Stop Fast Fashion: A Visual Rhetorical Method of Analysis

Artifact Description

In this artifact, the designer has used an origami of a dress made from a one-dollar bill along with the phrase “Cheaply Made, Cheaply Paid” (pathos). At the bottom right corner, there is an outline of a wallet with the words “Stop Fast Fashion” which is the key message of the artifact. The poster is in greyscale where the designer has employed different shades of grey, black and white to accentuate the figure and the words. This adds to the seriousness of the poster as the dull and lackluster approach emphasizes the message. This poster is designed to persuade consumers to stop fast fashion.

Deeper Cultural Meanings

In recent years, the trend of fast fashion has been on the rise. It refers to people’s inclination towards buying low-priced clothing items from retailers which are generally based on styles influenced by fashion magazines and certain high-end brands. These clothing items are worn for a limited number of times and then discarded, adding to the environmental cost. It is often mass produced in countries with low labor costs which leads to the exploitation of people.

Rhetorical Audience and Goal

The poster has been designed to raise public awareness about the unethical practices related to fast fashion. The message of the artifact is “Cheaply made, Cheaply Paid” (pathos) and the primary goal of the artifact is to educate the consumers about the inhuman and exploitative nature of sweatshops where cheap and trendy clothes are produced. There have been many cases, like H&M, where brands have been known to engage in child labor and other unfair practices, especially in the developing countries. This poster alerts the shoppers of the harsh realities of the fashion industry and the human cost associated with cheap clothes.

Object Evaluation

The dollar bill used for the dress has been used very effectively as it symbolically shows the cheap price and affordability of clothes. It is shaped in the form of a pretty dress and that would indicate that it is directed towards women and girls, however, the message is not limited to them. The summer dress could also signify a seasonal look as fashion changes throughout the year and people end up buying more clothes to follow the trends. The small icon of the wallet and the accompanying text highlight that the price of such fashion choices might be low, but we need to collectively stop indulging in fast moving fashion. The language usage in the poster is simple which makes the message clear. The font used is bold and big which will catch the viewer’s attention immediately. There is a black background to the words and the words seem to be cut out, which I felt was a reference to the clothing industry. The message at the bottom right corner is in a lighter tone of grey and it is engraved in a silhouette of a wallet. Apart from these, there is a mention of the website (endsweatshops.com) on the bottom left in capital letters which also draws the attention of the audience after the initial message on the top. Overall, this poster seems to put across the idea quite effectively, but I feel that adding colors would have added to the message. The use of more colors for the main object in the artifact could have captured the attention of the audience faster and made the message about fashion trends more appropriate. Further, it could have added more contrast and helped in clearer figure/ground discrimination.