Ultra-fast Fashion Charms Young Despite Damaging Environment

Britain's Boohoo, China's SHEIN and Hong Kong's Emmiol operate the same internet-based business model -- produce items and collections at breakneck speed and rock-bottom prices Jade Gao AFP/File
Britain's Boohoo, China's SHEIN and Hong Kong's Emmiol operate the same internet-based business model -- produce items and collections at breakneck speed and rock-bottom prices Jade Gao AFP/File
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Ultra-fast Fashion Charms Young Despite Damaging Environment

Britain's Boohoo, China's SHEIN and Hong Kong's Emmiol operate the same internet-based business model -- produce items and collections at breakneck speed and rock-bottom prices Jade Gao AFP/File
Britain's Boohoo, China's SHEIN and Hong Kong's Emmiol operate the same internet-based business model -- produce items and collections at breakneck speed and rock-bottom prices Jade Gao AFP/File

So-called "ultra-fast fashion" has won legions of young trend-setting fans who snap up relatively cheap clothes online amid surging inflation, but the booming genre masks darker environmental problems.

Britain's Boohoo, China's SHEIN and Hong Kong's Emmiol operate the same internet-based business model -- produce items and collections at breakneck speed and rock-bottom prices.

They are giving intense competition to more well-known "fast fashion" chains with physical stores, like Sweden's H&M and Spain's Zara, AFP reported.

Young people under the age of 25 -- widely known as Generation Z -- love placing multiple orders for ultra-fast fashion, which then arrive in the post.

Greenpeace has, however, slammed the "throwaway clothing" phenomenon as grossly wasteful, arguing it takes 2,700 litres of water to make one T-shirt that is swiftly binned.

"Many of these cheap clothes end up... on huge dump sites, burnt on open fires, along riverbeds and washed out into the sea, with severe consequences for people and the planet," the green pressure group says.

Photographs of mountains of shoddy clothing, returned to the vendor or dumped soon after purchase, have gone viral, highlighting the vast amount of waste.

Demand for low-price garments has nevertheless soared due to decades-high inflation, while many Covid-hit high-street shops with big overhead costs struggle to compete.

And it is wildly popular: SHEIN generated $16 billion in global sales last year, Bloomberg says.

Customers purchase T-shirts for £4.0 ($4.80), while bikinis and dresses sell for as little as £8.0 apiece.

For French high-school student Lola, 18, who lives in the city of Nancy, SHEIN shopping has become a cheap hobby.

The brand simply allows her to follow the latest trends "without spending an astronomical amount", she told AFP, oblivious to the environmental cost.

Lola normally places two to three orders per month on SHEIN with an average combined value of 70 euros ($71) for about 10 items.

Ultra-fast fashion's young target demographic -- like Lola -- simply have less cash to spend.

Those consumers therefore "seek quantity rather than quality" of clothing, according to economics professor Valerie Guillard at Paris-Dauphine University.

SHEIN, which was founded in late 2008, now sells across the world helped by its massive presence on social media networks.

Customers post so-called "haul" videos online -- where they unwrap SHEIN packages, try on clothes and review them.

That has boosted its popularity on TikTok, which is favored by teenagers and young adults, while there are also such videos on Instagram and YouTube.

On TikTok alone, there are 34.4 billion mentions of the hashtag #SHEIN and six billion for #SHEINhaul.

Brands extends their reach via low-cost partnerships with a large number of people on social media, to build trust and increase sales.

Irish social-media influencer Marleen Gallagher, 45, who works with SHEIN and other firms, praised them for offering broader size ranges than regular stores.

"They are unrivalled when it come to choices for plus-size women," she told AFP.

Yet the industry has a reputation for devouring valuable resources and damaging the environment.

Ultra-fast fashion companies have also been plagued by scandals over allegedly poor working conditions in their factories.

Swiss-based NGO Public Eye discovered in November 2022 that employees in some SHEIN factories worked up to 75 hours per week, in contravention of Chinese labour laws.

Britain's Boohoo also faced criticism following media reports that its suppliers were underpaying workers in Pakistan.

Added to the picture, the French Agency for Ecological Transition estimates that fast fashion accounts for a staggering two percent of global greenhouse emissions per year.

That is as much as air transport and maritime traffic combined.

The genre has meanwhile attracted the anger of climate campaigner Greta Thunberg.

"The fashion industry is a huge contributor to the climate and ecological emergency, not to mention its impact on the countless workers and communities who are being exploited around the world in order for some to enjoy fast fashion that many treat as disposables," Thunberg wrote last year, urging change.



Pieter Mulier Named Creative Director of Versace

(FILES) Pieter Mulier attends the 2025 CFDA Awards at The American Museum of Natural History on November 03, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)
(FILES) Pieter Mulier attends the 2025 CFDA Awards at The American Museum of Natural History on November 03, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)
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Pieter Mulier Named Creative Director of Versace

(FILES) Pieter Mulier attends the 2025 CFDA Awards at The American Museum of Natural History on November 03, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)
(FILES) Pieter Mulier attends the 2025 CFDA Awards at The American Museum of Natural History on November 03, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)

Belgian fashion designer Pieter Mulier has been named the new creative director of the Milan fashion house Versace starting July 1, according to an announcement on Thursday from the Prada Group, which owns Versace.

Mulier is currently creative director of the French fashion house Alaïa, and was previously the right-hand man of fellow Belgian designer and Prada co-creative director Raf Simons at Calvin Klein, Jil Sander and Dior.

In his new role, Mulier will report to Versace executive chairman Lorenzo Bertelli, the designated successor to manage the family-run Prada Group. Bertelli is the son of Miuccia Prada and Prada Group chairman Patrizio Bertelli.

“We believe that he can truly unlock Versace’s full potential and that he will be able to engage in a fruitful dialogue,’’ The Associated Press quoted Lorenzo Bertelli as saying of Mulier in a statement.

Mulier takes over from Dario Vitale, who departed in December after previewing just one collection during his short-lived Versace stint.

Mulier was honored last fall by supermodel and longtime Alaïa muse Naomi Campbell at the Council of Fashion Designers of America for his work paying tribute to brand founder Azzedine Alaïa. Mulier took the creative helm in 2021, after Alaïa’s death.


Ralph Lauren’s Margin Caution Eclipses Stronger‑than‑expected Quarterly Results

Guests wait after viewing the latest Ralph Lauren collection in New York City, US, April 17, 2025. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs/File photo
Guests wait after viewing the latest Ralph Lauren collection in New York City, US, April 17, 2025. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs/File photo
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Ralph Lauren’s Margin Caution Eclipses Stronger‑than‑expected Quarterly Results

Guests wait after viewing the latest Ralph Lauren collection in New York City, US, April 17, 2025. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs/File photo
Guests wait after viewing the latest Ralph Lauren collection in New York City, US, April 17, 2025. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs/File photo

Ralph Lauren posted third-quarter results above Wall Street estimates on Thursday, but the luxury retailer's warning of margin pressure tied to US tariffs sent its shares down nearly 6.4% in premarket trading.

The company expects fourth-quarter margins, its smallest revenue period, to shrink about 80 to 120 basis points due to higher tariff pressure and marketing spend.

Ralph Lauren, which sources its products from regions such as China, India and Vietnam, has relied on raising prices and reallocating production to regions with lower duty exposure to offset US tariff pressures, Reuters reported.

"Ralph Lauren has been able to raise prices for some time now. There is some limit on how long it can continue to do this. I think (the company's) gross margins are near peak levels," Morningstar analyst David Swartz said.

The company, which sells $148 striped linen shirts and $498 leather handbags, has tightened inventory, lifted full-price sales and refreshed core styles, boosting its appeal among wealthier and younger customers, including Gen Z.

Higher-income households are still splurging on luxury items, travel and restaurant meals, while lower- and middle-income consumers are strained by higher costs for rents and food as well as a softer job market.

The New York City-based company saw quarterly operating costs jump 12% year-on-year as it ramped up brand building efforts through sports-focused brand campaigns such as Wimbledon and the US Open tennis championship.

The luxury retailer said revenue in the quarter ended December 27 rose 12% to $2.41 billion, above analysts' estimates of a 7.9% rise to $2.31 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG.

It earned $6.22 per share, excluding items, compared to expectations of $5.81, aided by a 220 basis points increase in margins and an 18% rise in average unit retail across its direct-to-consumer channel.

Ralph Lauren now expects fiscal 2026 revenue to rise in the high single to low double digits on a constant currency basis, up from its prior forecast of a 5% to 7% growth.


Saudi Fashion Commission, Kering Launch 'Kering Generation Award X MENA'

This year's award builds on the strong success of the 2025 award, which attracted more than 500 applications, shortlisted 21 finalists, and recognized three winners. SPA
This year's award builds on the strong success of the 2025 award, which attracted more than 500 applications, shortlisted 21 finalists, and recognized three winners. SPA
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Saudi Fashion Commission, Kering Launch 'Kering Generation Award X MENA'

This year's award builds on the strong success of the 2025 award, which attracted more than 500 applications, shortlisted 21 finalists, and recognized three winners. SPA
This year's award builds on the strong success of the 2025 award, which attracted more than 500 applications, shortlisted 21 finalists, and recognized three winners. SPA

Saudi Arabia’s Fashion Commission and global luxury group Kering have launched the "Kering Generation Award X MENA" across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) for 2026.

The announcement was made on Tuesday during the opening of the RLC Global Forum, hosted at the French Embassy in Riyadh.

This year's award builds on the strong success of the 2025 award, which attracted more than 500 applications, shortlisted 21 finalists, and recognized three winners.

Participants benefited from mentorship programs, workshops, and opportunities to strengthen their global presence. Building on this momentum, the 2026 program seeks to expand its impact across the MENA region.

The 2026 award focuses on four key areas of sustainable fashion: innovation in regenerative materials and clean production, circular design and sustainable business models, nature conservation and animal welfare, and consumer awareness and cultural engagement.

The program targets startups across the MENA region that operate in, or positively influence, the sustainable fashion sector, provided they demonstrate innovation capabilities and the ability to deliver measurable sustainability outcomes.