Fast Fashions; the pros & cons of shopping at fast fashion houses. 

Fast fashions have taken over the average consumers closets. From H&M, Zara and Canada's Joe Fresh, finding this seasons IT fashions is easier than ever.

Plus if you are dying to wear the trendiest clothing and are over it after  only a couple of times of wear you don't have to make a huge wardrobe investment.

But sometimes you get what you pay for and not all quick response fashion is dirt cheap. Here we will investigate and weigh the pros and cons of shopping for disposable fashion.

What is Fast Fashion?

These are fashions that can go from the design studio to the store fronts in a matter of weeks. It is also considered to be disposable fashions because generally this type of clothing is inexpensive. 

These designs run the extremes from blatant designer knock-offs to simple casual separates. 

Brands that exemplify this quick response fashion concept. are Zara, H&M, Mango, Top Shop, Asos, Forever 21, TOPSHOP and here in Canada Joe Fresh.
 

The Pros

This type of clothing is accessible. Because the retailers can produce the clothing quickly and cheaply the mass majority has access to trends and fashion that they otherwise might only see in the pages of Vogue. 

In fact labels like Old Navy and Forever 21 have maternity and plus lines making trends available at all sizes. Many of these brands also have kids clothing.

These retailers are also pushing the fashion industry forward and encouraging even top designer brands to move faster; even producing more than 2 collections a year.  

Capsule collections with big name designers are becoming more popular with these brands. These mini collections are a fun way for the masses to get to experience a luxury designers vision. Target and H&M are two of the most notable brands that have extremely successful designer collaborations that sell out almost instantaneously. 

The Cons

Cheaper fabrics and lower quality overall are the two most obvious cons but one that doesn't seem to matter to most buying the clothing because shoppers are looking for trends.  

Disposable fashions make me think of the phrase "you get what you pay for". Watch for shrinking and often these labels fit small. 

And remember the clothing is simply relatively inexpensive meaning that not all of these fast fashion brands are cheap.  Zara and Top Shop come to mind as having portions of their collections that can easily run you $200 plus. 

Nevertheless shopping for this type of clothing is a great way to be trendy without investing thousands in trends that are here today gone tomorrow.

A well balanced wardrobe mixes pieces from quick response brands with more expensive classics and vintage finds. This is how you add personality and flare to your look instead of just looking like you just walked off the runway in one designer head to toe.  While a designer uniform is easy to wear it lacks ingenuity and is expensive for the average shopper to achieve this look.

Fast Fashion in Toronto

The following is a list of fast fashion retailers you can find in Toronto.

Zara - Eaton Center, Queen West, Bloor Street, Yorkdale, Fairview Mall, Square One
H&M - Yorkdale, Eaton Center, Queen West, Dufferin Mall, Vaughan Mills, Fairview Mall.
Express - so far just at Fariview Mall but many more stores planned.
Joe Fresh
Top Shop - part of the Bay at Yorkdale and a small selection on Ossington.
Forever 21

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