Ultra-fast Fashion Is Eating the World
The Atlantic|March 2021
Even a pandemic can't stop people from buying clothes they don't need.
By Rachel Monroe. Ilustrations by Barbara Rego
Ultra-fast Fashion Is Eating the World

Last February, on a sunny afternoon in West Hollywood, two girls with precise eye makeup paused on Melrose Avenue and peered in the windows of a building whose interior was painted a bright, happy pink. Two pink, winged unicorns flanked racks of clothes: ribbed crop tops, snakeskin- print pants, white sleeveless bodysuits.

One of the girls tugged on the door, then frowned. It was locked, which was weird. She tugged again. Inside, a broad-chested security guard regarded them impassively from behind a pink security desk. Erin Cullison, the U.S. public-relations rep for Pretty LittleThing, a fast-fashion brand founded in 2012, watched the girls give up and walk away. She sighed. Although the West Hollywood showroom closely resembles a store, it is not, in fact, a store. It is not open to the public; the clothes on the racks don’t have price tags. “People try to give us cash, but we’re not even set up to take money,” Cullison told me. Instead, the clientele is made up of the brand’s influencer partners— thousands of them—who can make an appointment to visit the showroom every couple of weeks and “get gifted.” They try on the latest styles and take advantage of various “photo moments”: lounging on the plush pink couch, posing on the pink staircase, peeking out of the London phone booth repainted—yes—pink. They can snack on a pink-frosted cupcake, and (provided they’re 21 or older) drink a glass of rosé at the store’s pink bar, before heading home with several items of free clothing.

Denne historien er fra March 2021-utgaven av The Atlantic.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra March 2021-utgaven av The Atlantic.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA THE ATLANTICSe alt
Boat Fish Don't Count
The Atlantic

Boat Fish Don't Count

The wild, obsessive, dangerous pursuit of Montauk's biggest striped bass

time-read
10+ mins  |
October 2024
The Anti-Rock Star
The Atlantic

The Anti-Rock Star

Leonard Cohen's battle against shameless male egoism

time-read
10+ mins  |
October 2024
A Brief History of Yuval Noah Harari
The Atlantic

A Brief History of Yuval Noah Harari

How the scholar became Silicon Valley's favorite guru

time-read
10+ mins  |
October 2024
Rachel Kushner's Surprising Swerve
The Atlantic

Rachel Kushner's Surprising Swerve

She and her narrators have always relied on swagger-but not this time.

time-read
9 mins  |
October 2024
Men on Trips Eating Food
The Atlantic

Men on Trips Eating Food

Why TV is full of late-career Hollywood guys at restaurants

time-read
5 mins  |
October 2024
You Think You're So Heterodox
The Atlantic

You Think You're So Heterodox

Joe Rogan has turned Austin into a haven for manosphere influencers, just-asking-questions tech bros, and other \"free thinkers\" who happen to all think alike.

time-read
10+ mins  |
October 2024
What Abortion Bans Do to Doctors
The Atlantic

What Abortion Bans Do to Doctors

In Idaho and other states, draconian laws are forcing physicians to ignore their training and put patients' lives at risk.

time-read
10+ mins  |
October 2024
THE LOYALIST KASH PATEL WILL DO EXACTLY WHAT TRUMP WANTS.
The Atlantic

THE LOYALIST KASH PATEL WILL DO EXACTLY WHAT TRUMP WANTS.

A 40-year-old lawyer with little government experience, he joined the administration in 2019 and rose rapidly. Each new title set off new alarms.

time-read
10+ mins  |
October 2024
THE RADICAL CONVERSION OF MIKE LEE
The Atlantic

THE RADICAL CONVERSION OF MIKE LEE

IN 2016, HE TRIED TO STOP TRUMP FROM BECOMING PRESIDENT. BY 2020, HE WAS TRYING TO HELP TRUMP OVERTURN THE ELECTION. NOW HE COULD BECOME TRUMP'S ATTORNEY GENERAL.

time-read
10+ mins  |
October 2024
HYPOCRISY, SPINELESSNESS, AND THE TRIUMPH OF DONALD TRUMP
The Atlantic

HYPOCRISY, SPINELESSNESS, AND THE TRIUMPH OF DONALD TRUMP

He said Republican politicians would be easy to break. He was right.

time-read
10+ mins  |
October 2024