Princess Polly is a relatively new company and was only originally founded in 2010. It had an interesting beginning as it started up in a beachside apartment on the Gold Coast in Australia.
It has since grown exponentially and now has a ginormous online presence. The company began at a very interesting time as it was when the fashion industry was going through a massive period of change.
Not long before Princess Polly graced our screens people were a lot more reserved in the clothes shopping, for instance, they would have a few favourite items of clothing which they loved and would keep for years on end, however, sadly this is no longer the norm.
In today’s society, a lot of the fashion industry is now based around the concept of fast fashion, this is a business model which focuses on replicating trends and looks from the catwalk and fashion shows at an affordable cost.
It encourages customers to stay up to date with and to buy current trends and fashion. This type of business model is problematic for the environment as individuals only keep clothing for a short amount of time before disposing of it and buying new, this causing excess waste and growing amounts of production.
How to Tell if a Company is an Example of Fast Fashion?
As a buyer, trying to weigh up a company’s business model can be difficult as you do not have access to all of the necessary resources.
However, luckily when it comes to fast fashion there are some signs that you can look out for, these can include (but are by no means limited to): constantly changing the items that they sell to keep up with trends, selling low quality items, using their social media channels to suggest new trends and whether or not they are constantly advertising new products.
Obviously, the vast majority of clothing companies use some of these tactics in order to make sales regardless of the type of business model that they use but when it comes to fast fashion these usages will be more confident and the business will appear chaotic and in a constant state of change.
Princess Polly’s Social Media Presence
Social media can be a great place to start when you are trying to decide whether a company is based around a fast fashion business model.
Princess Polly was founded after most well known social media sites so therefore as a company it is quite tech savvy. They have a presence on a lot of different social media platforms, here we looked at each one individually:
- Facebook- Compared to a lot of other brands Princess Polly’s Facebook following isn’t that impressive at just under half a million. However, they still post very regularly (several times a day). Unfortunately they do not receive much attention as each post general only gets a reaction from a few loyal customers. Furthermore, their Facebook account is not very indicative of their business model as it is used to post motivational quotes and simple links to products. It does not mention current trends or keeping up with fashion which is a great start.
- Instagram- Their instagram account is more successful, with over 2 million followers, this giving them the ability to reach a lot of people at once. They are very regular posters on the platform posting every couple of hours. They dp a lot more advertising on Instagram and use a vast array of models which can pressure customers to keep up with them and be indicative of fast fashion.
- TikTok- Princess Polly only have just under 300 thousand followers on TikTok, however, some of their videos do get quite a lot of attention. Unfortunately, they once again fill this platform with advertising using various models. They also advertise new trends and specific time sensitive trends here. At this point it’s not looking great for Princess Polly.
- Twitter- Oddly, on Twitter Princess Polly only has just over 4000 followers, this could well because of the age of customers that the company is aimed at. Most Princess Polly customers are in their teens and 20’s where as Twitter is arguably aimed at older people. This niche following is somewhat concerning as it suggests that they are deliberately targeting one audience which is arguable the age bracket that are most likely to fall into the trap of fast fashion.
Overall, Princess Polly’s social media presence is not a good sign and suggests that they could well be using a fast fashion business model.
Their use of models and the frequency of their posts suggests that they want their customers to stay up to date with current trends.
Price
Price is one of the biggest factors to consider when trying to judge whether or not a company is based around fast fashion as in order to constantly update their wardrobe people need products to be cheap.
When it comes to Princess Polly their prices are mid-tier meaning that they are reasonable enough to be affordable for most people but not so cheap that it indicates fast fashion.
For instance, most people would be happy to pay the price for one of their tops but not if they were to be expected to replace them every six months thus suggesting they may be a sustainable brand as opposed to being based around fast fashion.
This is interesting as it is the opposite of what their social media platforms suggest.
Item Quality
Princess Polly receive mixed reviews for its quality with many people claiming that it is great. However, they do not use the most expensive fibres or materials meaning that it can be cheaply manufactured and therefore the company can afford to manufacture in bulk allowing for fast fashion and constant new clothing ranges.
Advertising
On their website Princess Polly uses models to advertise current trends in order to appeal to their target market. They also offer specific sections for new and even time-specific trends such as halloween.
This suggests a fast fashion business model as they are trying to provide clothes for the present and not the future.
Final Thoughts
Despite being a relatively new fashion brand Princess Polly has gained a successful following and fanbase. Unfortunately their company consistently uses current models to advertise current trends and they are much more focused on appealing in the present than providing sustainable clothing.
Overall, it is fair to conclude that they are using a fast fashion business model.
