Leaving Fast Fashion Behind...

In today’s society, ‘fashion’ has all too often become interchangeable with ‘excess’ and ‘waste’. Fast fashion serves as just another example of how we have been socialised to justify over-consumption and un-ethical consumption without, all too often, even being aware of the damage we are causing.

You may well have the best intentions to promote a more equal and environmentally sustainable world, but, trained to ‘spot a bargain’ and the ‘cheaper the better’, our instincts to buy more, for less, often leave us at odds with our ideals.

You might only be paying £10 for your latest fashion ensemble, but what’s the real cost? And who’s picking up the cheque?

The harms of fast fashion can broadly be explained as contributing not only to employee exploitation but also the degradation of the environment and resources around us. The reality is that 93% of brands surveyed by Fashion Checker (2020) aren’t paying garment workers a living wage, 12.35 million tonnes of salvageable textile waste is thrown out globally each year (The Pretty Planeteer) and fashion production contributes 10% of the world’s carbon emissions and contributes both to water pollution and water scarcity (We Forum).

And in fact, while it is generally cheap brands that are widely denigrated for the perils of fast fashion, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that more ‘luxury’ brands do not and should not escape the same critique.

Brands such as Hugo Boss, Armani and Benetton were exposed by the Clean Clothes Campaign as being among brands employing garment workers in Romania who received on average just 14% of a living wage.

While in 2018, Burberry was condemned for burning £28.6million worth of clothes; the total value of burnt goods over the previous 5 years being over £90million.

Burberry is one example of a brand which has since changed tac and now intends to reuse, repair, donate or recycle all unsaleable products and it’s sustainability goals, including its ambition to become carbon neutral by 2022, has now seen it branded the most sustainable Luxury Brand according to the Dox Jones Index.

On the other end of the scale, Pretty Little Thing (part of the Boohoo Group) continues to cause outrage selling clothes for as little as 5p amid claims Boohoo has been paying garment workers as little as £3.50 in factories in Leicester.

Seeing how prevalent exploitation in the clothing industry is may shock some, but to others, it will be a harm they have been aware of all too long. These examples also serve as a stark reminder to steer away from thinking that “Made in Europe” and “Made in the UK” are any guarantees of a product’s sustainability.

But then, how to shop ethically and keep your conscience squeaky clean?

Shop less, buy quality, shop second-hand, recycle and demand accountability, transparency and sustainability from your clothing providers.

Identifying where supplies for manufacturing are sourced from as well as exactly the conditions in which they are made, can be tricky. While demanding transparency and advocating brands who can demonstrate strong moral and ethical standards is important, promoting better employee rights around the world and ending global exploitation needs to be on everyone’s agenda for 2021.

When it comes to sustainability, there are worldwide accreditations that you can look to for support in knowing you’re supporting the right brands; Global Organic Textile Standards and Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production being just two among many.

Brands such as Jon Frank, go one step further than receiving accreditations and aim to make an active, rather than just a passive difference. Initiatives such as ‘One Tree Planted’ can help give back what we take from the environment and promote a more sustainable world that can flourish. While you might put your clothes in the bin after a year, the same can't be said for the planet.

Move away from brands like Pretty Little Thing, BooHoo and other brands advocating damaging production cycles and the world (and your sense of style) will thank you for it.