effects of the fast fashion industry. As members of Gen Z, a lot of us find that we are complicit in falling for contemporary trends and we quite literally ~buy~ into the idea of fast paced consumerism. Adorno and Horkheimer hold conversations on incorporation, and how niche and traditional items crafted by subordinate groups can be swept into larger production chains and become “incorporated.” In addition to this, they might respond to the popularity of fast fashion using the concepts of ‘pseudo individuality’ and ‘consumption as compulsion.’ Advancements in technology make it easier for fashion trends to become hyper customizable and cater to broader audience palettes by making small alterations to design templates.
With the onset of globalization, there is a much larger scope for interconnectedness and a give and take between cultures is made visible through digital archives. In discussing the appropriation of headscarves, I think you raise an important point on understanding and respecting the histories of other communities before allowing for their cultures to be co-opted and turned into the product of a business.
I think Adorno and Horkheimer could respond to Diet Prada’s work of pointing out the flaws behind large corporations through the lens of ‘consumption as labor.’ In deliberately putting the malpractices and cultural insensitivity displayed by these companies under the spotlight, Diet Prada is actively going against the notion that consumption is laborious by creating an active engagement with the fashion industry instead of accepting their wrongdoings passively.
Eliza,
ReplyDeleteI really loved your blog post about the detrimental effects of fast fashion and incorporation in the culture industry. This issue is definitely very prevalent today because on many different social media platforms inducing instagram and tiktok i have seen BIPOC influencers calling out fast fashion companies and white owned companies for stealing BIPOC designs and culture.
I found all of your connections to our class texts really engaging and convincing. Specifically, I found your analysis of the transition from coolhunters to social media really interesitng. I previously never thought about how social media is the main form “coolhunting” in the digital world.
I also found your analysis of incorporation very compelling. While reading, I connected your comparison of Fiske’s ideas of incorporation and excorporation with Adorno and Horkheimer’s ideas of incorporation and standardization. Adorno and Horkheimer explain incorporation by stating “anyone who resists can one survive by fitting in.” Relating this idea back to your blog post, we can see how fast fashion companies utilize BIPOC designs in order to keep up with the trends. This creates a cycle of incorporating countercultural designs into the mainstream, often without giving credit to the original creators. In addition, Adorno and Horkheimer discuss the idea of standardization referring to how “culture now impresses the same stamp on everything.” the culture industry pumps out the same material over and over again. Oftentimes we see the same large fast fashion companies utilizing the same BIPOC designs. This repetition is what allows for the original creators to often be left out of the picture.
I really enjoyed this piece! Great work!!