If there was one thing that stood out in 2023, it was the record-breaking tours by some of the world’s most influential musicians, playing to hundreds of thousands of fans across the globe, that kept them in the spotlight. But despite the bright lights in the biggest international stadiums, such events also tend to have a dark side.
Fast fashion is regularly at the forefront of the sustainability debate, as the industry is considered one of the most environmentally damaging. Despite the increased awareness of environmental pollution in general, which is also caused by the music industry through the global transport of music tours, the industry has managed to avoid being associated with the issue of harmful fashion habits in the first place.
The growing concern about this was recently highlighted by Remake, a global advocacy group committed to sustainable and ethical development of the fashion industry. Speaking to FashionUnited, Remake’s Chief Marketing Officer Katrina Caspelich said on the topic: “In the age of influencers, concerts and fashion festivals are the epicenters for content creation with the aim of showcasing never-before-seen looks. However, this is not without ecological disadvantages.”
The identity of the artists becomes the central theme of concert culture
Between artists’ wardrobes and fans’ wardrobes, there are a number of ways fast fashion giants can get involved. This is particularly true for the “concert culture” as a whole, which has contributed to more and more fans wanting to dress like their stars at concerts. While the fans of Harry Styles’ “Love on Tour” were dressed in feathers and velvet, the “Beyhive” – as Beyoncé’s fans call themselves – wore head-to-toe glitter on Beyoncé’s “Renaissance” tour, and the ” Taylor Swift’s “Swifties” wore all of these in combination.
The changing wardrobe is also evident on stage. Each night of the Renaissance tour, Beyoncé surprised her audience with never-before-seen luxury outfits – particularly from Loewe and Balmain – underscoring her relevance to pop culture and promoting the brands to potential new buyers. On her Eras Tour, Taylor Swift switches between around thirteen different outfits in one evening, many of which also change per city. Each individual piece adds to the theatricality of the show, but also awakens viewers’ longing for replicas – which fast fashion brands are only too happy to provide.
Fashion Snoops cultural strategist Nico Gavino said of this dimension of relationships between artists and their fans: “Music has a long relationship with clothing that goes back to ancient times. Recently, however, the focus has shifted not only to the clothing of the main performer, but also to the clothing of the audience as participants in the concert. The advent of digital media has given audiences a new kind of relationship with musicians, closely linked to their identity, making the concert a place of highly emotional self-expression and interactivity. This is ultimately reflected in the increasingly elaborate look that people wear at concerts.”
Remake has been particularly concerned with this topic recently, in order to shed light on this often ignored factor in tours, concerts and festivals. Caspelich: “Influencer culture is real. Public figures have the power to influence purchasing decisions and values of their fans and followers. They should take this power seriously. As public figures, music artists are essential to driving and dictating the trends we see; they allow their fans to imagine what lifestyle could be achieved if they only wore them too. Concert and festival culture has clearly influenced consumer behavior and consumption patterns. Critics even claim that going to a concert or a music festival like Coachella these days is less about the music and more about the Instagram fashion culture of seeing and being seen that visitors serve through their choice of outfit.”
Influence beyond the stage
In Caspelich’s eyes, however, the influence on consumption comes less from the artists’ wardrobe and more from the artists or influencers themselves. The great influence that these people exert can also be observed outside of music events. For example, Swift’s brief appearance at a National Football League (NFL) game amid dating rumors with player Travis Michael Kelce led to a 400 percent increase in the player’s jersey sales within 24 hours. Critics were concerned about this number, as any possibility of the duo not getting together could result in a pile of discarded American football jerseys.
A similar thought was expressed by Gavino of Fashion Snoops: “These days, the relationship between concert culture and fast fashion is not so much about what artists wear on stage, but rather how audiences are drawn to artists’ latest works Let them inspire you and make specific connections to the artists’ careers. These collective cultural phenomena do influence fast fashion, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that concertgoers are the main culprits for the fast fashion problem.”
So what can public figures do to circumvent or even eliminate the consumer culture that has formed around their status? For Remake’s Caspelich, public events are the perfect opportunity to advocate for sustainability and ethical clothing: “Celebrities now have such a big influence in mainstream media that it would make sense to encourage behavior change, for example by wearing an outfit multiple times and encouraging fans to be creative when choosing their concert attire. They could be asked to modify or recycle pieces they already own. Or the musicians could choose not to create and sell new concert items. This can make a big difference and even set new trends that can improve the environment and the lives of the women who make our clothes.”
As Caspelich mentioned, it’s not just musicians and their tours that contribute to such behavior. Festivals have become a breeding ground for head-turning fashion, making them a hub for brands eager to influence consumer perceptions. Many retailers plan months in advance for the expected increase in sales that festival season typically brings, with many festival-goers often looking for an entirely new wardrobe, only to potentially throw the items away after a single use. Therefore, of course, the brands that promote this excessive consumption in order to profit from this behavior must also be criticized.
The throwaway mentality of festival collections is a cause for concern
Caspelich is particularly critical of this aspect: “The festival season has developed more into a fashion show than a music festival. Brands are taking advantage of this and releasing ‘festival lines’ in which they produce a large amount of fast fashion that is rarely worn more than once or falls apart quickly. Even if donated, there is a high chance that these pieces will end up in a landfill. And since most fast fashion pieces today are made of polyester, spandex, nylon, and acrylic, they take nearly 200 years to fully decompose. Meanwhile, the garments release dangerous chemicals, microplastic fibers and greenhouse gases, endangering both the planet and the health and well-being of communities near landfill sites, particularly in the Global South.”
When asked what brands and retailers can do to help, Caspelich got straight to the point: Brands need to stop producing so many products, especially when those products contribute to this environmentally damaging form of consumption. Similarly, Remake itself has set out to encourage consumers to break away from these processes, a mission the company is pushing forward through their #NoNewClothes challenge.
Participants must commit to not buying new clothing for 90 days, i.e. either not buying anything at all or preferring reuse and resale. The aim of the initiative is for consumers to assess what is already in their wardrobes to “reduce their carbon footprint, develop healthy psychological behavior patterns, limit the amount of waste they send to landfill, and keep their hard-earned money away from companies that don’t share their values,” Caspelich continued.
For Gavino, the solution to counteract the waste caused by concert culture lies in rental solutions. A concept that is already used in weddings, for example. The trend expert also highlighted the importance of sustainable materials – for example from responsibly sourced or biodegradable – which he believes should be integrated by brands that serve concert goers. Finally, Gavino added: “Finally, I would also encourage consumers to go for a second-hand look or even borrow from friends and family for special occasions. Overall, brands should look at their impact holistically, from seed to shelf.”
This translated and edited post previously appeared on FashionUnited.uk.