I was walking through a local shopping centre in Sweden last month and came across a clothing swap. I’d never seen one before, so I was intrigued to learn more. The idea is simple: you bring one item and exchange it for another.

Once I started talking to the organiser, they mentioned that any items sourced from Shein or Temu were banned due to the ongoing backlash against fast fashion across the EU.

I went home thinking, “Good point.” But then I began to consider the cost of clothing in the Nordics compared to other EU countries (including the UK). Prices for clothing in the Nordics are among the highest in the Western world. It’s not rocket science to realise that it’s no longer 2019.

Amid a global cost-of-living crisis, people are turning away from quality and focusing more on quantity. For the price of a pair of casual jeans in a Swedish shopping centre, you can buy five or six on marketplaces like Temu or Shein. The growth of online shoppers using these platforms is staggering—up 80 percent on 2023.

Fast fashion isn’t going away. I watched a great Netflix documentary the other month called Buy Now (highly recommended!), which rightly highlighted its environmental impact.

Sweden’s “drop-and-swap” ban on Temu and Shein is unlikely to make a dent. There are two vital points here: fast fashion will continue to grow, regardless of political or environmental objections; and established fashion houses still seem to think it’s just a phase, charging premium prices for garments often manufactured in the same factories as Temu and Shein products.

Fast fashion isn’t going away. If they want to stay competitive, traditional fashion brands need to recognise and adapt to this reality.