Love Island. The event of the summer. It can’t be mentioned without conjuring up images of fake eyelashes, pristine hair and hopeful romances. However, a prominent feature that has kept us all interested in the program, or more importantly its contenders, is their style.
“Which raises the question: how do these influencers convince so many viewers to buy their clothing, and more importantly, is it worth our time and money?”
With a youthful audience, looking for the most current and trending styles, some contestants turned to the fashion industry to continue their wave of success after the show. One of these contestants is twenty-year-old social media influencer Molly-Mae Hugh. She has become one of the most relevant women in the fashion industry, after her extraordinary stint in the villa.
At the beginning of September, she launched her first collaboration with the online fashion company Pretty Little Thing. It features replicas of ‘her’ iconic and well-loved styles from inside the villa, from effortless yet smart co-ords to polished leather dresses. Despite this rise to fame (and not to mention fortune) she has received huge backlash regarding the collection and its quality. Which raises the question: how do these influencers convince so many viewers to buy their clothing, and more importantly, is it worth our time and money?
“The criticism that has distressed the majority of reviewers is the horrific effect that the production of these items has had on the environment.”
Everyone knows the hype surrounding Love Island is colossal. You can’t avoid it. Every corner you turn there’s a teenage girl with her personalised Love Island water bottle or a guy with his ‘I’ve got a text!’ T-shirt. The younger, more impressionable generations want to keep up with the hype and fit into a society frankly obsessed with these contestants’ whereabouts and actions.
By choosing to work with the retailers linked to Pretty Little Thing and their enormous online presence, it makes the clothing accessible to all. Viewers are able to replicate the classic looks from the villa and become, we could say, ‘slaves’ to the Love Island trends from the comfort of their own home. These teens can see the success and fame that surrounds contestants like Molly-Mae, and will do anything they can to try and match this ‘perfect life’.
Saying that, when we turn to the reviews of this over-hyped collection, “Ill-fitting” and “cheap quality” are the least of the phrases used to describe the items. However, the problem that has distressed the majority of reviewers is the horrific effect that the production of these items has had on the environment. This fast-fashion-collection uses polyester as its main material and so contributes to the rising issue of water pollution and chemical waste. Not to mention the unethical working conditions and pay that many of the factory workers are enduring on a daily basis.
All of this, just so the public can recreate eye-catching looks from the island? It causes us to question again: why are we buying into these products? The issue still lies in the success of many of these contestants, which we, as much as we try not to, desperately want in our own lives.
Ultimately, before you think about jumping on the bandwagon, have a think about both the quality of this collection and the potentially devastating effect a pair of Love-Island-worthy Perspex heels can have on the environment.
Francesca Wormald
Featured Image courtesy of Pretty Little Thing via Facebook. No changes were made to this image.
Main Images Courtesy of mollymaehague, prettylittlething via Instagram.
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