Is Cider Fast Fashion? Understanding Your Fashion Brand Choices

Anyone looking to buy stylish clothes will be overwhelmed with choice. From high end designer brands to high street stores, online retailers and even second hand websites like Vinted. 

Unless you've been living under a rock in recent years, you'll likely have seen ads for a new clothing brand called Cider that seems to have taken over the market since its launch in 2020. 

But the term fast fashion has also been linked with Cider's success and fast fashion isn't always as wonderful as it's made to sound. 

If you're looking for sustainable clothing options then many fast fashion brands likely won't cater to your needs. But is Cider fast fashion?

Who Is Cider?

Cider was founded in 2020 and, according to the website's 'About Us' page, the brand was formed by four fashion loving friends who wanted to create something that made the consumer feel happy.

The idea behind Cider was to make statement pieces that could be worn every day and that these pieces would be accessible to everyone. This means affordable price tags (although they might seem extortionate compared to the likes of Shein and Temu) and convenient online purchasing, delivered right to your door. 

Many of the Cider pieces have gone viral and you can't escape the advertising on Instagram and TikTok. The brand aims to encompass the styles of some of the most fashion forward cities in the world including Paris, NYC, Seoul and LA.

But one of the main selling points of Cider is that they don't mass produce their products. I'll talk more about this later in this article but for now, keep in mind that this is a massive advantage over other similar brands. 

Are Cider Clothes Good?

I own this dress and the fit and quality are fantastic

Having made several purchases from Cider myself I can say with certainty that the clothes are decent. The quality is pretty good for such an affordable brand, but some items are made with better fabrics than others and this is reflected in the price of individual items. 

I have never had a problem with fit which is something that irks me when buying online. But with Cider, I've found that every item is true to size and I've never had to send anything back because it was too large or too small. 

The only mistake I made was when I placed my first order, I sized up thinking that the clothes would be small. How wrong I was. However, I did manage to rehome these items so they're getting used. 

I love that Cider caters to the style of pretty much everyone. Personally, I'm into timeless style and there are tons of pieces that fit this niche. But I've scoured the website and seen everything from grunge to glam, girly to androgynous and everything in between.

What Is Fast Fashion?

Fast fashion is a concept for the modern consumer. These brands aim to produce as many of the same items as possible cheaply and these savings are passed on to the customer. Shein is one of the most well-known online fast fashion retailers with tens of thousands of items costing as little as £1 or less. 

The idea of fast fashion is to cater to the ever-changing trends that we see day in day out. With such low prices, consumers can purchase items, wear them once, and not have to worry about how much they're spending. 

The problem with fast fashion, as I detail in an article here, is that the clothing is often not sustainable or ethical. Working conditions are poor, energy is wasted and the impact of manufacturing these goods on the environment is devastating. 

While some fast fashion brands are now looking at ways to become more eco-friendly, there's still a long way to go. This leaves the eco-conscious consumer wondering if Cider is fast fashion and whether it's sustainable. 

Is Cider Fast Fashion?

If you're referring to fast fashion in the sense that you can make accessible, affordable purchases then yes, Cider falls into that category. 

However, unlike a lot of fast fashion brands, Cider looks at alternative ways to ensure its sustainability and I've been pretty impressed by this. 

Earlier, I mentioned that Cider doesn't over-produce its items which results in less waste. The company pays a lot of attention to the consumer's needs and behaviours and only produces enough items to cater to these. 

This is something I've noticed when shopping with Cider; I'll often see an item that's out of stock and this is likely because too few were produced. Those items often come back into stock once more have been manufactured. While it may be frustrating to wait for a piece, when you consider the positive environmental impact, it really does soften the blow.

With that said, I did read a very worrying article about the carbon footprint of Cider and the working conditions within its factories. What results could be seen were very poor and the company does not publish enough information to give us a clear insight.

In terms of animal cruelty, I've found some promising information on the materials used in Cider clothing. The company does not use fur or other animal derived products but some garments are made from wool and it's not very clear how this is sourced. There are some aspects of the wool production industry that expose animals to intolerable cruelty whereas other suppliers are much more conscious. Where Cider stands on this is anybody's guess.

Should I Buy From Cider?

As with anything, the choice to buy from Cider is a very personal one. There are positive aspects to this company just as there are some pretty serious downsides. When making a choice on whether to shop Cider, it's really important to weigh up the pros and cons. 

What's more, as I have said in previous articles, I don't see a huge issue buying from fast fashion brands if we are counterbalancing the environmental impacts by reusing and recycling old garments. 

That said, poor working conditions and animal cruelty are other matters entirely and whether you recycle your unwanted clothing or not, doesn't change these facts.