Fast fashion within subcultures; Is it alternative to use Shein?

What is "Fast Fashion"?

Fast Fashion is a model of mass production of clothing that emerged during the 19th century and was consolidated in the mid to late 20th century. From piles of textile waste to slave labor, "fast fashion" has been an increasingly recurrent and troubling topic over the past 20 years, and yet its popularity has only grown.

But why? Well, the answer is simple: because it's cheap, and we're poor

And there are not a few brands or just Shein that use fast fashion, no, this type of production is extremely common within other famous brands that aim to serve mainly the masses, an example is Nike and Zara. And when we see discussions on Twitter, TikTok and even Instagram about the infamous “conscious consumption”, we always have to ask ourselves; conscious consumption for whom? Because when the population is poor and has to choose between a 100 reais Renner dress and a handmade one for 380 reais, the choice is kind of obvious, right? In addition to the fact that the public has easy access to these stores, they are always located from corner to corner, while artisanal ones are more difficult to find (not that I condemn small brands, after all they charge a fair price for the work that goes into making each piece they sell). In the end, the charge for sustainable and good consumption comes from the rich, and the guilt in conscience rests with the poor.

And now Livia? Is it possible to participate in an alternative subculture but only buy clothes at Shein?

In order to be able to answer this question, we first need to know more deeply what a social subculture really is. Subcultures correspond to the subdivisions of the dominant culture that oppose it, that is, they are movements against the culture of today's society. As this post is dedicated to discussions on the gothic twitter world, I'll limit myself to just this movement from now on, but much of what I say applies to other communities as well.

One of the main factors within the goth subculture is expression. Melancholy, sadness, love - these are human characteristics that we try to express in every way, mainly through art, but also in the way we want to present ourselves to the world, that is, through clothes. Clothing, in addition to the aesthetic part, is also a political act, it represents you to the world and the world perceives you through it. So when you abandon such an act of expression and identity to consume only within a fast fashion market, you also abandon a bit of yourself. And that I don't just mean goths, but anyone in general, what you wear is who you are.

Of course, it's okay to buy a blouse there and a boot here from Shein or whatever store you're going to use, the problem is actually abandoning the “do it yourself”, which is your brand and your identity. Remember that your subculture is also your expression as an individual, and if you find yourself a mass consumer, well, that's up to you.

Written and corrected by: Livia (*¯ ³¯*)♡