If you are reading this, I’m sure you sometimes wonder or check where your clothes come from. You can find a vast amount of well-researched posts on the production side of the fashion industry. Today, I will instead focus on the timeline of the rise of fast fashion. A look at what this implies for Kenya, I give you here.
Let’s dive into some history.
The Beginnings: Late 1990s to Early 2000s
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, people became increasingly aware of eco-conscious consumption. Mostly due to increasing concerns about environmental issues like climate change and pollution. Media coverage of environmental degradation and the rise of influential environmental organisations also played a role. Additionally, consumers began to demand more transparency and sustainability from brands.
Paradoxically, this period also saw the rise of traditional fast fashion brands. Companies such as Zara and H&M began to dominate the market with their quick-turnaround, trendy designs. Zara, which is often seen as the benchmark for fast fashion, developed a production capacity of around 30,000 pieces and 18,000 designs per year.
The Boom Years: 2000 to 2014
The period between 2000 and 2014 saw a dramatic expansion of fast fashion: clothing production doubled during this timeframe, and the number of garments purchased per capita increased by about 60%. By 2011, European apparel companies were producing an average of five collections per year, up from two in 2000. By 2014, global clothing production exceeded 100 billion items for the first time. This meant nearly 14 items of clothing were produced each year for every person on Earth.
The Surge of Ultra-Fast Fashion: 2015 Onwards
While 2015 is often cited as the beginning of ultra-fast fashion, the groundwork was laid earlier. Companies like Boohoo and Fashion Nova, both founded in 2006, were early players in the ultra-fast fashion space. Shein, founded in 2008, began to gain significant traction in the mid-2010s.
As you most likely heard, this boom led to a massive pile-up of textile waste. In 2023, it was estimated that over 92 million tons of textile waste were generated globally each year. A lot of this unwanted clothing gets shipped to developing countries, hitting places like Kenya hard.
