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Fashion is an ever-changing industry that is hard to keep up with.
While high-end clothing styles come and go, some literally go up in smoke.
Luxury brands, like the British fashion house Burberry, intentionally burn millions of dollars worth of apparel and accessories annually.
And it's all in the name of protecting the label.
Burberry burns £28m in clothing avoiding stock being bought by 'wrong people' https://t.co/yvybyIgwFj https://t.co/g1MW8KMKQQ— Daily Mirror (@Daily Mirror) 1531994416.0
London paper The Times reported that the tossing and burning of unsold stock is for the purpose of maintaining the brand's exclusivity.
The destroyed merchandise doesn't end up in the wrong hands to be counterfeited or sold at secondary markets.
The practice has only increased over time--now six times greater than in 2013.
The company's ability to read the fashion runes also appears to be worsening, with the value of its waste up 50 per cent in two years and almost six times greater than in 2013.
More than £90 million of Burberry products have been destroyed over the past five years.
People were upset over the controversial decision to burn the fancy merchandise instead of donating it.
@DailyMailUK Why not give it to the homeless— Wal Daly-Smith® 🎬 ⚓️🇬🇧 (@Wal Daly-Smith® 🎬 ⚓️🇬🇧) 1531987992.0
So many that cannot afford clothing worldwide. Would h/b good for their brand to donate. They are not my cup of tea… https://t.co/KK8f1YmCRG— Bob Munoz (@Bob Munoz) 1532016396.0
According to BBC News, Maria Malone, principal lecturer on the fashion business at Manchester Metropolitan University, said that Burberry had to crack down on counterfeiters who were "sticking the Burberry check on anything they could."
The reason they are doing this is so that the market is not flooded with discounts.
They don't want Burberry products to get into the hands of anyone who can sell them at a discount and devalue the brand.
@SydneyNudist1 @ScottRhodie Except they could better forecast demand rather than wasting resources and causing poll… https://t.co/jy0YpZhFLB— Clea Romeo (@Clea Romeo) 1532075419.0
Lu Yen Roloff of Greenpeace was incensed over the practice and criticized Burberry for their insensitivity towards the environment.
Despite their high prices, Burberry shows no respect for their own products and the hard work and natural resources that are used to make them.
A spokesman for the company assured stock holders that they make sure the incinerating process is environmentally friendly.
Burberry has careful processes in place to minimise the amount of excess stock we produce.
On the occasions when disposal of products is necessary, we do so in a responsible manner and we continue to seek ways to reduce and revalue our waste
The practice of burning high-end clothing didn't suit Twitter well.
@Renegade_Inc Novel marketing ploy... 1 for the price of 2 Buy one, watch one burn.— John Le Brocq (@John Le Brocq) 1531979951.0
@ScottRhodie The essence of any luxury brand’s value is the sense of elitism that they bestow to their customers— John Dobbin (@John Dobbin) 1532079075.0
@ScottRhodie I've always thought that was cool: "If anything we make isn't beautiful enough for people to buy, it d… https://t.co/romFOq8wwP— Jason the commenter (@Jason the commenter) 1532078494.0
https://t.co/yaCVJN55xl This fucking incenses me. Luxury brand would rather destroy unsold stock than stomach the… https://t.co/xq3dNJGTi0— Half zebra/half robot/all awesome (@Half zebra/half robot/all awesome) 1531994918.0
Whatever the clothing brands' rationale for destroying brand new clothing, this is one hot topic that is setting public opinion ablaze.