Among those rumoured to be flirting with a bid to save Missguided was Boohoo, a rival of the brand, which has recently extended its portfolio with acquisitions of Nasty Gal, Karen Millen and Warehouse, despite its shares plummeting by by £1.3 billion in July 2020 after Priti Patel ordered an inquiry into claims it was manufacturing clothes in a £3.50-an-hour sweatshop in Leicester. It’s since been announced that Sports Direct owner Frasers Group has bought Missguided for £20 million.

£1 bikinis and £5 dresses aside, the surface-level high-gloss world of fast fashion appears to be turning.

After years of ultra-fast fashion elbowing its way to the fashion fore at breakneck speed, pre-loved wares are slamming the breaks on the pace of the industry. At this year’s 75th Cannes Film Festival, Bella Hadid wore a quintet of vintage Versace and Chanel pieces – a first for the model, whose appearances at the annual festival are lauded. At this year’s Met Gala, Kim Kardashian, Emily Ratajkowski and Squid Game actor HoYeon Jung were among the swathes of stars to endorse vintage ensembles, a trend mirrored at the Oscars just a few months before, when Sienna Miller, Kourtney Kardashian and Kirsten Dunst were among those to fly the flag for pre-loved.

Is this the beginning of the end for fast fashion?