Ethical Fashion

Muii.com

Sustainability is a word that is often related to maintaining an ecological balance of natural resources. In fashion, sustainability has become a huge movement. It is a process of creating change in the fashion system as a whole towards greater ecological integrity and social justice. Sustainable fashion is more than sustainability with fashion textiles or products, but the whole system of fashion. Ethical fashion, more specifically, is garment design, production, and distribution that focuses on reducing harm to people and the planet. It helps benefit people who work in the supply chain (Stanton). Ethical fashion is focused on the ethics behind the business of fashion companies and creators. Last year, WWD reported that consumers spent more than seven billion hours online searching “sustainable,” “ethical,” “fair trade,” and “eco-friendly” items (Stanton). After analyzing what ethical fashion is, it is necessary to look at the multiple reasons on why it is important. One of the biggest reasons that many people aren’t aware of, is that fashion is the second most polluting industry after big oil (Dalton). The fashion industry exudes harmful chemicals into the atmosphere and waterways, wastes water and exploits numerous individuals in the process. I want to explore further what makes clothing ethical, what are good practices and what should not be happening in the fashion industry.

Every year there is an excess of clothing, where thrift stores and charities don’t even know what to do with them. Fast fashion encourages a throw away mentality that is not sustainable. As a designer and creator, I want to understand how to create sustainable clothing. There is a concept, the ‘triple bottom line,’ which emphasizes that companies should commit to focusing as much on social and environmental impact as they do on profits. This, in turn, refers to clothing made from environmentally-friendly fabrics like sustainably grown fiber crops or recycled materials. It also uses natural resources carefully and efficiently and prefers renewable energy resources. Mainly, the goal is to reduce waste throughout the design process and the supply chain through recycling. A second part to this is that sustainable clothing must also offer a fair price. Green Strategy, a company that brings clarity to sustainability work. The Green Strategy discusses several sustainable approaches to ethical fashion. Firstly it mentions, on-demand and custom made apparel, which is what i am doing currently. Then it mentions an eco-friendly approach in all stages of the product’s life cycle, high quality and timeless designs, and is fair and ethical. Lastly, it looks at prolonging the garment’s life, donating to charities or giving them to relatives or acquaintances and secondhand and vintage shops. Fair trade clothing, which uses the Green Strategy, pushes creators to adhere to the sustainable practices such as water conservation and making sure waste is properly disposed of. These are all good practices that we see many different companies following to become sustainable brands. In my process, I am trying to abide by these rules and learn about ethical clothing while creating. Using the Green Strategy, I am already being ethical by designing custom made apparel.

In my lifetime, I have constantly heard that the fashion industry is unethical and exploitative. I have read articles exposing companies like Victoria’s Secret, H&M, Tommy Hilfiger among many other brands as well. These companies have been accused of not only participating in fast fashion, but also produce their clothing in the worst conditions. They pay their workers poor wages and have them work in unsafe workplaces, some refer to it as modern slavery, child labor and exploitation. In 2013, an eight-story commercial building that housed five garment factories collapsed, killing 1,138 people and leaving more than 2,500 injured in Dhaka, Bangladesh (Stringham). This building known as Rana Plaza, exemplified the global fashion industry’s unethical production practices that place poorly paid garment workers in unsafe conditions. This did not change things overnight, and these poor labor conditions still are the industry norm. However, in recent years there has been a shift in consumer practices. Gen Z and millennials are becoming more aware of the effect their shopping habits have on the world. We are currently living in the age of “woke consumerism” which leads many people to support companies like Everland and Reformation. There are also brands who try to exploit social causes for their own benefit, but still follow fast fashion business models. Zara pledged sustainability goals but still produces large amounts of low-quality, low-cost clothing - and this is known as greenwashing (Stringham).

So these issues exist, but what are people doing to change it? There are global movements trying to combat these issues. Fashion Revolution is a solution focused and action centered organization who works to fight the problems that arise due to fast fashion. Their goal is to raise awareness and work towns “a global fashion industry that conserves and restores the environment and values people over growth and profit” (Stringham). Covid-19 has also changed the way many people are running their fashion businesses. Because of the health and safety concerns that come from small, crammed factories, businesses are starting to rethink offshore production. However, the people working in these factories are usually women and these jobs keep their families out of poverty. Nike, for example, tried to raise wages in their factories but was told by the government of the country where they were manufacturing, that they were not able to do that. Regardless, it is clear that a just and right fashion industry is necessary.

As I continue on my journey of learning and creating my fashion line. I think about my process. Where am I getting my clothes? Do the clothes that I thrift come from fast fashion and poorly run factories? How can I be better about advocating for ethical fashion when I shop? And the answers to these questions are pretty easy. It doesn’t take much to be an ethical shopper or think about these questions when creating my clothes.

Citations:

Dalton

Stanton

Stringham