Uniqlo, with a single item of clothing, has solved an everyday headache of mine. And it got me thinking about what fast fashion is actually for.
Hand-me-downs and second-hand clothes make up most of my wardrobe, but every now and then I have to drag myself to the shops for the things you simply can’t thrift: underwear, socks, a bra, a basic tee.
These twice-yearly stock-ups always remind me why, despite my passion for fashion, I positively hate shopping. It’s excessive, it’s wasteful, and the quality keeps plummeting, even as we learn more about fast fashion’s sins.
But sometimes, just sometimes, they get it right. They make something that solves a daily struggle. I’m talking, ladies, about pairing the right bra with your clothes.
I doubt this is just a ‘me’ problem. The global lingerie market is worth close to $100 billion a year for a reason. The itty bitty committee and the men who never have to think about it can skip ahead. For the rest of us, it’s a real thorn in the side.
Every top or dress needs its own bra. The cut and fabric of the garment dictate everything: strapless, t-shirt, tank, halter, silk, cotton, linen, leather. Then there’s the shape you’re after: relaxed, push-up, braless. Every combination has its own bra, and finding the right one takes a while.
I own bras I only wear with one top. At €30–€100 each, that’s no small investment.
You can imagine my glee, then, when three summers ago I walked into the Uniqlo on Princes Street in Edinburgh and found their Ribbed Crop Bra Top.
I don’t know how long it’s been in their catalogue, but it has completely raised the bar on what I expect from fast fashion now. It’s the first item of clothing I’ve ever bought in multiples. Elle has already waxed lyrical about why it works, so I’ll stick to the bigger point it made for me.
Fashion should be solving problems for us, not creating more. Clothes carry meaning – they mark time, place and status – but at their core they’re utility objects, and they have to work.
One well-designed top has done the job of half my bra drawer. That’s fewer things to buy, fewer trips to the shops, and less of the waste I complain about. Period pants, anti-chafe shorts and, closer to home, Layer of Luxury’s silk camisole for see-through tops – each one fixes a problem someone deals with every day.
So it IS possible for fast-fashion brands to make good-quality garments that solve everyday problems. I just wish more of them tried, instead of churning out disposable, forgettable fashion.
Until then, I’m grateful to have found a baby in the proverbial bathwater. More of this, please!
