Victorian Fast Fashion? The Truth about the History of Disposable Clothing

The term Fast Fashion is all over the news lately, but what exactly does it mean and how far back can we trace it? The history may surprise you! Generally, fast fashion is thought to be clothing that is made rapidly, cheaply, and trendy in style. It's meant to be design, produced, and sold at incredible speeds and the result is usually that it is also worn and tossed just as quickly. The quality and style are unable to stand the test of time. So it seems like it must be a modern issue, doesn't it?

Most articles give a passing reference to the 1800s as an era where clothing was still made custom and was deeply treasured, as most people had so little. Instead, the rise of concept of fast fashion is credited to the post-WWII rise in production and the term itself supposedly only started in use in 1990. But with the massive global economy quickly moving around the world by the 18th century and the industrial revolution in full swing as of the 19th century, the opportunity for fast, trendy styles was already there. And it wasn't ignored.

In reality the idea that fast fashion as a term wasn't invented until 1990 is an easy myth to debunk. The phrase is in regular use by the 1970s, coinciding with the birth of major clothing brands who found their success using the idea of fast fashion as a business concept. As for the origins of its practice, it goes far further back than the mid 20th century. With mass production in full swing in the Western world 200 years ago, there was plenty of opportunity to make anything they could cheaper and cheaper. But in order to sell the cheapest goods to more than just those who could afford nothing more, they had to be stylish. So stylish that their disintegration only a few months in wouldn't matter. Nor would the concerns over sweatshops and ethics. It was a society where being even a few months out of fashion was painfully obvious, but the quality of your clothing was harder to see.

Expensive silks prints were replicated in cotton, light weight textiles were weighted to seem luxurious, aniline dyes gave the illusion of rich natural colors, and short cuts were taken to expedite the process the whole way. The potential risk to workers and to wearers was well known early in the Victorian era. Poisonous chemicals and damaging adulterations led to numerous articles warning the public. The term sweatshop was popularized by the end of the century and the working conditions of those in the fashion industry had long been a concern in media. But still people chose to buy the most novel goods they could lay their hands on.

In reality, the modern invention of slow fashion is just that- modern. It's not a return to the past. Fashion may have been able to keep up with alterations and repairs for a short time, but it was never intended to last for very long. What we are returning to, however, is a VERY old concept of knowing how your clothing is produced. Knowing where it's made, what it is made from, and how it was created is something we lost touch with centuries ago as trade routes extended further and further. So perhaps modern fashion can find inspiration in the past- it will just have to go back quite a ways to not end up with fast fashion again.

Favorite Sources
https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/libraries-and-research-centers/watson-digital-collections/costume-institute-collections/costume-institute-fashion-plates

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00:00 Introduction
02:42 What is Fast Fashion?
03:39 18th c Novelties
06:07 Speed of Steam
10:55 Cheap Labor
13:58 Disposable Fashion
16:53 Brand Craze
21:11 Ethical Concerns
23:05 Slow Future