Technological developments follow each other at a rapid pace. What was brand new yesterday is now considered outdated: “Excel is actually already outdated,” says Dutch clothing technology researcher Tessa Boumans about the spreadsheet program from the US company Microsoft. With the recently introduced ‘Technology 4.0.’, which also includes artificial intelligence (AI), trends can even be predicted based on data. “Technology is often seen as progress.” But this is wrong, says Dutch fashion journalist Nora Veerman.
From the environment to social issues, little is said about the dark side of technology. De Balie, the Dutch organization for journalistic programs, wanted to change this: With its event ‘Fast Fashion-Tech Thinkers: How does technology influence fashion?’ Last week she invited five industry experts to talk about the influence of technology on fashion. The current throwaway culture in the fashion industry was particularly examined.
“We are on Kalverstraat [Anm. d. Red.: eine Einkaufsstraße in Amsterdam] in the immediate vicinity of Zara,” explains the host of the evening, Rosalie Dielesen. The popularity of fast fashion giant Zara is undeniable – fans of the latest trends often choose the chain, which belongs to the Spanish clothing group Inditex.
Accelerate technology and throwaway culture
But Zara is no longer the most popular fast fashion company; the Chinese e-commerce giant Shein overtook the Spanish brand some time ago. Its popularity is due to the low prices of fashion items and the speed with which the brand responds to the latest trends. “The brand uses AI to introduce new styles at lightning speed,” says Veerman. “All of this is made possible by technology.”
Boumans explains the ‘Shein Hauls’ section on the international video platform TikTok. “Consumers present in their videos the quantities of clothing they have purchased from Shein,” she says. “After a week you can throw the items away because they are no longer fashionable,” adds Kiki Boreel, Dutch model and sustainable fashion activist.
Boreel worked in the fashion industry for big brands until she couldn’t take it anymore: “I saw tons of clothes that were just gathering dust.” Instead of feeling glamorous, she felt more guilty. “I made people buy things they didn’t need,” she says. The model explains that too much more is produced than is actually necessary: “30 percent of the pieces are overproduction.”
How technology increases inequality
Victorine van der Ven is the owner of the young ‘on-demand’ fashion brand The Launch, a concept that makes clothes to order. She finds it difficult to compete with fast fashion giants. “I produce in the Netherlands, so my prices are higher than those of brands that produce in Asia,” she explains to the group. Since her clothing is only produced after ordering, she only produces what customers really want. “It takes three weeks for the parts to be ready. At other fashion stores that produce fast fashion, the order is in-house the next day.”
Store employees, owners of well-known fashion brands, garment workers, consumers and people who want to start a fashion brand – “everyone in the industry is facing technology challenges. It increases existing inequalities,” explains Boumans. “Not everyone has access to what the technology used actually achieves and who benefits from it.”
When it comes to underpaid garment workers in the ‘global south’, Boumans says the higher echelons of the financial world should take responsibility for taking stock. During her research, she encountered several problems: On the one hand, the fashion industry is not open about how it uses technology. On the other hand, she found that greed hinders change. As an example, Boumans cites Inditex owner Amancio Ortega, who is one of the richest entrepreneurs in the world: “He buys real estate all over the world to avoid taxes, while his textile workers don’t even receive the minimum wage.”
The scientist believes that many ethical problems in the fashion production cycle are not the fault of the systems, but of the people. “Technology did not cause these problems and therefore will not solve them,” said Boumans. “People have to do that themselves.”
Faster, cheaper, worse
A ray of hope is the new, demanding generation of fashion designers, says fashion lecturer Sonja Veldkamp. The Dutchwoman has been doing her job since 2004 and has noticed that her students are becoming more and more interested in 3D techniques to see how fabrics feel on the body before designing a garment. Working with old materials [Anm. d. Red.: Materialien, die nicht mehr verwendet werden] is also enjoying greater popularity. This is not only more sustainable, but also cheaper, says Veldkamp. Does the solution to the accelerated throwaway culture of technology lie in the young generation of fashion designers who grew up with cell phones in their hands?
No one on the panel seems to have a simple answer. The presenter gives two important tips against the development of a fast-moving throwaway culture in fashion: A possible, rather radical solution is to wear a uniform, as envisaged by the ethos of the Dutch brand Bonne Suits. This means that trends can no longer be picked up so quickly, which could mean the end of our throwaway culture. The second option would be to make your own clothing. This is how you get to know the craft and respect it. There are more and more schools offering such lessons. Another solution that doesn’t cost anything is to ask questions.
The panel agrees that new technologies must continue to be critically examined. Boumans concludes that there are few solutions where technology plays a role. “The solution has to come from the people themselves,” said Boumans. “That’s why you should ask more questions at trade fairs where new technologies are presented,” advises Veerman, and Boumans emphasizes that “the most important thing is to ask what the technology is used for.”
This article originally appeared on FashionUnited.nl. Translated and edited by Heide Halama.