Fast Fashion Overheating?

You can't run a marathon at a 100m race pace so it's not surprising that fast fashion, which these days requires designers to produce six or more collections a year, is starting to run out of steam. Speculation is rife that this is the reason that Raf Simons left Dior after three and a half years as creative director. 

Even as a consumer, it does seem like there's an endless arrival of new styles at my favorite retailers. My inbox is always flooded with emails proclaiming the must have item of the moment, with additional seasons like pre-fall or resort that exist solely to justify the sale and purchase of more apparel. It's hard to justify the need to buy anything new when you still have brand new clothes with tags hanging in your closet. 

There have been several other high profile creative director exits like Alber Elbaz of Lanvin and Alexander Wang of Balenciaga though the specific reasons for their departure remains unclear.  Meanwhile, veteran designers like Karl Lagerfeld embrace the ever faster pace of fashion. For them, it's just part of the evolution of the industry as it adapts to the modern culture where fashion is more accessible than ever.

While everyone is entitled to their opinion, I for one will not lose any sleep if the pace were were to slow down. It's sustainable for the environment and provides more work life balance, all good things in my book.