Why do I shop?
The 52 Seasons & Concealer Model
As you can imagine the answer to that question is not “Because I really need new things!”. Before we go into the attempt answering that question though, let’s first take a look at the fashion market.
According to a 2017 McKinsey report fashion is described as “one of the past decade’s rare economic success stories” with an annual growth of 5.5%. The global fashion market is estimated to grow in value from 1.3 trillion U.S. dollars in 2015 to about 1.5 trillion dollars in 2020. To put this into perspective, the fashion market is nearly as big as the global oil market which is valued at $1.7 trillion.
So, who made this success story happen? Yes, you might have guessed it. That was you and I, our neighbours, our colleagues, closest friends and all the other billions of people on this (yet) blueish and greenish planet.
Here are some quick facts on the fashion industry worth reiterating (The State of Fashion 2020, Nov 2019):
- the textile industry represents 6% of global greenhouse-gas emissions and 10-20% of pesticide use
- washing, solvents, and dyes used in manufacturing are responsible for one-fifth of industrial water pollution
- fashion accounts for 20-35% of microplastics in the ocean
Considering all the negative implications of our buying behaviour on the environment, humanity and our account balance, why are we so easily drawn to spending our money on fast fashion?
I found some interesting answers to that question in Tansy E. Hoskins’ “Stitched Up. The Anti-Capitalist Book of Fashion”. Here are my three main takeaways:
1. Capitalism
Living in a capitalistic world, driven by the exchange of money/credit against goods/services, we are constantly exposed to advertising. Promises are made and false needs are created to which the consumer reacts. We have the freedom to choose what and whether to buy, but as Tansy E. Hoskins puts it “In a marketised society people are judged by their material worth”. In other words, buying is the skill that allows us to show that we are a worthy player in the game of capitalism.
2. Escape the present
Another dimension nourishing our buying behaviour could be described as “filling the void”. Far too often we unconsciously or consciously use shopping as a remedy to escape the monotonous present, the emptiness and unhappiness of our current self. We treat ourselves to something we need, something that boosts our self-worth.
3. The concealer
In order to ensure we keep feeling positive about each and every purchase, corporations play a little trick. They use a concealer like a make-up artist to let the unpleasant areas disappear. The partly inhumane production processes, the low wages, toxic dye techniques and chemicals, child labour and Photoshop never play a role in an ad campaign. No surprise. Tansy E. Hoskins describes this as a mystifying process that lets “commodities appear independent of the labour that made them”. Hence, no hard feelings when making bad purchasing decisions. Ignorance is bliss.
Adding to the above, let’s not forget that the apparel industry works with 52 micro-seasons a year, instead of 4. This equates to roughly a new trend each week, giving fast fashion companies a plethora of options to try new USPs. One could call it risk hedging. Instead of putting all eggs into 4 baskets, lets put them in 52. People who are sensitive to trends, will feel motivated to buy into it. The USPs move so fast though, that it creates a sense of urgency and scarcity. If you don’t get the design today, it will be replaced next week.
And as if this isn’t enough, the aforementioned concealer joins the weekly game in form of advertising. Its goal is to make something that costs $3 to produce, sell for $7 and make it look like a $20 aspirational product. Even though apparel is originally a rather utilitarian product, you want to buy into something bigger that a sweater. Hence, advertising invents a new USP, e.g. as simple as the trend colour citrus yellow, and adds some emotional flavour in the mix.
Conclusion
To date The 52 Seasons & Concealer Model works successfully. It crumbles though with every single person shifting from a reactive towards a proactive purchase engagement, rubbing off the advertising mask to unveil the truth.
People start doing this more and more, asking for transparency and taking informed decisions. One person can’t change a $1.5 trillion industry, but if your neighbour, your colleague and your best friend joins, we can.
I am sure you are familiar with the 4 Rs: reduce, reuse, repair, recycle. I’d like the add revalue. We need a mindset shift from consuming to valuing our clothes. Revalue the clothes you have, don’t get sucked into the stream of new is always better. We are all intelligent beings. Let’s not fall for the concealer effect. Value is an amazing filter. If you doubt the real value, don’t buy it. Should I have caught your interest, subscribe below, I am writing a separate blog post covering that topic.
Surely, there is a plethora of reasons and motivations why we buy. They are not always rooted in or motivated by the black magic of the fashion industry. Sometimes we really need to enrich our wardrobe. In that case, let’s keep an eye on the tricks and design our own shopping rules.
- Remove the advertising concealer before shopping.
- Take informed decisions.
- Reduce, reuse, repair, recycle and revalue.
Thanks for reading, I look forward to your feedback.
BeMoreMaverick
