Is Urbanic Fast Fashion? An Expert Breakdown!
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It is always nice to visit an online shop and see all the trendy clothes and designs in a single place. The new trends in the fashion market are almost everyone’s guilty pleasure and if they are available at affordable prices, then it might just be the hardest thing ever to hold back. Urbanic offers you the opportunity to buy the latest trends for cheap prices with a single click!
Urbanic was launched in 2019 in London but it solidified its foundations in India first, where it gained massive popularity and grew in business. It is an e-commerce platform that houses thousands of designs for women, from casual clothing to workwear. It claims that it has never compromised on the quality of the clothes despite the low prices as it follows a D2C (direct to customer) approach which saves a lot of money without having to cut corners.
With great success in India, Urbanic is looking to expand its market in Mexico and Brazil as well but first, it focused on changing its brand identity. It has always focused on empowering women and enhancing their individuality by encouraging them to come forward and share their unique ideas on clothing, but it wanted to do something more and something even better.
It was rebranded in August 2023 and the new identity seems more customer-oriented and approachable than ever before. It opted for a rounder, softer font that erased the edginess that the brand previously possessed and made it look more friendly. Moreover, it changed to exclusively using a lowercase font which gives it a cuter look and bridges the distance between the brand and customers. The logo also changes colors constantly, showcasing the value of inclusivity and creativity for the brand. The different colors symbolize that Urbanic welcomes people from all parts of the world and has something for every individual.
It also designed a new app and website to complete the change and introduced a new collection called “Bloom” that features after-summer styles highlighting uniqueness and fun vibes.
Sustainability Rating: 3/10
Category: Clothing
For: Women
Products: Dresses, Knitwear, Denim, Swimwear
Style: Trendy, Chic
Quality: Low, Medium
Prices: ₹230 - ₹1300 (Indian Rupee)
Size: XS-5XL (International Size)
Fabrics: Polyester, Polyester Blend, Cotton, Spandex, Cotton Blend, Elastane, Nylon, Leather, Polyurethane
100% Organic: No
100% Vegan: No
Ethical and Fair: No
Recycling: No
Manufacturing Countries: Not Transparent Enough
Certifications: Not Transparent Enough
Urbanic’s change in brand identity has helped elevate its status in customers’ eyes especially because of its logo “We are because you are” which gives importance to the customer. The brand is transparent about helping all women feel beautiful and shattering the illusion that only a certain body type can wear fashionable clothes. That is the reason behind its huge range of sizes from XS TO 5XL to invite all women to share the joy of fashion.
Moreover, it is looking to engrain more localization elements into its business by searching for local manufacturers who source native raw materials and can thus, empower the local community. The brand wants to give back to the community that helped it grow so much and what better way to do it than involving it in almost every step of the production method and using the magnificent locally sourced materials in its items to highlight the beauty of the land.
However, Urbanic still falls under the category of fast fashion as it continuously puts out trendy clothes at cheap prices with unknown origins. Even though it claims to be revolutionizing the bad image of fast fashion for the world, it is still following the same set of patterns that every other brand follows. It has mentioned several times that it cares a lot about sustainability and is making efforts to make Urbanic a sustainable and ethical brand but no efforts are transparent other than mere talk.
Some steps that it has taken are that it uses certified recycled cotton and polyester wherever possible but no certifications or proof of usage is available anywhere to back up the claim. It also emphasizes that the brand is looking for ways to reduce waste production, water consumption, and chemical usage but no alternatives have been found and no steps taken towards any sort of reduction.
However, it does seem to be employing the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), it has digitalized its supply chain to minimize dead stock and inventory waste. It is looking to invent new technologies that can assist the brand in avoiding waste and increasing the energy efficiency of the processes. It also claims to use recycled packaging which is true to some extent but it has also not been implemented fully.
Even though the brand is located in London, it is speculated that its factories are located in China which is known for its unethical and unsafe work environments. Customers have often complained about the cheap quality of the clothing and the excessive time it takes for one order to arrive which solidifies the rumor that the garments are shipped from China which is one of the top countries that puts out a large number of items in a shorter span.
Despite the brand’s identity revolving around the customers and putting them on a pedestal, customers have a lot to say about its customer service. Trustpilot featured various reviews of angry customers complaining about the lack of communication between the buyer and the brand. The company takes a long time to ship and if any mistake occurs, it refuses to take responsibility or investigate anything upon the customers’ request.
Many customers discouraged others from buying from its website as it is not worth the hassle. If you receive a faulty or wrong item, the brand does not change or return the item either which was the cause of concern for many reviewers. Some mentioned waiting almost 2 months for an order to arrive only for it to be incomplete and made of cheap quality.
Urbanic claims big things but barely has any proof to back them up. It is a fast fashion brand that seems to be trying to greenwash itself to attract eco-conscious customers but the lack of transparency or energy to invest in proper sustainable initiatives is a big tell that it is a long way from taking any serious steps towards the safeguarding of the planet.
Sources:
Urbanic Reviews | Read Customer Service Reviews of urbanic.com (trustpilot.com)
Urbanic Revolutionising Fashion Sustainability With AI and Localisation - BW Businessworld