William Shakespeare once wrote, All that glitters is not gold, which is how I tend to think of fast fashion.
On the surface, that Missguided slogan top might look trendy and say FEMINIST in sequins, but deep down, its part of a systemic problem in the clothing industry that harms the planet and makes you look like a virtue-signalling chump unless the profits benefit womens charities, which they probably dont.
So, for the most part, I think Shakespeare was right. But then he never went to & Other Stories.
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This week, I somehow found myself wandering around the Scandinavian high street shop I love so dearly and lusting after a gold sequin pencil skirt that glitters in every sense of the word.
This skirt would be perfect for my best friends birthday party this weekend. It would go very well with my black high-neck top. It would complement my eyes. It would break my pledge.
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1/12 Isaac Saqib and Nasheli Ortiz-Gonzalez
Isaac is a Pakistani-American fashion designer whos behind the brand Mercy & Mankind. Nasheli is from Puerto Rico and is the department chair and associate professor of Fashion Design at Moore College of Art & Design. She has also worked with Beyoncé.
2/12 Angel Chen and Minju Kim
Angel is a China-based designer who runs an eponymous fashion label that blends Western and Eastern aesthetics. Minju is a Korean designer who specialises in contemporary womens wear.
3/12 Farai Simoyi-Agbede
Farai is a Zimbabwe-born designer raised in Brooklyn who runs a contemporary womenswear label called The Narativ.
4/12 Daniel Fletcher
Daniel is a London-based designer who studied at Central Saint Martins. He is the founder of an eponymous brand, DANIEL w. FLETCHER, and works as Menswear artistic director for cult Itlalian brand Fiorucci.
5/12 Kianga ‘KiKi’ Peterson
Kiki is a New York City-based designer who helped launch US hip hop clothing brand, Fubu.
6/12 Carli Pearson
Carli is a UK-based designer and founder and creative director of CIMONE, an inclusive ready-to-wear brand. She studied at Central Saint Martins in London.
7/12 Julian Woodhouse
Julian is a former army sergeant and model. He is now the CEO of streetwear label Woodhouse Army.
8/12 Ashton Hirota and Marco Morante
Ashton is a Los Angeles-based designer who focuses on avant-garde streetwear. Marco is also based in Los Angeles and runs is own label called Marco Marco. He has also dressed several celebrities, including Rita Ora and Fergie.
9/12 Angelo Cruciani and Charles Lu
Angelo is an Italy-based designer who runs the Yezael label, which focuses on contemporary streetwear. Charles is from Canada and used to work as the creative director of Dubai-based eveningwear label, Arushi Couture.
10/12 Lorena Saravia Butcher and Narresh Kukreja
Lorena is a Mexico City-based designer who has worked and collaborated with fashion brands such as Bread and Butter Barcelona, G-Star Raw and famous mexican designer Macario Jiménez. Narresh is the co-founder of Indian label Shivan and Narresh.
11/12 Adolfo Sanchez and Claire Davis
Adolfo is a Mexican-American designer based in Los Angeles. He specialises in designing ready-to-wear, evening wear and bridal. Claire is a UK-based designer who founded an eco-conscious label called Hanger Inc.
12/12 Hayley Scanlan
Hayley is a Scottish award-winning designer and founder of womens wear label H.S. Her clothes are a firm favourite among British female pop stars, including Jessie J, Pixie Lott and Little Mix.
1/12 Isaac Saqib and Nasheli Ortiz-Gonzalez
Isaac is a Pakistani-American fashion designer whos behind the brand Mercy & Mankind. Nasheli is from Puerto Rico and is the department chair and associate professor of Fashion Design at Moore College of Art & Design. She has also worked with Beyoncé.
2/12 Angel Chen and Minju Kim
Angel is a China-based designer who runs an eponymous fashion label that blends Western and Eastern aesthetics. Minju is a Korean designer who specialises in contemporary womens wear.
3/12 Farai Simoyi-Agbede
Farai is a Zimbabwe-born designer raised in Brooklyn who runs a contemporary womenswear label called The Narativ.
4/12 Daniel Fletcher
Daniel is a London-based designer who studied at Central Saint Martins. He is the founder of an eponymous brand, DANIEL w. FLETCHER, and works as Menswear artistic director for cult Itlalian brand Fiorucci.
5/12 Kianga ‘KiKi’ Peterson
Kiki is a New York City-based designer who helped launch US hip hop clothing brand, Fubu.
6/12 Carli Pearson
Carli is a UK-based designer and founder and creative director of CIMONE, an inclusive ready-to-wear brand. She studied at Central Saint Martins in London.
7/12 Julian Woodhouse
Julian is a former army sergeant and model. He is now the CEO of streetwear label Woodhouse Army.
8/12 Ashton Hirota and Marco Morante
Ashton is a Los Angeles-based designer who focuses on avant-garde streetwear. Marco is also based in Los Angeles and runs is own label called Marco Marco. He has also dressed several celebrities, including Rita Ora and Fergie.
9/12 Angelo Cruciani and Charles Lu
Angelo is an Italy-based designer who runs the Yezael label, which focuses on contemporary streetwear. Charles is from Canada and used to work as the creative director of Dubai-based eveningwear label, Arushi Couture.
10/12 Lorena Saravia Butcher and Narresh Kukreja
Lorena is a Mexico City-based designer who has worked and collaborated with fashion brands such as Bread and Butter Barcelona, G-Star Raw and famous mexican designer Macario Jiménez. Narresh is the co-founder of Indian label Shivan and Narresh.
11/12 Adolfo Sanchez and Claire Davis
Adolfo is a Mexican-American designer based in Los Angeles. He specialises in designing ready-to-wear, evening wear and bridal. Claire is a UK-based designer who founded an eco-conscious label called Hanger Inc.
12/12 Hayley Scanlan
Hayley is a Scottish award-winning designer and founder of womens wear label H.S. Her clothes are a firm favourite among British female pop stars, including Jessie J, Pixie Lott and Little Mix.
It transpires that the skirt of my dreams is made entirely from polyester, meaning it is not biodegradable and relies on the petrochemical industries for its raw material, rendering it completely dependent on fossil fuel extraction.
In other words, it is terrible for the environment and most definitely counts as fast fashion. I shouldnt even be looking at it let alone thinking about buying it. But I am in a post-January plateau, where everything in my life including my wardrobe looks drab and in dire need of a pick me up. Something sparkly would really lift my sartorial spirits.
Unfortunately, I dont have any time to go rummaging through charity shops this week, nor can I be bothered to hunt in the corners of eBay for secondhand treasures. This is where rental fashion comes in.
You might have heard of companies like Hurr, Endless Wardrobe and By Rotation, because theyre becoming increasingly popular among eco-conscious millennials like me, whose eyes are bigger than their wallets and so we wind up splurging half a months rent on a Rixo dress that might be just about as sustainable as one from Pretty Little Thing, but we manage to convince ourselves otherwise because of the higher price tag.
The clothes on these apps and websites are from high-end brands like Fendi, Ganni and The Row, and are available to loan for astronomically cheaper amounts. On By Rotation, for example, you can pay £30 a day for a pair of Jimmy Choo boots that probably cost upwards of £600. After your rental period is up, you return your item and it gets washed and ready for another eager shopper to temporarily snap up.
Its a truly excellent and environmentally friendly way to shop, particularly if youre looking for a statement outfit youd only wear a handful of times anyway.
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There are two sides to the problem of fast fashion: production (how we make items and what we make them from) and consumption, says Eshita Kabra-Davies, who launched By Rotation in October last year. Rental fashion addresses both; on the consumption side, instead of buying a dress you wear once then having it sit unloved in your wardrobe, you can rent it just for a day.
“As for production, renting is so much more affordable so you can get a much higher-quality item for the same price as buying. This put more expensive ethically produced fashion within the reach of the everyday shopper.
Rental fashion is becoming increasingly popular among celebrities, too, with Laura Whitmore sporting items from Hurr on Love Island while By Rotation recently dressed actor Karla-Simone Spence in a Monique Lhuillier gown for the Baftas.
Its a big step for a lot of stylists and stars, who are used to having everything tailor-made and designed to be worn once, says Kabra-Davies. It also means that everyday people can have access to these very same items, which is what were all about.
And so let the record state that this everyday person did not buy that gold and glittering skirt from & Other Stories. Instead, she rented one from Burberry (Burberry!) for £68 that would have Shakespeare rolling in his grave.
