Pros and Cons of affordable fashion

Affordable fashion, now I know what you’re thinking.... but isn’t that the most amazing thing ever, now everyone can afford to look like a million dollars while in reality they have far less zeroes in their bank account. And that is an amazing thing, I personally cannot afford to go out and buy from brands such as Dior, Chanel or any of those other designer fashion brands and I don’t think that many other people I know can either. Hence, why department stores were created and smaller brands as well. For example, in South Africa it is a lot more affordable to go shopping at stores such as Foschini, Truworths, Identity or The Fix, than it is to buy straight from a designer. However let me stop jabbering on and get into the pros and cons of affordable fashion.

Pros:

Far more realistic prices for the majority of people, meaning far more people can afford to buy the things they really need in their wardrobe

Designer lookalikes abound, therefore you really can live out your dream of looking like your favourite celebrity or even Barbie doll if you’d like

Endless options thanks to a continuous influx of new items into the stores and you can afford to buy more than one item every few months, which is amazing if you’re shopper such as myself

Can purchase these items online and there are so many retailers to choose from online as well.

Cons:

More people can afford it; therefore if you’re concerned about being unique this can be an issue

The problem with certain affordable brands clothes is that they can break down easily.

Fast Fashion does wreak havoc with the environment in so many ways

Very often these clothes are made in conditions where the labour is not paid or treated correctly

As you can clearly see there are two sides to this particular form of fashion. However, I believe the first con isn’t really an issue, just because other people may have purchased the same item as you don’t mean they will style it the same way or even look the same as you in it. Which gives you an edge.

In addition, the whole thing about certain clothing items breaking down easily isn’t nearly as true as people think, I have clothes in my closet that are a minimum of seven years old and they’re still going. Therefore, how long your clothing lasts comes down more to how they were looked after than where they came from.

However, we can’t get away from the environmental or ethical issues, however there are plenty of stores that offer affordable fashion from factories where there is no exploitation and people work for a decent wage. Be sure to research for these brands in your country.

Most importantly I want to stress that a brand is just a brand and it’s not about where you bought the handbag, shoes, pants or earrings from it is how you feel when you are wearing them. It’s that wash of confidence that rushes through you the second you touch it. And that isn’t always guaranteed with a higher end brand; sometimes it can be found in a hand me down from your mom’s closet, a gift from a friend or even in an item that you saved up so long to buy.

Hence, if you haven’t guessed it already I think affordable fashion or looking stylish on a budget is the most amazing thing ever. How do you feel about affordable fashion?