Sustainable fashion editor, Dr Brett Staniland, is calling out the festival-inspired collection by Kate Moss and Zara for being “overpriced” and “plastic” – and says Gen Z won’t be interested
A sustainable fashion influencer is calling out Kate Moss and Zara for trying to ‘cheat-code’ their way into a festival edit – completely missing the point of festival dressing. The new collection is “overpriced” and “plastic” according to Dr Brett Staniland, who has accused Zara of haute-washing.
Haute-washing – in the vein of green-washing – is an attempt by fast fashion companies to use marketing and aesthetics to project a muddled sense of craftsmanship to consumers.
Kate Moss partnered with Zara for a second-time, launching a festival-inspired collection on the heels of Glastonbury. The collection features waistcoats, a silk print dress, camisoles, and shorts.
READ MORE: ‘I never wear new clothes to a festival!’ Thrifters share their fashion tips for Glastonbury
Moss’ Glastonbury style – much like Alexa Chung’s – was era-defining, but Dr Staniland has claimed that Zara is using the famous icon to cover up a low-effort and plastic-heavy collection.
Dr Staniland – known better as TwinBrett on social media – took to TikTok to share his take on the new collection. He told his 31.3k followers that the collection “continues Zara’s and the rest of fast fashion’s ‘haute-washing’; using high-end people and aesthetics to appear more luxury than they are.”
Many companies doubled-down their investment in high-fashion models and aesthetic rebrands to monopolise on the ‘quiet luxury’ trend – without actually investing in exceptional craftsmanship or materials.
“I have no idea who they’re designing this for,” says Dr Staniland. “Gen Z not only don’t really care for this style, but I’d even suggest that the name Kate Moss isn’t that interesting to them.”
He also cites that the core of festival dressing is about thrifting and re-wearing items from years prior. “It’s not a glam fest for the majority of festival goers outside of the VIP ropes, so I doubt people will be spending money on these types of clothes,” he said.
Not only does the collection miss the mark in terms of festival fashion, but its woefully lacking on the sustainability scale. “The truth is, plastic weaves its way all the way through this collection” Dr Staniland says, calling out the ‘silk’ and lace shorts from the collection which are made of only 17% silk and have a 100% polyester lining.
The collection is composed of “overpriced, plastic, fast-fashion items” says Dr Staniland, who calls it a “blatant cash-grab” for both Kate Moss and Zara who think they have “cheat-coded their way to easy sales”. The Mirror has reached out to Zara about Dr Staniland’s claims.
Dr Staniland’s advises those looking to get festival-inspired clothes to explore the second-hand market. Ahead of Glastonbury, The Mirror heard from veteran thrifters to understand how they curate their festival looks.
Experienced thrift-shopper, Evie McCarthy, 24, from West Sussex reveals she enjoys wearing a mix of second-hand gems and custom pieces she has upcycled herself. Evie says: “My favourite items of clothing in my wardrobe have come from the Glastonbury Oxfam shops.”
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