Spending speedily
By ELAINE DONG
star2@thestar.com.my
from: http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2012/11/29/lifeliving/12242404&sec=lifeliving
Going fast: Young shoppers and store employees battle around a clothes rack in a H&M store for the launch of Maison Martin Margiela’s special collection in Tokyo, Japan, on Nov 15.
Clothes are cheap these days, but do they come with a high price?
A NEW high-street label recently arrived on our shores and fashionistas in the Klang Valley literally went to town with it. Shoppers were lining up at the store’s opening, as well as during the launch of one of its famed designer collaborations. Even though the frenzy of its opening has died down, the two stores are still perpetually full. The brand comes at an apt time, and into the right market segment, offering affordable and trendy clothes when other European high-street brands’ prices are simply too high for our ringgit.
The question is: Is it a good thing that clothes are getting cheaper that they’re practically disposable? Fashion retailers thrive on fast fashion. It is the only way to get stock moving season after season.
Globalisation has given fashion companies access to cheap labour in Third World countries, enabling them to produce clothes at an alarmingly frequent rate. The worlds of information have also allowed them to quickly see what is on the runways and disseminate that information to their designers and manufacturers for production.
In a study called The Present And Future Sustainability Of Clothing And Textiles In The United Kingdom done by the Institute for Manufacturing (IFM) at the University of Cambridge, Britain, in 2006, it showed that people were buying a third more clothes than they were in 2002. It also said that in 2000, people around the world spent US$1tril buying clothes.
There aren’t more recent studies done by the university, but if we extrapolate and estimate the multiplying effect of that study, we can expect that figure to have increased exponentially in the last 10 years.
Considering how fashion brands have been mushrooming in that period, with existing brands expanding worldwide, especially to Asia, and the widespread phenomenon of blogshops and online shopping, there are now even more ways for consumers to spend money!
Zoe Liew, 34, fashion and beauty editor of Female Malaysia, thinks fast fashion is a double-edged sword. “The good thing is, consumers are getting what they want and fashion is becoming more affordable for everyone. The bad thing is, very few people appreciate quality and workmanship anymore,” she says.
“It has definitely caused more competition among the brands and retailers. These fast and cheap brands are getting more creative with their collections, releasing more collaborative projects with celebrities and fashion designers, attracting a larger market, whether it’s the general public or fashion set. As for the consumers, they are on-trend, demanding pieces that look like they just came off the runways. Consumers these days are impulsive buyers and they are aware of what the current trends are or what’s in the coming season. They want them now and they want them cheap,” she adds.
Liew sticks to basics, which are white shirts, jeans and tailored pants. Because of her job, she keeps track of the trends closely, but she doesn’t necessarily wear them. “I’m more comfortable wearing what I like because what’s in trend may not be ‘me’. However, I do pick up trends, but only the ones that I like and go with my style,” she explains.
Preeta Sharenia, 24, works in marketing and brand management. She thinks it’s great that the masses can have affordable, fast fashion items that are easily attainable. She notices that these days, the younger generation and mid-level executives are able to dress in the latest fashion trends. She also thinks designers now have to be more creative and flexible with design and production.
“Traditional fashion consumers tend to lean on details, and there is more appreciation for craft, quality and technique. There is the area of couture products, but few can afford them or they don’t fit in with their lifestyle. So fast fashion is a welcome change,” she says.
While Preeta shops quite regularly for trendy items, especially if they are at bargain prices, she has her eye on accessories. “My fashion staples have always been accessories; I would match them with anything and everything! I also have some clothing staples – my coloured cardigans, skinny black slacks, the crisp white shirt, perfect pair of leggings and gorgeous black, maroon, navy blue and beige high-waisted skirts,” she adds.
Izrin Ismail, 29, managing director of homegrown fashion brand Innai, says that with fast fashion, people seem to have lost their sense of individuality. “Everyone simply looks the same. Unfortunately for us, this is where the market lies. People preach about how they value their individuality and want to stick out, but in reality, we just want to fit in and be accepted. This is what fashion does to most of us. To be original is to look ordinary for most fast fashion fans.”
But she understands the appeal of being able to get something trendy right here, right now. “Many people say that fashion trends are just fads and we do know it’ll have a very short life span in our closets. Yet we long for the ‘it’ piece of the season, for example, an ultra modern Peter Pilloto digital print dress, which could be a whole month’s salary to some. Therefore, the next best thing to succumb this ‘crave’ is to get it at a cut-off price, similar but not quite, in other high-street stores. And you don’t have to break the bank,” she says.
“Bigger retailers like H&M have been following an accelerated fashion cycle, which sadly beats many local retailers. Now high-street fashion trends are also instantly accessible online at more reasonable price tags,” adds Izrin.
She is aware that quality comes at a price. Consumers are so mindful of the price that they undervalue the quality of the product. “In my case, I balance a bit of both, quantity and quality. I do a little QC (quality control) check for every purchase. If the garment is poorly assembled or uses material that is unrefined, but the price is reasonable, I’d still give it a miss,” she says.
“We must not become consumers who buy clothes to dispose, which is a common scenario in fast fashion. Our consumption for clothing has become almost like a disorder, with our closets brimming with clothes we don’t need. We really need to be smart with our purchases and balance fads with pieces that would give us more longevity,” she continues.
As high-street brands make their continuous entry into our market, local players are also picking up on this shopping trend. In Malaysia, it seems a blogshop is opening every week. The shop owners often source for stock in Kuala Lumpur itself, at the wholesale centres peppered around town. Some go further afield to Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and even China to source for clothes.
At these stores (online, brick and mortar), you can get runway-inspired outfits at a fraction of high-end designers’ prices. Fancy the latest brocade/space/ peplum fall looks? Look no further than your local high-street retail shop or the hundreds of blogshops hawking the items a week after the runway shows.
While many are happy to be so on-trend, they soon find out that there’s a reason it’s called fast or disposable fashion. Often consumers are left with no choice but to discard the outfits after a couple of wears, simply because they are coming apart in the wash! No matter; just go out and get a replacement!
Miku Chin, 24, found herself faced with such a predicament. Like any young executive, she was out at the malls every weekend, and would come back with purchases every time. She also regularly shops online.
“I kept getting substandard stuff. Some of these blogshops show pictures that are different from the actual goods, so it’s hard to gauge sometimes,” she says.
Together with her boyfriend, Kenn Lum, 26, she decided to join the ranks of online retailers, and started Owlch! That Hoots! (owlch.blogspot.com) to sell the latest trends. She also ensures that the pieces she sells are well-made.
“Our prices are between RM49 to RM90,” says Lum, who handles the marketing while Chin does the buying. “Quality is very important to us. As consumers, we know what it’s like to feel cheated when we get badly made items, so our policy is to provide value to our customers. We’re happy when they’re happy.”
As the economy tries to find its footing, and the Malaysian ringgit fights against the stronger currencies in the world, it’s inevitable that local shoppers look to the more affordable and low-end stores to indulge in some retail therapy. Often, consumers do not see beyond the sloppily sewn beads on their blouse; or the off-centre zipper of their peplum skirt; or the exploitation of low-wage workers in factories in China; or even the counterfeit copies floating around.
“It’s all about quantity and urgency and not quality, and cheap and unfair labour is definitely happening, more widely than it used to be because of the high demand for fast fashion,” Liew concludes.
Ultimately, the purchasing power – and the decision – lies in the hand of the consumer.
