A woman issued a public service announcement, warning viewers about a “fast fashion tactic” Zara uses to deceive shoppers.
TikTok user Andrea (@andreacheong__) typically posts content about fashion and in this recent video, she discusses Zara’s practice of charging the same price for an item made with different materials.
“This is a thing that Zara does that’s really annoying but you need to know about this trick,” she tells her 235,000 followers.
@andreacheong_ Have you ever fallen for this? The difference is audacious lol got to check those labels 🥲 #zarafashion #sustainablefashion #zaraautumn #autumn2023trends #fastfashion #mindfulmondaymethod #qualityfashion #fashioneducation ♬ original sound – Andrea
She explains the tactic by using a gray shirt for $25.99 as an example. The content creator deems the shirt “decent enough,” noting that the construction is “kind of crisp,” that it has “real pockets,” and isn’t made of “not see-through fabric.” She also points out that the shirt is 100% cotton. “Doesn’t make it sustainable but it is natural,” she says.
Andrea then pulls up the same Zara shirt, but in white, and she goes on to point out of plethora of issues in the construction and material. “The structure is completely lost, the material quality is also horrendous,” she says. To add insult to injury, the shirt is “fraying,” has “loose threads,” and, Andrea points out, the texture is “way too shiny to be cotton.”
“Ok, so let’s look at the material composition,” Andrea says as she reveals an image of the label, which shows that the shirt is 56% cotton and 44% polyester.
Andrea warns viewers to always check the material of the clothing they purchase, whether at Zara or anywhere else. She reiterates in the video’s caption, “Have you ever fallen for this? The difference is audacious lol got to check those labels.”
The video has amassed over 581,000 views as of publication, and viewers shared their thoughts in the comments.
“A while ago I was buying a silk blouse, Black and beige were 100 silk, the White one was polyester! for the same price,” one viewer wrote.
“I started checking material composition on labels too … I got caught out once, never again,” a second shared.
Zara isn’t the only fast fashion company to come under fire for this tactic. Some viewers claimed that other companies are also guilty of the same practice.
“H&M did this when I used to shop there,” one user shared.
“Banana republic did this to me. Said 100% cashmere and it was a 50/50 mix blend. Even customer service was like oh yeah oops guess the website lied,” a second remarked.
This isn’t the first time Zara has been under fire for the quality of their clothes. TikTok user Kleida revealed a rack of white shirts stained with makeup and another user, Anya, discovered a Shein label in the interior tag on her black puffer vest. Furthermore, Zara has been accused of stealing designs, with one TikToker alleging “that Zara had copied [his] brand’s name and the font of one of its pieces.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Andrea via TikTok comment for further information.