In today’s consumer market, “fast fashion” occupies a significant share, and its products are beloved by consumers for their variety, quick turnaround, and affordable prices. Many fast fashion brands have become household names. However, the concept of “fast fashion” did not emerge in recent years—it first took shape in the UK during World War I. Fashion media once remarked, “World War I not only reshaped the global geopolitical landscape but also fundamentally changed the fashion industry.”
Before World War I, Parisian “haute couture” dominated the European fashion scene. As industry insiders described it, women’s clothing at the time was characterized by being “luxurious and restrained.” With the outbreak of war, many men enlisted and left their homes, causing labor shortages in multiple countries. Women began to take on jobs previously done by men, such as transportation and factory work. In this context, traditional women’s clothing became impractical—floor-length dresses restricted movement and posed safety hazards in factories, quickly losing their market appeal. They were replaced by more practical garments like shirt dresses. These clothes, made from cotton and linen, were not only inexpensive but also comfortable, durable, and easy to maintain.
According to BBC‘s History Magazine, the concept of “fast fashion” became widely known in the 1990s, but it had already begun to take root in the UK by the 1930s. After World War I, textile industries developed in many countries, and the UK, a major exporter of textiles, quickly lost its international market. British products were forced to shift from export to domestic sales, with the industry trying to tap into the domestic market to recover funds. However, the domestic market in the UK was limited, so if businesses wanted to make money, they needed customers to buy more and more frequently, pushing the need for continuous innovation in clothing products.
Media outlets have noted that, in earlier years, although there was a natural connection between “fashion” and “clothing,” fashion was largely out of reach for the average person. To profit from the masses and create a new economy focused on ordinary consumers, businesses had to make fashion more accessible. They accomplished this by promoting fashion to potential consumers through a series of advertisements, cultivating a desire for new purchases.
The UK had already launched Vogue magazine in 1916, and after World War I, numerous similar women’s magazines appeared, catering to almost every social class. These magazines were cheap to buy and freely accessible in public libraries. As a result, readers could always keep up with the latest fashion trends and practical clothing tips—not only how to dress well but how to shop affordably.
The rapidly developing film industry provided British businesses with another way to promote products. At the time, movie tickets were affordable for nearly everyone, and the glamorous lifestyles portrayed on screen made a strong visual impression on audiences. The well-dressed characters in films subtly influenced people’s clothing choices. Under the dual influence of capital and the entertainment industry, British women’s consumer habits changed dramatically in the 1920s and 1930s, shifting from a focus on quality to a greater emphasis on style. This, in turn, forced manufacturers to keep up with fashion trends. As one industry insider “complained” at the time, “If a style is even slightly out of date, people won’t give it a second glance, no matter how good the quality of the clothing is.”
The business model in the fashion industry also underwent a significant transformation. Before the war, most women either made their own clothes or took fabric to a tailor. By the 1920s, this “made-to-measure” model was gradually declining, and ready-to-wear stores were growing in number. Mass production lowered manufacturing costs, and well-known British clothing retailers—such as Marks & Spencer and British Home Stores—rapidly expanded during the interwar period. The emergence of the chain store model further reduced costs, accelerating the turnover of clothing products. BBC’s History Magazine explained that this model allowed retailers to bypass the wholesale process and deal directly with manufacturers, significantly shortening the cycle from production to retail, making the distribution of new fashion items faster and more efficient.
British consumers were undoubtedly the early beneficiaries of “fast fashion,” enjoying the industry’s “good quality at low prices” dividend. For example, one media outlet reported that while Marks & Spencer only began selling clothing in 1926, by 1930 it had sold one million dresses priced at less than five shillings each. Meanwhile, women’s magazines continued to shape consumer attitudes subtly, promoting ideas such as “the same outfit shouldn’t be seen twice” and “different occasions require different attire.” As a result, British women’s wardrobes rapidly expanded.
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