Yes, the end is nigh for disposable ‘trash’ fashion. Well, it must be true if the BBC are telling us that cheap chic (an oxymoron if ever there was one) is on the way out. Have they been reading our blog, we wonder?

For the past decade or so, fast ‘fad’ fashion has dominated the high streets and supermarket aisles. A new t-shirt costs less than a bottle of wine, with the result that binge buying of cheap clothes has become something of a national pastime. Meanwhile, consumers have been largely content to enjoy the fruits of someone else’s exploited labour, or else remain blissfully ignorant of the workings of the global economy.

However, there is evidence to suggest that the trash fashion trend may be stalling. Rocketing oil prices are taking their toll on the all important bottom line, which means an inevitable increase in the price of throwaway clothing for the consumer. Let’s face it, garment prices couldn’t come down any further without becoming ‘giveaway’ fashion!

The credit crunch is now biting households hard across the country, which has meant a sudden and significant rise in the cost of living. As we all struggle to meet the escalating costs of life’s necessities like food, fuel and mortgage payments, we are becoming far more discerning consumers. Increasingly, we are looking for best value based on quality rather than price alone, all of which adds up to more bad news for the fast fashion industry.

There are also signs that the mass media’s love affair with ‘fast’ culture is coming to an end. Even the BBC are now acquainting consumers with the reality of how and by whom these cheap garments are produced and how far they have to travel to reach our high streets and supermarkets. All so that we can wear them once (or not at all) and throw them away. We reckon it amounts to collective insanity.

In reality, there is no need to stay a fast fashion clone when you can so easily and affordably set your own style with the textiles that are already in circulation. We are delighted that the BBC and style gurus everywhere are at last catching up with what we’ve known all along. It is heartening to see them embracing The Frockery’s own eco-fashion tips with such enthusiasm!