Performing a PEST Analysis of the fashion industry provided an opportunity to find specific voids in this market and think of the ways to fill them. First of all, the environmental impact of the fashion and clothing industry is a significant global problem. After the oil industry, this sector is the second largest polluter in the world (“What’s wrong with the fashion industry?” n.d.). Textile factories dump untreated toxic wastewaters directly into the rivers, which is a great contribution to water pollution. To fill this void, clothing manufacturers should pay increased attention to wastewaters purification. Besides, consumers need to choose clothes produced in countries with severer environmental regulations for the fashion industry (Kusa & Urminova, 2020).
Next, this market increases the waste problem since the modern clothes quality is declining every year, and trends are changing rapidly, so people buy and throw away more. According to researchers, “a family in the western world throws away an average of 30 kg of clothing each year” (“What’s wrong with the fashion industry?” n.d., para. 4). Buying less and better-quality garment and recycling it after some time is a way to solve this issue.
Another void of the fashion industry is the lack of effort in dressing people with disabilities. It is hard to disagree that persons with limited mobility because of some medical conditions, people with autism, and amputees need to have an opportunity of wearing comfortable and pretty clothes. However, moving into the adaptive fashion market began relatively recently, around 2009 (Schmidt, 2018). To fill with void completely, it is essential to increase garment manufacturers’ awareness of this issue.
Finally, another problem with the fashion industry discussed in the PEST Analysis is the promotion of extreme thinness standards. This may also be demonstrated in the limited stock and options available for plus-sized consumers (PYMNTS Staff, 2016). On the one hand, models need to comply with certain standards and requirements, making them experience physical and mental health problems. On the other hand, plus-sized consumers are not able to find proper, good quality, and beautiful garments, which may make them either wear low-quality clothes or go on a diet and probably gain health issues. To fill this void, specific legislation is required, and garment manufacturers need to produce more clothes for plus-sized consumers.
References
Kusa, A., & Urminova, M. (2020). Communication as a part of identity of sustainable subjects in fashion. Journal of Risk and Financial Management, 13(12), 305. Web.
PYMNTS Staff. (2020). Why DTC is critical to filling retail’s plus-size void. PYMNTS. Web.
Schmidt, I. (2018). Filling the fashion void for shoppers with disabilities. Los Angeles Times. Web.
What’s wrong with the fashion industry? (n.d.). Sustain Your Style. Web.