Is New York and Company Fast Fashion?
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Fast fashion has changed the way the world views shopping and regards clothing. It has emerged as one of the top business models, enabling the fashion industry to skyrocket in terms of garment consumption. Unlike in the past when the latest fashion designs were only available to the rich, today it is available to all classes within a day or two of the introduction of a new trend. The word trend has also become extremely mainstream now. Trends were viewed as the defining components of an era, however at present, trends change as quickly as the blink of an eye.
Just like all such models that are more focused on saving time, fast fashion also falls short in many aspects. With so many brands competing to be the first to display the newest trend, these companies sacrifice quantity over quality. They use cheap materials that cost less to mass produce a single design. In a matter of days or weeks, the design becomes old and the brand busies itself in displaying the next trend. This results in the leftover bundles of clothing being discarded in landfills, wasting not only natural resources but also adding to land pollution.
New York and Company is a brand selling women’s fashion apparel and accessories, hoping to provide women with modern solutions for work life and home life. Its clothing is specially designed in a way that the wearer can use it for multiple events or days. The sophisticated and modern patterns enable women to wear the items on a normal workday as well as on a friend’s day out.
This not only saves money but also time. Moreover, New York and Company’s garments are already quite affordable, allowing middle-class women to enjoy fashion every day. The brand was established in 1918 and it operates only through the E-commerce store where it sells fashionable garments like sweaters and tops, and accessories including boots and necklaces.
Sustainability Rating: 1/10
Category: Clothing, Accessories
For: Women
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
New York and Company was established with one goal in mind; to make women feel beautiful and provide them with the confidence to enable them to achieve every dream they have ever had. By adorning customers with modern and flattering garments, the brand helps them feel put-together and powerful enough to do anything. The brand believes that clothing is a major factor in contributing to an individual’s self-evaluation. The better you feel about yourself, the better steps you are willing to take to improve yourself.
Some of New York and Company’s values are:
- Focus on results
- Know our customers and what they want
- Demonstrate integrity and respect in our interactions
- Identify and quickly respond to changes in fashion and business trends
The last point is a clear indicator of the brand being fast fashion. A major indicator of such brands is that they keep a close eye on the newest trends and immediately copy them. New York and Company is observed to follow the same pattern. It introduces new collections and designs almost every other day. In comparison, slow fashion brands release 2-3 collections in a single year. Furthermore, the brand’s clothing is quite low priced as compared to high luxury brands which points towards the usage of cheap raw materials.
The go-to products of fast fashion brands are polyester, nylon, and cotton as they cost less but they have quite a negative effect on the environment as they do not decompose easily. New York and Company does not seem to have any sustainability plan in place. It does not mention being sustainable anywhere on its website. This is a big red flag for such a huge corporation as sustainability is a responsibility of every fashion brand, since the fashion industry is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions every year.
New York and Company mostly uses synthetic materials in the manufacturing of its items that do not regenerate or disintegrate in the environment easily. Moreover, clothes that have been discarded in landfills for enough time start producing carbon monoxide which is very detrimental to the planet. It is said to be more poisonous than carbon dioxide.
Many brands have turned to using environmentally friendly dyes but not New York and Company. It has not even collaborated with sustainable organizations to donate leftover clothes or recycle them. The company is continuing to use harmful materials and chemicals without remorse. We desperately searched for any sort of report on its water usage but there is no information about it on the Internet. This leads us to the obvious conclusion that the company is not doing much in this department either.
Water wastage may seem like a small enough issue but in addition to wasting a precious natural resource, this poisonous water makes its way into the ocean, damaging marine life. At a broader look, fast fashion may not seem to be making a lot of difference but when you look closer, you notice how many lives and natural resources it is slowly destroying.
With the high demand for transparency by the general public, many brands have come forward with sustainability plans featuring the reduction of water wastage and carbon emissions, recycling initiatives, and the usage of eco-friendly materials. New York and Company is not one of those brands. While it has ignored any calls for sustainability, it has also not taken any steps for ethicality.
It does not have a Code of Conduct on its website, nor does it publish the Modern Slavery Statement or a Sustainability Report. There is no information about its factories, where they are located and if the workers are being paid a livable wage. This is quite concerning because only companies who are involved in malpractices are secretive to this extent.
Evaluating New York and Company has been quite a disappointing experience in terms of sustainability. The brand hardly seems to be bothered by the current climate situation and continues to ignore people’s demands for more sustainable ways of manufacturing and selling garments. Every day that brands like this exist, the danger to the environment worsens.
Women’s Clothes: Dresses, Pants, Jeans, Tops & Jackets | New York & Company (nyandcompany.com)
About Us | New York & Company (nyandcompany.com)
Supply Chain Transparency | New York & Company (nyandcompany.com)