Have you ever wondered why manufacturers and designers of apparel and accessories are constantly pushing new styles and trends? This capitalist phenomenon is known as fast fashion, and it has been a plight on the fashion industry, the economy, and the environment for decades.
In fast fashion, designs are made to seize trends for profit, going from sketchpad to retail store within as little as a month. As you can imagine, flooding the market with a trend in such a short time will result in inferior quality. In addition, cheap materials and processes are used to keep the prices low enough to be attractive.
Fast fashion is all about satisfying the public need to follow trends. Since the general public is fickle and trends change sometimes weekly, fast fashion has become very popular. However, it has a lot of downsides, which is driving people back to buying higher quality handmade handbags and other leather goods.
Heirloom quality handbags and leather goods crafted in the US are in particularly high demand. There are several reasons that fast fashion is moving to the wayside and high-quality leather goods are once more trending.
Have a bond with your leather goods
Have you ever seen an old biker pull out his leather jacket with its shining patina? How about an old woman pulling out a leather bag from youthful travels? The reminiscing smiles of contentment show the bond that people have with the leather goods that saw them through life.
Wouldn’t it be nice to have that bond with something? To have a favorite handbag, or a lucky belt? The low-quality of fast fashion don’t allow us to make these connections with objects. After all, by the time the connection has formed, the fast fashion bag will have already begun to fall apart.
Handmade leather goods can be repaired over and over again as well, making it likely that you’ll be able to keep that memory and pass it on to your children or grandchildren.
Renewed vigor for craftsmanship
Mass manufacturing of goods previously created by craftsmen is beginning to fall out of favor, and not just in the fashion industry. Handcrafted quality heirloom furniture is becoming popular once more, and millions tune into shows where craftsmen duke it out to see who is the best, like the bladesmiths on Forged in Fire.
Overall, there is a renewed interest and appreciation for the craftsmanship that seems to be lacking in today’s leather goods. As more appreciation comes back to the craft, handmade leather bags and accessories are once again taking the stage.
Americans want American made leather goods
Political and patriotic tensions run higher every year, and as they do more and more people want to buy American made products. When fast fashion really took off in the last twenty years, it was becoming easier and easier for people to order their favorites worn by celebrities. People were too enthralled with the ease with which they could own a handbag to be worried about whether or not they were supporting their own economy.
That’s all changing today. Americans are once more recognizing that supporting their local businesses and American made goods across all industries are the best way to invest back into our own economy.
Fast fashion is the enemy of global green initiatives
The biggest problem with fast fashion is the waste and pollution that stems from it. When you are manufacturing a new line of products every month, you’re using a lot more energy from fossil fuels and using more resources in general. On top of that, the goods being produced by fast fashion are not durable, and are often thrown away even before their cheap materials can deteriorate. All of this adds up to additional landfill waste and strains on our environment.
With the green initiatives being pushed across the globe, particularly in the UK, Canada, the European Union, and now the US, it is no wonder that durable leather goods that can be renewed again and again are preferred. Handmade leather handbags and accessories can last for many decades with proper care, reducing waste. Because the bags are handmade, they also don’t put the strain on the environment that manufacturing creates.
Fast fashion increases the strain on retail supply chains
Another reason that fast fashion is falling out of favor is that it puts unnecessary strain on our supply chains. We are having so much trouble getting the goods we need to the Americans who need them. It doesn’t make sense to put additional strains on the supply chains and shippers by constantly pushing for new designs on a monthly basis.
Going back to buying high quality heirloom leather goods and quality apparel that is designed to last for a long time, and decreasing unnecessary fashion spending and manufacture, it could greatly reduce the strain on the supply chain and shippers.
Key takeaways
While fast fashion has been around for decades and isn’t likely to disappear overnight, there are a lot of reasons that people want heirloom quality leather goods over the fast fashion throwaways to which many people have become accustomed. Not only that, your daughters or grandchildren will appreciate the heirloom leather goods awaiting them in adulthood.
