Can Fast-Fashion Brands Like Zara Go Sustainable?

  • Many millennials are turning away from short-lived apparel
  • Eco-friendly consumers put pressure on chains to change ways
Photographer: Akos Stiller/Bloomberg

Apparel chains such as H&M, Zara and Forever 21 conquered the retail world by promising fast fashion: cheap, trendy and disposable.

Yet there’s a growing number of consumers this holiday season who want just the opposite. Data shows that shoppers -- especially millennials, the target market for fast-fashion companies -- are increasingly looking for clothes made of higher-quality materials or they’re keeping their existing clothes longer. Some are even seeking apparel that’s been reused or recycled.