Is Chanel Fast Fashion?
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Some brands are impossible not to mention when talking about fashion, especially luxury brands. Dior and Ralph Laurent are some of the biggest names in the fashion industry who have cemented their position owing to their incredible and elegant designs. Chanel is another name unlike any other. Anyone who has not heard of this brand probably lives under a rock because it can be considered one of the pioneer brands that started modern fashion.
Today we will dive deep into the history and practices of Chanel to gauge whether it is a fast fashion brand or not. Brands being high-end does not guarantee sustainability so it is important to take a proper look at what goes on behind the scenes of the biggest brands to decide whether you would shop there or not.
Chanel was established by Gabriel Chanel, also known as Coco Chanel, in 1910. This woman, filled with ambition and the urge to leave her mark on the fashion world, was hindered by the restraints of the time. However, with the help of some of her patrons, she began to sell stylish pieces to rich women from where she earned an independent living wage.
Soon, she gained enough popularity to open a physical shop which did not blow up overnight but rose steadily and only five years later, Harper Bazaar wrote about the brand,
“The woman who hasn’t at least one Chanel is hopelessly out of fashion…
This season the name Chanel is on the lips of every buyer.”
The brand did not break through until it designed the famous jersey dress which helped skyrocket the brand’s popularity. Coco Chanel believed that luxury fashion cannot be called as such unless you’re comfortable wearing it. Her biggest achievement is incorporating masculine influences into female designs by using traditional male colors like blue and gray and using jersey fabric which offered a great fall and accentuated women’s silhouettes.
Sustainability Rating: 4/10
Category: Clothing, Accessories
For: Women
Products: Dresses, Perfumes, Watches
Style: Formal, Elegant
Quality: High
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
Chanel introduced something new that did not adhere to traditional femininity and instead promoted the idea of the modern woman who is independent, free, and confident. It is said that many of her designs were influenced by men’s military uniforms which she revolutionized keeping the modern woman in mind.
In addition to garments, Chanel began its perfume line among which the perfume No. 5 enjoys notorious attention and is one of its original and most popular items. From selling out of a small flat, Coco Chanel managed to expand her business to the extent that the brand now has over 30,000 employees and customers all over the world, with the USA, China, and France representing almost one-third of the brand’s sales.
Chanel cannot be categorized as fast fashion because fast fashion clothes are low quality made of cheap materials that are meant to be worn a few times only. Chanel promotes timeless designs, only introducing new collections a few times a year. Its items are of the highest quality, made of fine materials that last a long time and leave an impact on the customer. Chanel is a slow fashion brand; a brand that believes in using premium-quality items to produce elegant garments.
However, having a slow fashion business model does not mean that a brand is also sustainable. The two are not interchangeable and many slow fashion brands do not have any eco-friendly plans or initiatives. Chanel has not been very sustainable since its inception and seemed stuck in the past because it was only in 2018 that it recognized the duty of the brand to take necessary steps to protect the environment.
It introduced the Chanel 1.5-degree plan that contains the brand’s goals till 2030. It has set a science-based target to reduce its carbon footprint and promises to adhere to the targets set by the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. The brand has brought in many sustainability experts to regulate related business affairs for Chanel and set it on the path to a low-carbon future.
N°1 De Chanel is Chanel’s first eco-designed product to reduce carbon and other environmental impacts. These products have been made in such a way that they can be reused, such as their Crème Revitalisante cans can be refilled which twice reduces the product's carbon footprint by 50%.
However, Chanel’s environmental rating by the GoodOnYou directory is “Not good enough”. This brand does not use eco-friendly materials and also does not provide us with any proof of its products being eco-friendly. It claims to have set a science-based target to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases from its supply chain but offers no evidence of eliminating the use of hazardous chemicals in manufacturing. Along with that, even Chanel’s labor rating appears to be “Not good enough”. It received a score of 11-20% in the 2022 Fashion Transparency Index due to the lack of transparency by the brand. There is no way of ensuring payment of a living wage in its supply chain or if it investigates and reports on safety incidents. Moreover, during COVID-19, the brand did not disclose policies to protect workers from the virus.
Although Chanel has stopped the use of fur, angora, and exotic animal skin, it still uses leather, wool, exotic animal silk, and hair. There is also no evidence that it has a policy to minimize the suffering of animals. Therefore, its animal rating is also “Not good enough”.
Chanel is a brand that emphasizes that luxury should be comfortable otherwise it should not be termed as luxury. It has produced a variety of products that have found fame in the modern world. Even though Chanel has started some sustainable practices, they do not seem to be enough. Chanel is one of the world’s largest brands with the support of the US, China, and many more. It should launch projects that are more environmentally friendly and bionomical. This does not just help the environment directly but also brings a change in the attitude of people. The world is encouraged by watching worldwide icons doing something for the world, therefore it might lead to a chain of people avoiding non-eco-friendly substances.
Chanel’s sustainable practices are not enough. We do not consider it sustainable and ethical enough.
All about Chanel: The making of a fashion powerhouse (thamesandhudson.com)
Chanel – Everything You Need to Know (luxury-shops.com)
Chanel - Sustainability Rating - Good On You
Chanel Sustainability: Is The Iconic Luxury Brand Greenwashing? (impakter.com)