“The future of fashion lies not in running faster and harder but in embracing innovation, fostering creativity, and building a more sustainable and ethical industry for all.”
In the relentless rhythm of our consumption-driven world, a staggering 100 billion garments are produced each year, of which 92 million tonnes end up at grim destinations: landfills. To put things in perspective, this means that as you read this sentence, a rubbish truck full of clothes has just relinquished its burden at a landfill site, expanding the mountain of waste that symbolises our insatiable appetite for privileged choices. Consumerism and capitalism, the two evil C’s, have paved the path for this shocking outcome. This ceaseless cycle of consumption and disposal brings about an escalated red queen effect, where relentless pursuit of progress demands innovation, not for advancement, but to simply keep pace with the ever-changing market pressures.
The Red Queen Hypothesis was introduced by University of Chicago biologist Leigh Van Valen in his seminal 1973 paper on “A New Evolutionary Law”. Valen posited that organisms must constantly adapt and evolve because they live in an ever-evolving ecosystem, where stasis means extension.
A concept derived from Lewis Caroll’s ‘Through the Looking-Glass’, the red queen effect schools Alice, a young girl, about an important life lesson that many of us fail to heed. “Alice never could quite make out, in thinking it over, how it was that they began”. She finds herself running with the Red Queen, faster and faster but staying at the same place. The Queen went so fast that it took Alice’s best efforts to keep up with the queen. ‘I wonder if all the things move along with us?’ thought poor puzzled Alice. And the Queen seemed to guess her thoughts, for she cried, ‘Faster! Don’t try to talk!’
The most curious part was that the trees and other things around them never changed their places at all; however fast they went, they never seemed to pass anything. Perplexed, Alice asked the Queen why weren’t they moving forward and that in her country one would generally get somewhere if they ran very fast for a long time. ‘A slow sort of country!’ said the Queen. The queen declared in a profound life lesson, that in her country it takes all the running you can do to stay at the same place and to get somewhere, you must run at least twice as fast as that. The Queen’s country symbolizes setups where simply existing entails lagging behind. A world of constant change where maintaining the status quo requires continuous effort while true advancement demands even greater exertion.
The Red Queen effect has far-reaching implications on a plethora of disciplines beyond Caroll’s fictional realm. Predominantly seen in businesses and economic models, where there is a constant need for companies to innovate and evolve just to maintain their current market position due to continuous advancements made by their competitors.
In the fashion industry, where every transaction is backed by changing whims and preferences of the consumers, the red queen effect holds much significance. Imagine a fashion brand as a seamstress weaving a tapestry. To thrive, they must not just follow patterns but invent new stitches, blend vibrant colours, and tailor designs that fit the evolving tastes of the fashion landscape. Like a skilled artist, they must create a unique masterpiece that captures attention and sets trends, rather than simply following the fabric of what’s already been woven. In today’s digital age, when information travels at an unprecedented speed, new trends also spread as quickly, making it difficult for brands and designers to maintain their competitive edge. Consumers are no longer satisfied with mass-produced goods; they desire tailored and personalized products. The rapid turnover of trends necessitates the industry to create innovative products in order to stay ahead of the curve and capture the attention of consumers. Failure to evolve could result in falling behind or becoming obsolete in the market.
To surpass this cutting-edge competition, brands have embraced a dynamic arsenal of innovative strategies. Technological advancements in online retail, such as augmented reality for virtual try-ons or using AI for personalised recommendations are all the rage nowadays. Wearable tech and 3D-printed clothes are some of the latest enigmas of the fashion world. Companies have also suddenly become ‘sustainable’, not for the sake of the environment, but in their pursuit of higher profits. Collaborations with celebrities, influencers, or other brands are commonplace, to create limited-edition collections or exclusive partnerships. Influencer marketing, personalised advertising, and experiential marketing are some of the clever tactics used by marketers to engage with today’s audience, through leveraging social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest.
Take, for example, the global brand H&M. Unlike most retailers that take up to six months to design, produce, and release new designer products, H&M only takes two weeks from design to release. Its fast fashion model allows it to flexibly adapt to changed market situations. H&M does not manufacture its products in-house but outsources its production to more than 900 independent suppliers around the world, mainly in Europe and Asia. The company relies on spotting fashion trends as they appear and getting inexpensive copies of them into their stores as quickly as possible. Zara, the slightly more expensive counterpart of H&M, similarly has shorter product development cycles. Fast fashion emerges as the antihero where brands swiftly move from design to production, capitalising on the latest trends by employing an agile design process.
Established players like Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Chanel, frequently reinvent their designs and collaborate with artists and creatives to maintain their edge. And Adidas, with its collaborations with Kanye West, is a reminder that even the established players need to adapt to survive in the rat race.
The Red Queen effect in some sense can be attributed to the brand’s success, but its negative implications can’t be overlooked. Having familiarised themselves with traditional ways of doing business, the first reaction of companies to disruptive competition is to “work harder”, when what they need to do is to “unlearn” what they know and “work differently”. A competency trap is woven where “running harder” becomes customary: it shows short-term success and is less risky in the near horizon, but ultimately holds long-term downfall. The consequence of the Red Queen effect is that the harder a company tries to get ahead of the dominant company of the industry, the further behind it appears to fall. It is easy to miss the nuance that the bar itself is rising; intensification of a company’s efforts to get ahead of others leads to intensification of effort by all companies. This consequence takes the form of a paradox. If all companies evolved at the same pace, there would be no change in their relative position. By being competitive—and thus successful—a firm also creates more competitive—and thus more successful—rivals for itself. Warren Buffett’s experience in the textile industry perfectly illustrates this trap. He describes how seemingly rational investments in capital expenditures aimed at reducing variable costs ultimately led to a race to the bottom. This decision appeared to be an immediate winner in the short run but as each company invested more, the reduced costs became the new baseline. The immediate profits were only illusory as the collective decisions neutralised each other and were inherently irrational (just as happens when each person watching a parade decides he can see a little better if he stands on tiptoes). In the end, more and more money was needed to maintain their relative positions. This situation plays out over and over again and brings with it many ripple effects.
Undoubtedly, the red queen effect conjures groundbreaking innovations, but it can become a trap if you’re not careful. Instead of competing on a level playing field, you can find yourself lost in a never-ending cycle of adaptation and innovation, which can lead to burnout and frustration. The participants of the industry are thus stuck in an endless loop, where they are running till they are out of breath, but nothing in their surroundings is changing. The average lifespan of a fashion trend is now just six months, down from 18 months just a decade ago and the constant pressure to create new and innovative products can put a lot of stress on designers, leading to burnout and creativity fatigue. The rapid turnover of trends has led to increased consumption and waste as consumers are constantly discarding old clothes in favour of new ones. The pressure to produce new products quickly and cheaply leads to the exploitation of workers, especially in developing countries like Bangladesh, Vietnam and China. Consumers, too, are caught in this vortex of the Red Queen effect. Constantly bombarded with images of the latest trends, they feel a pressure to keep up, to constantly refresh their wardrobes with the newest styles. The average garment is worn only 7 times before being discarded. This insatiable desire for novelty has been fueled by the rise of social media, where individuals are constantly showcasing their outfits, creating a sense of inadequacy and a need to conform to the latest trends.
The Red Queen effect has become an undeniable force in the fashion industry, pushing brands into an ever-accelerating race to innovate and adapt. While this unending pursuit has undoubtedly fueled some remarkable advancements, it has also left a trail of waste, burnout, and unsustainable practices. To truly thrive in this dynamic landscape, brands must move beyond the Red Queen’s treadmill. This requires a paradigm shift, a focus on differentiation over imitation, collaboration over competition, and sustainability over short-term gains. Consumers have a crucial role to play in this transformation. By questioning the constant need for the latest trends, embracing timeless styles, and supporting ethical brands, they can send a powerful message to the industry. Ultimately, the future of fashion lies not in running faster and harder but in embracing innovation, fostering creativity, and building a more sustainable and ethical industry for all. This is the path to a truly vibrant and lasting fashion landscape.
By:-Punya Kapur
References:
1.Sridharan, M. (2023, April 21). Red Queen effect in competitive strategy. Think Insights. https://thinkinsights.net/strategy/red-queen-effect/
2.Ghose, S. (2018, May 17). The Red Queen and the inevitability of the Amazoogle business model. UC Berkeley Sutardja Center. https://scet.berkeley.edu/red-queen-inevitability-amazoogle-business-model/
3.Street, F. (2022, October 18). The Red Queen effect: Avoid running faster to stay in the same place. Farnam Street. https://fs.blog/the-red-queen-effect/
4.The Red Queen among Organizations: How competitiveness evolves. (n.d.). Stanford Graduate School of Business. https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-research/books/red-queen-among-organizations-how-competitiveness-evolves
5.Becher, J. (2020, November 25). The red Queen effect explains why you aren’t getting ahead. Manage by Walking Around. https://jonathanbecher.com/2017/10/08/the-red-queen-effect-explains-why-you-arent-getting-ahead/