Question Time: Fast Fashion

The panel: Madeleine Morris, Clare Press, Clara Vuletich, Rebecca Hard and Jessica Perrin

Over the past 20 years, retail giants like Zara, H&M and Topshop, have become incredibly adept at ripping off the latest catwalk looks and offering them to the mass market at affordable prices.

But we’re starting to see a backlash. Many consumers are wising up to some of the unscrupulous labour practices of fast fashion outlets and to the massive amounts of waste this consumption model generates. In Australia, Topshop has gone into voluntary administration. Is fast fashion going out of fashion?

In this Question Time discussion, our panel field questions on the issue from all angles. Does the fast fashion business model preclude ethical or sustainable practices? How might a backlash affect retail workers here in Australia as well as textile workers in developing countries? What are the alternatives to fast fashion – and who can afford them?