Article Written By: Rianna Barnett
With Halloween just around the corner, the amount spent on costumes and accessories is coming to its extortionate peak. A study conducted by Mintel revealed that in 2018, the UK spent a huge £419 million on the holiday, and this is gradually on the rise each year. However, this is no comparison to the US, whose spending on costumes alone is expected to reach $3.2 billion in 2019, according to the National Retail Foundation, which equates to $84 per person. With this in mind, it is no surprise that online stores such as Pretty Little Thing and Boohoo are jumping on the trend and bringing out vast amounts of Halloween inspired outfits and costumes at cheap prices.
Despite being unsustainable, these Halloween pieces from large online brands turnover a high profit arguably because of their efficiency, low cost, and fast delivery. Browsing online not only provides an entire costume in one place, avoiding hunting around for individual pieces, but it also inspires costume ideas. As well as this, the clothes are deemed as trendier and more stylish, since they are featured on the most popular fashion websites for young people. The fact that the pieces are all so cheap is a huge selling point, as consumers are unlikely to re-wear the same costume for next Halloween because of the pressure to have new and creative ideas each time, and so want to avoid spending a lot on a one-time outfit.
This exemplifies the huge throwaway culture surrounding Halloween as a holiday. Many people won’t reuse costumes every year, and most of the clothes purchased cannot be re-worn throughout the year (unless you’re feeling very bold!). This means that people are more inclined to throw away or donate clothes once they have been worn once. According to Oxfam, over 11 million items of clothing end up in landfill every week, and an increase in this number can be avoided by choosing sustainable costume options.
Furthermore, brands like Pretty Little Thing are very covert about where their clothes are manufactured, suggesting that they may be produced under somewhat unethical circumstances. Problems can also arise in the subject matters of the costumes themselves, with Pretty Little Thing’s new Halloween collection featuring a ‘Red Sexy Samurai’ costume, which appropriates and sexualises traditional Chinese dress. These values of sexualisation and appropriation can be imprinted into the younger shoppers who frequent the site, since their target audience is ‘12-25’.
Often, big brands such as these, however, have an unfair advantage over more sustainable options when it comes to marketing and promotion of their products. Since they are turning over such a profit, their budget for creating online ads and marketing campaigns via social media is much larger than, for example, charity shops and local costume stores. Because of this, fewer people are informed about the benefits of shopping local and second hand.
There are several options that have less of an environmental impact. Shopping in second-hand shops is a favourable choice and can have many benefits over shopping for fast-fashion costumes. For example, there is a much greater opportunity to get a unique and customisable costume, and different pieces can be chosen or switched out depending on the consumer’s preference. Another option is renting costumes; since most costumes are realistically only worn once it avoids the inevitable cluttering of wardrobes or unnecessary throwing away of clothes. It is also a more affordable option than purchasing a whole costume outright. There are many stores in Brighton which have unique Halloween costumes available to buy or rent, such as Harveys of Hove or Partido.
So, while you’re picking out your outfit for your upcoming Halloween party, consider purchasing or renting from local stores or charity shops, to keep profits within small businesses and charitable causes and help others celebrating Halloween to be more conscious of waste and environmental implications of cheap, fast fashion costumes.
Article Written By: Rianna Barnett
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