Retail Therapy 007: Fast Fashion & Big Salads
"What should we put over the salad tonight?"
An admission: I got a little lazy this week.
Between Washed Media moving studios and a late-week illness getting me down, I decided to make my life a tad easier by foregoing a normal Sunday-esque episode of Sunday Scaries in favor of simply doing a Retail Therapy with Barrett.
Of course, we’ll be back to our regular scheduled programming next week. But without further ado, this week’s listener companion.
Shein, Consumer Culture, and Fast Fashion
We kicked off this week’s episode by jumping into a topic that has about a thousand different angles to it — Shein. They’ve been in the news a ton lately due to a recent investment and valuation, and something tells me they’ll continue to be in the news if some major changes aren’t made.
If you’re as new to this as I am, this Instagram slideshow from Business of Fashion helped me out a lot (click through to the actual post for additional slides):
I also read quite a lengthy passage from an article titled “Everyone Hates Shein But No One Wants To Stop Buying It” on High Snobiety. It went as follows:
“As consumers, we've become a lot more conscious about our consumption, as well as have started to put pressure on some of the biggest fashion brands to take responsibility and introduce sustainable initiatives. Swedish giant H&M has been at the forefront, introducing recycling programs, its "Close the Loop" initiative, and collections made out of re-used materials, and Inditex has also followed suit.
However, when it comes to Shein, there are no sustainability initiatives nor transparency around its production and manufacturing processes, yet plenty of people are still buying from the website every single day.
The Business of Fashion reports that Shein's success is largely attributed to its tech-driven approach, using AI software that plugs trending styles from social media and across the internet directly into its computers on the factory floor. When you think about it, it basically feels like an episode of Black Mirror.”
Like I said, this story isn’t going anywhere so you might as well familiarize yourself now. How much we cover it moving forward, well, that’s yet to be decided.
Big Salad Season is upon us.
Ahhh, you smell that? Fresh arugula, dill, red onion, peppers, crumbled goat cheese. Yep, it’s Big Salad Season.
A segment inspired by the following tweet and our love for low bowls, Barrett and I had no choice but to discuss our favorite salad recipes, protein preferences, sneaky dope salad toppings, and more.
I also shared a recipe we make every spring and summer — the Spring Detox Cauliflower Salad from Pinch of Yum. It’s truly our go-to summer recipe for lazy, healthy meals. And the best part? It’s a highly customizable recipe that allows you to tailor it to any craving you’re having that day.
Here’s what Sally does:
“I change up the ingredients every time. Cube the apple, or do peaches. Add cucumbers or jalapeños. Sometimes add goat cheese. Don’t always add avocado. Change the herbs around. Basically the base is cauliflower (and sometimes quinoa/cauli mixed), herbs, apples, chickpeas and the dressing. Add or subtract other in-season stuff.”
Well, I’m officially starving.
As always, we closed things out with our wishlists. Apologies for any broken links below — a lot of these products are now from older seasons or have since sold out, so our link situation will remain in flux.
Will’s Wishlist
Mark Maggiori Prints — New
Barrett’s Wishlist
Le Labo Hinoki Shampoo — New
To listen to this week’s episode of Retail Therapy in its entirety, look no further than Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, if you’d like to watch it, look no further than YouTube.
Feedback? Compliments? Comments? Concerns? We’d love to hear your thoughts on this week’s episode.