Is Anthropologie Fast Fashion?
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Today’s world is a constant contradiction between people wanting to wear the latest trending fashion and also wanting to condemn companies that are not sustainable. Brands have been exploiting this human need of wanting to look beautiful for decades now. Fast fashion is a result of this exploitation but it is not only harming people’s lifestyle but is also destructive for the environment.
In this article, we’ll be looking at the brand Anthropologie and determining whether it is a fast fashion brand or not. This will consist of following the brand’s business model and seeking out its sustainable and ethical practices.
Anthropologie was established in 1992 by Richard Hayne as a lifestyle brand aimed at women from ages 30 to 45. It is a unique brand that offers an assortment of items including clothing, accessories, furniture, bridal wear, and more. This brand came about as an idea for a project for an entrepreneur class. The brand idea that Richard and his friend first came up with was named Free People but later, they opened a store called Urban Outfitters before coming up with a plan to open Anthropologie.
The first store was opened in Pennsylvania and today, the brand operates over 200 stores throughout the world. It is not an independent brand, rather it is a part of a group of global consumer brands under URBN. The brand has constantly been evolving since its inception. It rapidly began opening multiple stores throughout the US and by 1998, managed to open a website to attract a global audience. By 2009, it had begun expanding to the United Kingdom.
Anthropologie prides itself on its creative spirit that is threaded through the entire supply chain. Its team of designers is carefully picked to include individuals who are creative-minded and are not afraid to venture out and explore. Even though the brand is aimed at middle-aged women, Anthropologie promotes the spirit of adventure and exploration.
Sustainability Rating: 3/10
Category: Clothing, Accessories
For: Women, Men, Kids
Products: Tops, Sweaters, Jackets, Shoes
Style: Casual, Contemporary
Quality: Low
Prices: -
Size: -
Fabrics: Polyester, Organic Cotton, Spandex, Viscose, Elastane, Linen, Leather, Nylon
100% Organic: No
100% Vegan: No
Ethical and Fair: No
Recycling: No
Manufacturing Countries: Not Transparent Enough
Certifications: Not Transparent Enough
An exploration of its website reveals that most of its designs are bold and daring, urging its customers to take a leap of faith and explore more adventurous types of garments. The garments boast designs that scream Anthropologie.
A distinctive feature of the brand is that it allows its customers to be unique and stand out by not mass-producing every design and not following trends. Yes, Anthropologie does not religiously follow trends and mass produce garments only to throw them out the next day when a new wave of trends takes over. Instead, it produces a limited number of garments of a single design so that the wearer can feel special and develop their sense of individuality. This is why its clothing is slightly more expensive compared to other brands.
The problem with mass production is that in addition to the production of a lot of waste, it has also taken away individuality. Everyone wants to follow trends and every brand has resorted to only displaying the trendiest clothes. This results in seeing crowds of people wearing similar sorts of clothes all around you. It makes you think what exactly makes you feel special then?
Before we delve into the sustainability aspect of the brand, we can establish that Anthropologie is indeed a fast fashion brand. Do not let the part where the brand does not mass-produce garments fool you. Even though it may not be a traditional fast fashion brand in this aspect, it is one of many other features. Firstly, it does have collections of unique designs but the brand still generally follows trends and produces a lot of waste which ends up in landfills.
People often have the misconception that because a brand is expensive, its clothing must be slow fashion and high quality but that is not always the case. Many customers who reviewed Anthropologie’s clothing commented that the quality of the garments was low, just like all other fast fashion brands. This means that even though this brand costs more, it is providing customers with the same output as other brands.
Moreover, Anthropologie talks about taking responsibility for the environment and lists how it has partnered with organizations such as Cotton’s Blue Jeans Go Green to recycle old garments and prolong their lifetime to reduce waste and the use of natural resources. The brand talks about being a force for good for the people and the planet and leaving a lasting impact on the world.
It has integrated recycled items in many stages of its supply chain and production process, with 80% of handles and paper bags made of post-consumer content. It aims to adopt recycling into many other processes as well and make artistic pieces out of used clothing.
However, the GoodOnYou directory does not look favorably upon Anthropologie’s efforts deeming them “Not Good Enough”. According to the directory, the brand does not offer sufficient information about any sustainable efforts. It does use renewable energy in the main offices but not in the entire supply chain. It also does not provide any proof for the various incentives it has mentioned or reveal much about what goes on in its factories.
Most of the knowledge about its final production stage is also hidden which is mostly a cause for concern because only brands with something to hide censor such information. It produces almost 2600 types of different clothing items which is a lot for a single brand and points to a large amount of waste.
This lack of transparency has led the Fashion Transparency Index to give it a rating of 11-20% which is quite low even for a fast fashion brand. The problem is that Anthropologie is not excelling in the ethical department either. It has been accused of racial discrimination many times and has factories in developing countries where labor rights are abused every day. Furthermore, while it does avoid some animal products, it still uses leather and wool which does not make it cruelty-free either.
Anthropologie is a good brand if you’re looking for something fresh and different but it cannot be called a sustainable brand so any eco-conscious people who may be wondering about this brand should know to stay away.
A Brief History of Anthropologie - BrandzAffair