My Hong Kong | With the closure of Topshop outlet, it’s time for Hongkongers to buy better, wear longer and consume sustainably as local brands struggle amid sales slump
- Shopping locally is a great way to support our community and the local economy, especially during this difficult economic climate
- When we make a conscious consumption choice, we make a personal and social statement, and set an example of a good practice for others to follow
I am not really into fast fashion but it is still unsettling to see a string of popular fashion chains closing down and leaving Hong Kong. Esprit is shutting down 100 stores including all those in Asia, except in mainland China, and Topshop just announced the closure of its last outlet in Hong Kong amid coronavirus-induced sales slump.
Hong Kong is famous for its food, skyline, and shopping; and with no sales tax it’s been crowned as a shopping paradise.
There are as many fashion boutiques as there are banks and convenience stores. Fashion chains dominate the city and offer a great variety of everything you could imagine, and there are always crazy discounts all year round, especially now. Fashion boutiques find every excuse to offer sales, which used to come at the end of each season or special occasions like Mothers’ Day or Fathers’ Day to clear out-of-date stock. But now there are sales for every occasion, or whenever retailers feel it suits.
When fashion is so accessible and affordable, it could only mean one thing – excessive purchasing, which is very often done to the detriment of the environment.
According to a YouGov Omnibus research in 2017, one in five millennials in Hong Kong threw away clothes simply because they were bored of wearing them. It also revealed the worrying amount of clothes waste in the city, as nearly 90 per cent of adults had thrown away clothes and about 30 per cent had discarded more than 10 items of clothing in 2016.
