2025 Has Shown: When Times Get Tough, Fashion Returns to Its Most Toxic Ways

Back in 2020, everyone said the fashion industry was changing. Transparency, inclusivity, and sustainability were suddenly at the forefront of every brand’s message. Optimistic promises about the future of fashion were everywhere.

The problem? There was no real action plan to make those promises happen.

Five years later, it’s clear: the system hasn’t changed. Only the branding has.

We’re witnessing the return of everything the industry swore it had left behind:

• Size-zero models.

• Zero accountability.

• Zero loyalty between brands, creatives, and consumers.

Sustainability has quietly been cut from budgets, and inclusivity only matters when it trends.

Nepotism is back in full swing. “Nepo babies” are being appointed creative directors of heritage brands not because they’ve earned it, but because their names drive clicks. Fashion shows increasingly feel like content opportunities, not creative statements.

It’s proof that in 2025, fashion brands are often marketing companies first, creative houses second.

Meanwhile, empowerment remains a core marketing theme, but it’s hard to ignore a glaring contradiction: barely any of the major houses have women designing womenswear.

Across all major fashion houses, there are just two female creative directors. This is despite women making up 74% of fashion students—yet holding only 12% of top creative director roles.

Consumers, too, have played a role in this regression. While they demanded more sustainable and transparent practices, most were not willing to support the price premium that came with it.

Brands, reacting to this shift, have largely deprioritized sustainability in favor of low quantities, lower prices, and faster turnarounds.

Neither side is willing to “put their money where their mouth is,” creating a race to the bottom on both price and quality.

If you need proof of where this leads, look no further than SSENSE—a major marketplace for luxury and mid-segment designers—that filed for bankruptcy.

Cheap fast fashion and resale platforms are rising, while mid-market labels and e-tail specialists are collapsing. Kering’s profits have dropped by double digits, and even LVMH is slowing down.

Meanwhile, the most-shopped fashion site in the world remains Shein.

We talk a lot about progress. But when money gets tight, the industry quickly reverts to its most toxic habits.

And to be clear: this isn’t about blame. We’re not doomsaying the fashion industry—we believe this can be salvaged. But first, we need to confront the underlying problems that allow these cycles to repeat.