We’re the world’s biggest fast-fashion junkies, but France takes the addiction seriously
Let me be clear: I am not writing from the moral high ground of a pristine, capsule wardrobe. I browsed the internet late at night, adding a few things to the cart because they looked good on an Instagram stranger, only to find that the package came with five pieces of fast-fashion junk and – somewhat maddeningly – one actual jewel that I still wear.
This is the trap many of us fall into. It’s not that fast fashion is universally trashy, but the model like that It’s built around making us buy 10 things to get “that one thing.” And somehow we all agree that this is the new wardrobe normal. But do you know? Absolutely not.
of france parliament It passed a law that charges ultra-fast fashion e-retailers like Shein and Temu 25 cents to 6 euros (41 cents to $9.80) per item, rising to 10 euros by 2030, and completely bans these companies from advertising through influencers. In my opinion, this is a government that has really examined its business model (and the litter, pollution and environmental problems it creates) and decided to strangle it.
While France’s version isn’t perfect (it easily beats European brands like Zara and H&M) it’s at least a challenge. What we have here in Australia is just a suggestion box.
The average Australian buys around 56 new clothing items a year – get this – and at an average cost of $13 per item, we’ve overtaken the US as the world’s biggest clothing item. largest consumer of clothing per capita, shoes and bags. I find this truly embarrassing. We know cheap is addictive, but cheap also throws us into a world surrounded by garbage. And we all know what garbage does to the body.
Australia, since July 2024 seamless – a “management plan” in which member brands voluntarily pay 4 cents for each new garment they launch. I think he means well but is pretty toothless. This is voluntary and there are no plans to pass the tax on to shoppers; This sounds like virtuous behavior until you realize that it means the cost signal will never reach anyone who overbuys. Even the program’s research author said 4 cents was too low to change brand behavior and should be increased to at least 50 cents per garment.
As someone who has been writing about fashion and its place in popular culture for over 25 years—runways, red carpets, success and breakout stories, and how the hemline or hashtag defines a moment—I believe fashion should also be tempered with healthy, altruistic commentary. And what gets overlooked every time the angry conversation about fast fashion takes place is not that people are reckless or superficial, but rather the reality of the high cost of living.
I know many people, myself included, who cannot afford to dress themselves or their children in beautifully made pieces in gorgeous fabrics. If only! Of course, the luxury market is wonderful and desirable, but it’s not where most people live financially. When the top price costs $13, the math does the math, especially when wages can’t keep up with rent or shopping.
A well-made piece that I’ve had for five/10/20 years costs less per wear, causes less landfill, and lasts longer than a 10-piece that costs $13 and pills after two washes. I know this is a hard sell in an environment where consumer culture is built on the existence of Insta/TikTok and everyone’s pockets are stressed, but no 4 cent tax will teach anyone that lesson.
With over 200,000 tonnes of clothing thrown into Australian landfill every year (almost four Sydney Harbor Bridges’ worth), I used to think reselling or donating on Depop or Vinted were my ways to declutter, but not anymore. Fast fashion may account for 30 percent of these charitable donations, but 14 percent of what is donated ends up in landfill because most of them were never built to survive a second life or be “loved again.”
Even though the whole moral panic about buying cheap clothes has been around for many years, a small tax will not be the complete solution. France has shown that it is after the real model and perhaps Australia can try a little harder.
Melissa Hoyer is a social commentator.
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