Back in March, as Covid-19 forced lockdowns around the world, global Fashion brands scrambled to protect their bottom lines in the wake of massive store closures. One way they did this was to cancel all their orders with manufacturers to prevent being stuck with huge amounts of summer stock they would have little chance of selling and nowhere to store it all.
“An estimated £10 billion of unsold clothing sat in warehouses across the UK with nowhere to go"[i] Most garment manufacturing by big fashion brands is outsourced to developing countries such as Bangladesh. Many orders were cancelled with impersonal emails and some brands stopped communicating altogether according to the BGMEA (Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association) who went on to say that over 72% of buyers refused to pay for raw materials ordered and 91% wouldn't pay for the cut, make and trim costs[ii] (making up of garments) "As of April, more than US$3 billion in orders to around 1,150 factories were in limbo, leaving around 2.8 million workers, mostly women, facing poverty and hunger."[iii] This is now thought to be between 3.2 and 5.8 billion[iv] owed for orders some that were completed and ready to be shipped. Garment workers were doubly affected by coronavirus working in close quarters with no social distancing or proper ventilation. They already live precarious lives with no savings, healthcare or severance pay and housing insecurity. As one factory manager said: "If coronavirus doesn't kill my workers, then starvation will."[v] Many big global names refused to pay, some that we in the UK would recognise such as Walmart (Asda/George), Mothercare, Arcadia Group (Burton, Topshop, Miss Selfridge & Dorothy Perkins) Urban Outfitters. Primark owed the Bangladeshi workers who made their garments £27 million but has recently agreed to pay while Edinburgh Wool Mill, parent brand to Peacocks, Bon Marche and Jaeger, owned by billionaire Philip Day still owes £27 million[vi]. Some brands like Gap are asking for discounts of 20% or more or extending payment terms, which will not helps workers in extreme poverty who live hand to mouth. "It takes a CEO from a big fashion or retail company just four days to earn the same amount a Bangladeshi garment worker will earn over her lifetime."[vii] So, how can you help to put pressure on these big brand baddies? Firstly, you can check the up to date tracker to which brands have yet to pay up: https://www.workersrights.org/issues/covid-19/tracker/ Then you can sign this petition or one of the many others that focus on brands in from specific countries: https://www.change.org/p/unless-urban-outfitters-jcpenney-c-a-payup-millions-of-garment-makers-will-go-hungry Next, you can go to the brand's social media accounts and post the hashtags #payup & #payyourworkers on their posts. This coordinated campaign and public outcry is working as already 21 brands have agreed to pay in full paying back over $22 billion, just over half of the $40 billion that is owed. Lastly, you can donate to the emergency fund to support workers financially set up by the campaigning group Clean Clothes: https://cleanclothes.org/campaigns/covid-19 We owe it to those workers who have been exploited for years to bring us our fast fashion bargains Please help and support in any way you can, it really can make a difference. Ismay x REFERENCES & RESOURCES [i] https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/coronavirus-offers-an-opportunity-to-remake-fashion-industry-ctwkd8v2g [ii] https://www.forbes.com/sites/brookerobertsislam/2020/03/30/the-true-cost-of-brands-not-paying-for-orders-during-the-covid-19-crisis/#7f17d7595ccc [iii] https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-measures-give-bangladeshi-workers-for-global-clothing-chains-a-stark-choice-disease-or-starvation-138549 [iv] https://cleanclothes.org/campaigns/covid-19 [v] https://www.change.org/p/unless-urban-outfitters-jcpenney-c-a-payup-millions-of-garment-makers-will-go-hungry [vi]https://secure.waronwant.org/page/63365/donate/1?en_chan=tw&locale=en-GB&ea.tracking.id=twitter&en_ref=126201553 [vii] https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-measures-give-bangladeshi-workers-for-global-clothing-chains-a-stark-choice-disease-or-starvation-138549 Hello everyone,
I’m a guest blogger today whilst Ismay enjoys a well-deserved Christmas break! My name is Philippa Crommentuijn-Marsh and I’m a researcher in the field of sustainable fashion. What interests me particularly are consumers and what they think about sustainability and whether their knowledge positively affects their clothing behaviour (or not!). I did some research into this area a couple of years ago and discovered that generally there was low awareness about some of the major issues affecting the fashion industry. Perhaps, unsurprisingly, the issue that people had most knowledge about was the exploitation of clothing workers in terms of low pay and bad working conditions. These are issues that have probably appeared the most in the media. The least known issue was the diminishing Aral Sea. Have a look on Google Images and see how this inland sea has dramatically shrunk over the years, by over 80%, mainly due to water being diverted to irrigate the cotton crop. It’s a startling image and is a good demonstration of what environmental devastation the fashion industry can cause. Yet it seemed to be little known then. Given that this inland sea is in Uzbekistan I strongly suspect that a lot of people (including me) wouldn’t be able to find Uzbekistan easily on a map! When events are happening far away in a country most people aren’t familiar with it is harder to find out what is happening. For the people taking part in the research when they heard more about the ethical and environmental costs of the fashion industry, there were some positive indications of potential behaviour change. Fast forward to today and since I completed my research there is noticeably much more information coming from the media about the fashion industry and sustainability. Just last year I was pleased to see the Aral Sea being featured on the BBC programme Stacey Dooley Investigates Fashion’s Dirty Secrets (unfortunately the episode doesn’t seem to be available on the BBC anymore though you can watch a short clip showing the Aral Sea in its current state).(1) There have been more TV programmes highlighting the exploitation of garment workers throughout the world and almost every week there seems to be an article in the media about some aspect of sustainability. Recently I noticed two sustainable issues affecting the current party season. Firstly, sequins, which were highlighted recently as being bad for the environment. They are mostly made out of plastic which don’t biodegrade for hundreds of years as well as containing microplastics which can harm aquatic life. Though there has been some encouraging progress towards producing more sustainable sequins this will take time. (2) Sequinned clothing is popular at this time of year for party outfits and according to a recent survey the average person will spend £73.90 on a Christmas outfit that for some people won’t be worn again. Within this season alone this adds up to £2.4 billion pounds on clothes that are hardly worn. (3) This may partially explain the overall UK spend in 2018 on clothing being a whopping £60.4 billion pounds. (Statista.com) Apparently the spend on clothing is on an upward trajectory meaning that fast fashion is still hugely popular, and consumers don’t seem to be changing their behaviour despite the plethora of information about sustainability. If you are interested in dressing more sustainably, the charity Hubbub behind this research gives tips on how to dress for the party season (4) and the BBC have also recently produced an article on companies that offer clothing for hire which seems to be a growing area and becoming more popular (5). Will all this information and new fashion services change consumer behaviour? I look forward to finding out more! 1. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0bn6034 2. https://www.standard.co.uk/fashion/sustainable-sequins-ecofriendly-party-dressing-a4299196.html 3.https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2019/dec/16/uk-will-spend-24bn-on-christmas-clothes-that-barely-get-worn-hubbub-survey 4. https://www.hubbub.org.uk/tips-for-dressing-more-sustainably-at-your-party 5.https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-50627492 Since our ethical fashion range went live on Kickstarter we have had many visitors to the site. However, most of them are not converting to backers which suggests they are not the right customer and not willing to pay the premium prices that ethical fashion costs. So, why is ethical fashion more expensive than the high street and the supermarkets? Living Wages Most large retailers manufacture in countries where the wages are extremely low so as to maximise on their own profits. One of the biggest garment manufacturing countries at the moment is Bangladesh, where most garment workers receive just 3,000 taka a month (approximately £25) but a living wage is calculated to be 4000 taka a month (£45). Ethical brands use manufacturers that pay their staff a real living wage, as well as paying living wages themselves. Manufacturing in the UK that means paying £9.30 an hour or £10.75 in London. Economies of Scale Large high street retailers and supermarkets will order vast amounts of each style which means they can buy them as much lower unit costs. They will be buying 1000's of metres of fabric at a lower cost too. Ethical brands are much smaller and so would have much smaller orders meaning their making and fabric costs will be much higher. For example a t-shirt can cost a high street retailer as low as £3 to make, pack & ship based on an order of over 4000 pieces. (That's before they put their retail mark-up on it) It costs me as a start-up nearly £18 because I can only aim to reach 50 pieces. Buying power Large companies have enormous power which they use to help drive down prices. Factories owners often have the threat or worry of losing orders unless they can bring their units costs down to the point where they make very little money themselves. This is why the garment workers are paid so little and work in appalling conditions. There are so many factories and other poor countries vying for business that a retailer can easily go elsewhere to find a better deal. Fabrication Most budget fashion is cheap because it's made with synthetic fabrics. The price of organic cotton is substantially higher than these and conventional cotton because the extra money is used to grow cotton more sustainably, to cover certification checks and provide better lives for the workers. Big brands will often dye or print vast amounts of fabrics different colours or prints to use in different ways too, so reducing their costs further. Customer demand Big retailers have huge customer bases and massive marketing budgets, whereas ethical fashion is still a relatively niche market. Until there is more demand for ethical fashion, in a similar way to the organic food movement, the prices will stay high. Investors are less likely to invest in ethical companies unless they can see evidence of customer demand, so companies wanting to do the right things struggle to grow on their own. Retail Mark-up Because large fashion retailers are able to buy their products at such low cost prices they are able to add on high mark-ups. Fashion items are normally marked up at 2 or 3 times the wholesale price. Remember that t-shirt that cost under £3 to make? With a retail mark-up the retail price would still be only £9. These large mark-ups also give big brands the ability to discount heavily when they need to shift stock. Ethical brands have higher making costs as seen above so can't add so much of a mark-up and are therefore limited to how deeply they can discount. This affects again how many customers they can attract. So, does this make you think more about the value rather than the high costs of ethical fashion? Hopefully it helps you to understand how difficult it is for ethical brands to survive especially in today's world of fast fashion. Ismay x #ethicalfashion #livingwage #fashionstartup https://waronwant.org/sweatshops-bangladesh
https://www.livingwage.org.uk/what-real-living-wage https://tollydollyposhfashion.com/2017/11/sustainable-ethical-fashion-expensive/ https://www.aurorei.com/blog1/2019/2/5/sustainable-fashion-made-accessible-sbl7b https://sophiebenson.com/2017/10/the-cost-issue-why-does-ethical-fashion-cost-more/ https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/fashion/why-most-consumers-are-still-not-buying-ethical-fashion-20190606-p51v31.html So lovely readers I need your help...
I need you to tell me what YOU need. Over the last three years of blogging I have had over 40,000 unique visitors to this site from all over the world. It takes up a lot of my work time writing the blogs and getting them out into the world. But, there seems to be a problem. When my crowdfund launched in June I had little to no visitors from this site and when I recently did a survey to find out why it hadn't worked I discovered that most blog readers didn't even know the crowdfund campaign was happening. Now, the big news is that we are re-launching a paired-down collection on Kickstarter on Friday 6th December at 11AM GMT and I want you all to know about it and visit the crowdfunder, so you can get your hands on some lovely Boy Wonder stuff. The best way to do that is to get you to sign up to the mailing list. In fact, my subscribers were the only ones in the survey who all knew about the campaign. Sadly, considering the amount of visitors I get here not many of you actually sign up. So what can I do to change that? What is it that will encourage you to join us as a subscriber? Firstly let me tell you what you get from signing up. The current enticement is access to a 10% early bird discount on the launch. You will also recieve a monthly newsletter (sometimes bi-monthly, but I am doing my best!) which has the highlights from the blog over that month. There is also a news section that keeps you updated on what's happening behind the scenes, exclusive content and also details on giveaways, prize -draws and other exciting stuff. Sometimes I will also email you to tell you about important events such as the launch so you don't miss out. The best thing is that it is all delivered to your inbox absolutey free! But maybe this is not quite what you want? Maybe there is something better I can offer you? So, I have been doing some research and wracking my brains and I have a few options to offer you. These would be free downloadable content for you to access on signing up:
In the meantime I am going to busy rejigging the blogsite a bit to prepare it for the launch and make signing up more obvious. So please bear with me if you encounter any problems. Thanks for reading and hopefully your feedback too Ismay x #subscribersignup #mailinglist #freebies
Cost
If a garment is very cheap, then you do have to ask yourself why. Cost is normally a very good indicator of ethical credentials, but not always. You have to remember that it will have been made for a fraction of what you are buying it at, as the retailer will add their own mark-up. So the factory workers would get very little which could mean safety is not great as well. That said, a high cost garment does not always ensure good ethics either, merely a higher profit for the retailer. Materials Certifications such as Fairtrade, Oeko-tex and GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) are an easy first check for a shopper as they will appear on labelling or marketing. They all have differing sets of standards regarding social and environmental aspects and factories are often audited by the certifying bodies. You can find out more about the different certification on our glossary page here. It is important to state here that we have spent a great deal of time specifically sourcing materials with the above certifications and paid a premium for them, but we are not allowed to use their logos as our factory is not itself certified. Therefore we simply state that the materials are certified organic and chemical-free. You can request to see a company’s certifications if you want to check. Ours are available to view here. Transparency How open are the brand about their production and supply chain? If they are doing all the right things, then they will have nothing to hide. How much information do they provide to their customers and are they happy to answer questions on these issues? An ethical brand may have open factory events or show video and photo footage of their staff and factory premises. Full disclosure of the list of factories they use is another big tick. Our factory and supplier list is available here. Policies & Initiatives Many big brands are signed up various initiatives that check up on their ethical claims and promises. The most well-known one being the ETI (Ethical Trading Initiative), but others such as the Bangladesh Fire & Safety Accord, Fair Wear Foundation and Fair Living Wage. However they should also have their own comprehensive ethical policy too, that states their own guidelines and working with manufacturers and suppliers. For many small brands this will be all they have, as they won’t be able to bear the cost of being part of costly initiatives. See our Policy pagehere. A strict Animal Welfare policy is also a must have for an ethical company. This should state which animal products they will not use and should include: mulesed merino, cashmere, mohair, shearling, angora – or any animal hair, down, feathers, fur, exotic skins, silk, shell, horn and bone. If they use wool it should carry the RWS (Responsible Wool Standard) Symbol which guarantees a high animal welfare standard. Audits Many big brands will carry out factory audit, either by a third party or themselves to ensure ethical practice. The main certifications of this are SEDEX (Supplier Ethical Date Exchange) and Fast Forward which is the highest standard. Audits are expensive though, so many small brands don’t have them for the smaller factories they work with. This doesn’t necessarily mean they are unethical if they are ticking some of the other boxes. Many of the small factories such as ours are family businesses with less than 10 employees who they have worked with for years. Our main supplier has Living Wage Employer certification, which we hope to gain for others in our supply chain too. Ranking There are various apps and websites that rank fashion brands according to various markers. Check out the Ethical consumer magazine, rank-a-brand, Good on you app, Fashion Revolution’s Transparency Index and the Good Guide. However, I find that many of them have odd anomalies so I compiled my own brand rankings. You can read about who came out best here. Big brands really have no excuse to not be ticking all these boxes. So if they don’t, then ask them why. Consumer behaviour and demand can drive change if we are all more vocal. I hope this helps you to shop more ethically and feel more confident in your choices Ismay x #ethicalfashion #howto #fashionexpert Related Posts 5 Most Ethical High Street Fashion Brands Top 5 ethical kids Fashion Brands Top 6 Ethical Kids Accessories 6 Fashion Brands to avoid & why
Resources
https://www.wikihow.com/Shop-for-Ethically-Made-Clothes http://www.selflesslystyled.com/blog/how-to-tell-if-a-brand-is-ethical-or-not https://cladwell.com/blog/2016/1/22/4-ways-to-know-if-a-company-is-ethical-sustainable https://beezer.co.uk/know-clothing-ethical/ https://thetab.com/uk/2016/09/07/how-to-shop-ethically-18087 https://www.quora.com/How-do-I-know-if-a-clothing-brands-ethical-claims-are-true https://thegreenhubonline.com/2018/11/05/how-to-tell-if-a-fashion-brand-is-actually-ethical/ https://mashable.com/2015/04/24/ethical-fashion-tools/?europe=true
Ok, so let's first talk about what fast fashion is. Fast fashion is when clothing is produced quickly and cheaply, often being able to have new designs in store just weeks after being designed. The business model is based on high volume and turnover of stock.
VOLUME The main problem with the fast fashion industry is the sheer volume of clothing it produces - 1 billion garments annually! Sophisticated marketing and the high turnover of stock drives consumers on to the next trend in order to buy ever more. Considering that fast fashion is predicted toincrease 60% by the year 2030 this is not sustainable when we all need to be buying less (of everything) to save our planet. The truth is we don't actually need any more clothes at all, we have more than enough to go round already, but fast fashion taps in to the desire for the new 'must have' and the affordable 'don't miss it' offer. ENVIRONMENT Aside from a few small conscious ranges, most fast fashion garments are made with synthetic fabrics which are responsible for 0.6 – 1.7 million tons of microfibres end up in the ocean every year. We all know from The Blue Planet II what the impact of plastics is on our sea life, but the fibres also end up in our drinking water and in our food as they do not biodegrade like natural fibres. The fast fashion industry is also responsible for producing 20% of global wastewater. The dwindling resources on our planet cannot sustain such turnover of 'stuff' driven by company policies based on growth and expansion; new stores, emerging markets, ever more lines. The industry emits1.2 billion tons of CO2 equivalent per year which is about 5% of global emissions - more than air travel and international shippingemissions combined. Much of this will come from the thousands of fashion miles that are incurred when the products travel across the world to get to our stores. ETHICS Most fast fashion (97%) is produced in far off countries which have extremely low wages. Low price fashion often means unethical practices and little transparency. The prices we pay in a fast fashion store do not reflect the true cost of what someone should have been paid, nor the resources used and the environmental damage done. Large fast fashion brands have incredible power, which puts pressure on developing countries to provide goods at rock bottom prices and cut corners on health and safety in order to keep the orders coming in. The speed of production can also lead to long working hours and extreme pressure to hit impossible deadlines. The Rana Plaza tragedy is a prime example of this. RECYCLING Some fast fashion brands have sustainability schemes such as H&M's 'Closed loop' and ''recycling' schemes. However, with current technologies, it would take 12 years to recycle what the fast fashion industry creates in 48 hours. It is also unclear about how much of these unwanted garments actually get recycled or reused. This seems to be a marketing idea rather than a solution, as it still takes energy and resources to recycle. What happens to what cannot be recycled? The worry here is that so much low grade fast fashion is going out to African countries that their local textiles industries are collapsing. Clothing recycling as with household recycling makes us believe that it's ok to keep consuming at the rate we are without considering it's impact. QUALITY The Environmental Audit Committee's inquiry into the sustainability of the fashion industry had one main conclusion and that is we need to value our clothes. And high street and fast fashion does not necessarily mean low quality if you choose good pieces that are classic and look after them. However, the majority of fast fashion is not designed for longevity which is one of the principles of circular fashion. So, I don't believe that fast fashion can be sustainable because of all these issues. Can the big fast fashion brands change their way of working and become more sustainable? Maybe, but I doubt they would want to jeopardise their bottom line. So don't be fooled by clever initiatives and green-washing or that at least they are trying. There are so many other ethical and sustainable brands that deserve our attention that are doing so much more. Ismay x #fastfashion #sustainablefashion #ethicalfashion RELATED POSTS 6 Fashion Brands to avoid Top 5 Ethical Kids Brands 5 Most Ethical High Street Fashion Brands
RESOURCES
https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/shortcuts/2018/dec/03/worn-out-is-fast-fashion-more-sustainable-than-we-think https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/tamsin-lejeune/sustainable-fashion_b_12136862.html https://circularfashion.com/key-principles/ https://www.essentialnoir.co.uk/can-large-fast-fashion-retailers-truly-be-sustainable/ https://www.commonobjective.co/article/fast-fashion-can-it-be-sustainable https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/trewin-restorick/sustainable-fashion_b_7500260.html https://www.simply-sustainable.co.uk/can-fast-fashion-ever-sustainable/ https://www.triplepundit.com/story/2014/can-fast-fashion-really-be-sustainable/58741 https://www.hubbub.org.uk/blog/what-contribution-to-sustainability-do-clothing-take-back-schemes-offer https://sustainable-fashion.com/blog/take-back-schemes-what-are-they-really/ https://www.themanufacturer.com/articles/fast-fashion-isnt-the-problem-synthetic-fast-fashion-is/ https://7billionfor7seas.com/fast-fashion-facts/ https://www.triplepundit.com/story/2016/high-environmental-cost-fast-fashion/20881 https://www.unece.org/info/media/news/forestry-and-timber/2018/fashion-is-an-environmental-and-social-emergency-but-can-also-drive-progress-towards-the-sustainable-development-goals/doc.html https://www.ilo.org/global/topics/geip/WCMS_614394/lang--en/index.htm https://www.thebalancesmb.com/the-basics-of-recycling-clothing-and-other-textiles-2877780
Here is a snapshot of the Boy Wonder launch collection that is now available on Kickstarter.
This crowdfund campaign will run for 2 weeks only. Further orders will not be taken until the retail website is up and running in September/October. The set up of this is of course dependant on gaining enough pre-orders to make production and website investment viable. So don't miss out! (sorry, I hate this salesy talk too but I've come this far so I have to try and sell it now!) Click HERE to see the whole collection and pre-order now.
As I have been preparing for our launch collection photoshoot I have been sourcing ethical and sustainable kids accessories to style the outfits with. Here are some of the best I have found in summer brights and hot styles. Hope you like them! x
#kidsethicalfashion #kidsaccessories #kidsstyling
Products made in Britain will most often demand a high price point, including British-made fashion. So why pay that extra cost? Is it worth that higher price?
Quality Considering the industrial revolution and clothing manufacture began in Britain, it is not surprising that we are known around the world for producing high quality goods. Making simple, quality items is what we do best. John Smedley, for example, are the longest running factory in the world who still make beautiful, fine gauge knitwear just as they have done for hundreds of years. Ethics Not all British factories are run ethically, it has to be said, but the majority of them are. Having a short supply chain makes it far easier for designers or brands to work closely with their makers to ensure ethical policies are adhered to. Britain also has high legal standards on workers’ rights, health and safety in the workplace and wage level minimums in comparison to other garment producing countries. Ethical credentials should always be checked and good brands will proudly show them. Fashion Miles Being close to the manufacturing base means significantly fewer miles are clocked up in shipping fabrics and goods around. This is evident in the example of Private White VC, 90% of their raw materials are sourced within a 40 miles of their factory. Road haulage for transportation also means less carbon emitted than sea or air cargo too. Global brands who manufacture off-shore in the far-east will have to fly regularly to oversee factory production, thereby further adding to their carbon footprint. Local production also means less waste is also produced due to being able to turn around stock much quicker. Great design Britain has produced many great designers and among them Vivienne Westwood, Mary Quant and Paul Smith have a unique ‘Britishness’. This is often expressed with quirkiness and sense of humour that you don’t often find anywhere else. On the other hand designer brands such as Burberry and Stella McCartney offer the more aspirational side of British design classics. This is also embodied in British icons of design such as the Mini, Rolls Royce and even Dyson. Strong story Providence and a strong story are often a big part of what a British brand is about. Hiut denim & HebTroCo are great examples of this. They both brought manufacturing back to the area they are from before it disappeared forever and produce quality pieces made to last using traditional techniques and preserving local skills and economies. What started as personal missions with a passion for their local communities are now highly successful and acclaimed businesses with a real personal touch. Heritage Britain has a rich textile heritage that many brands draw from including the production of high quality cloths such as tweed, linen and tartan. There are many regional areas that have historical or even current links to fashion & textile manufacturing. From lace making in Nottingham, to knitwear in Hawick, Scotland, from shoe making in Northampton, to woollen cloth in Yorkshire, Britain has it all . All this put together means you are often buying a product with real authenticity, that will last a long time and could sell well at a later date. What could be better slow fashion than that? NB. Boy Wonder is of course proudly made in Britain for all the reasons above. Be aware, however, that many brands portray themselves as being British by putting a Union Jack on their products whilst not actually making them in Britain at all. You can find lots of lovely British-made brands including ourselves in the Make it British directory here. Do you have a favourite made in Britain brand? Do you buy British? What does British made mean to you? We would love to hear from you x Related Posts Trouser Town Made in Britain How Ethical is Made in Britain? *Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. #madeinbritain #britishdesign #fashionmiles
Further Reading
https://fashioninsiders.co/features/opinion/made-in-england-buy-british/ https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2013/jan/30/british-made-fashion-clothing-manufacture https://www.fashionbeans.com/2015/made-in-britain-menswear/ https://www.shortlist.com/style/fashion/10-british-made-menswear-brands-that-deserve-a-place-in-your-wardrobe/28167 https://www.marketingtochina.com/5-uk-brands-that-benefit-from-being-made-in-britain-in-china/ https://cebr.com/reports/value-of-made-in-britain/ http://www.brandquarterly.com/brand-identity-value-made-britain-label http://fabrikbrands.com/made-in-britain-british-brands/ https://makeitbritish.co.uk/opinion/manufacture-your-product-in-the-uk/ https://makeitbritish.co.uk/uk-manufacturing-2/why-manufacturing-in-the-uk-is-more-sustainable/
This week has seen the publication of the Environmental Audit Committee's report on 'Fixing Fast Fashion'[i]. As this committee comprised of members of the UK parliament, it will hopefully lead to effective legislation in tackling sustainability and ethical issues in the industry. Many British retailers, designers, campaigners and educators gave evidence at the hearings on the various issues involved which have provided the basis for the report. The report focuses on 16 UK retailers and provides a table which rates them in terms of engagement with the issues covered in the hearing. The 6 brands at the bottom of the ratings are doing very little to tackle the ethical and environmental impact of their products and business. For ease of comparison in this blog I have converted the table into points.
There are many different sustainability actions that a fashion brand could be doing. In the table these ranged from using organic or sustainable cotton, implementing ‘take back’ schemes and using recycled materials in their products. The majority of the brands at the top of table (ASOS, M&S, Burberry, Tesco & Primark) were doing all of these important actions whereas the bottom 6 were hardly doing any.. There are also various Sustainability Initiatives that brands can sign up to such as the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, Commitment to Climate Change Risk Reporting and Make Fashion Circular. The 6 bottom brands, bar one, have only committed to the reuse or recycling of unsold stock (presumably because they can make a profit out of it.) The final area the report has in the table is Labour Market Initiatives, including being a member of SEDEX (Supplier Ethical Data Exchange) which four out of the five were and membership of the ETI (Ethical Trading Initiative) which only one was. SPORTS DIRECT INTERNATIONAL PLC. (4 POINTS) Coming least worst is no great accolade, but hardly surprising for a company whose business model is to ‘pile it high, sell it cheap’[ii] and who were found in 2013 to be ‘the least ethical big firm in the UK’[iii] by the Observer magazine. They have since been in and out of the press for worker mistreatment[iv] and paying below the minimum wage[v]. Sports Direct managed to cover only one sustainability action; that they do use recycled materials in their produce. They did have some initiatives in place including: Commitment to Climate Change risk reporting, microfiber initiative and the reuse or recycling of unsold stock. They are also only signed up to one out of the 3 Labour market initiatives, namely being a member of SEDEX. The company were also given 13 out of 100 in the Fashion Transparency Index by Fashion Revolution[vi]. BOOHOO GROUP (3 POINTS) Boohoo’s price points are famously low, with some dresses selling for £5 at full price. At the hearings this provoked the question of how it can be possible to pay the national minimum wage with such prices. The company claimed they were loss leading products to draw the customers in. Unethical working conditions were also unsurprisingly uncovered at Boohoo in a Channel 4 Dispatches programme[vii] The Audit committee’s report urged the company to engage with USDAW (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) to tackle some of these problems The report also showed that they do use recycled materials in their produce , are a member of SEDEX (Supplier Ethical Data Exchange) and reuse or recycling of unsold stock. Boohoo was also given an F grade in the Behind the Barcode report[viii] and a D grade in the Ethical Fashion Report[ix]. MISSGUIDED LTD. (3 POINTS) Missguided describe themselves as ‘rapid’ fashion[x] , where samples can be turned around in a day and stock updated on the site every week. This ‘fast fashion on steroids’[xi] is incredibly harmful to the environment due to sheer volume and perceived disposability. However another problem it can create is the violent treatment of workers when they are seen as commodities rather than human beings. This was evidenced in the report by the shocking treatment of Missguided’s auditors by certain factories bosses in Leicester. In the Audit Committee’s table they are the only one of the 6 that is a member of the ETI whose base code covers labour standards and are also members of SEDEX and do reuse or recycle unsold stock. AMAZON UK (2 POINTS) Amazon is well known for it’s poor ethics[xii] and their tax avoidance[xiii] is legendary. They only have two points in the Audit committee’s table for being a member of SEDEX (Supplier Ethical Data Exchange) and for the reuse or recycling of unsold stock. They were given 10 out of 100 in the Fashion Transparency Index and appeared in the Global Exchange’s list of ‘Top 10 Corporate Criminal of the Year 2017’[xiv]. I don’t think I need to write more on this. As the biggest retailer in the universe, we all know why we should avoid them. If not, you don’t have to look far to find out why. Ethical Consumer Magazine gave Amazon clothing a very generous score of zero out of 20! TK MAXX (2 POINTS) TK Maxx do reuse or recycle unsold stock and have an in-store take back scheme or recycle banks. But Ethical Consumer Magazine gave them a score of only 4.5 out of 20. JD SPORTS FASHION PLC (1 POINT) At the bottom of the pile comes the sportswear retailer JD Sports. The most they can manage is to reuse or recycle unsold stock. This brand has also been in the press for poor working conditions[xv] too. To put into perspective how little the worst brands are doing, the brands at the top of the table were all awarded 11 out of a possible 13 points. So next time you think of getting a bargain from any of these losing 6, maybe think again. Maybe reconsider if you even really need anything? Could you borrow or swap something instead? Or maybe you even have something suitable already lurking at the back of your wardrobe. Related Posts 5 most Ethical British High Street Brands Top 5 Ethical Kids brands #Environmentalauditcommittee #fixingfashion #britishbrands
Further reading
[i] https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmenvaud/1952/report-summary.html [ii] https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/markets/marketreport/10650087/Market-Report-Sports-Direct-piles-higher.html [iii] http://www.thejournal.co.uk/business/business-news/sports-direct-least-ethical-big-4517118 [iv]https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/sports-direct-mike-ashley-worker-conditions-minimum-wage-ian-wright-investigation-a7149971.html [v] https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/mar/28/sports-direct-workers-yet-to-receive-backpay-transline-mps-told [vi] https://issuu.com/fashionrevolution/docs/fr_fashiontransparencyindex2018 [vii] https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/kieron-hardman/boo-hoo-dispatches_b_14511960.html [viii] https://baptistworldaid.org.au/resources/2018-ethical-fashion-guide/ [ix] https://globalexchange.org/campaigns/corporatecriminals2017/ [x] https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2015/apr/07/fast-fashion-online-labels-boohoo-missguided [xi] https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2015/apr/07/fast-fashion-online-labels-boohoo-missguided [xii] https://www.ethics.net/a/high-tech-cruelty-inside-amazon-s-heartless-and-unethical-workplace [xiii] https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/aug/10/amazon-uk-halves-its-corporation-tax-to-74m-as-sales-soar-to-7bn [xiv] https://baptistworldaid.org.au/faith-in-action/behind-the-barcode/ [xv] https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/jd-sports-working-conditions-channel-4-minimum-wage-sports-direct-a7476366.html
Since I have started blogging and setting up the brand various people have asked me where is best place to shop for clothes? They are not asking about expensive ethical and eco brands but the shops that we can all find on the British high street. I always add to these conversations that it's better to buy second-hand or save up for an investment ethical piece than shop on the high street, but I do know that sometimes that's not possible. So, I have spent a long time researching and compiling a database to be able to provide the answer to this question for them and you; my lovely readers.
There are various consumer information sites that provide ethical and sustainability ratings on fashion brands. These include Ethical Consumer Magazine, the Good Shopping Guide and Rankabrand (who I have mentioned in a previous blog). They investigate brands and give them a score for different categories from how transparent they are through to whether they use renewable energy. The Ethical Consumer Magazine appears to be more well-established, with years of research behind them and seems more thorough in their critical appraisals. Rankabrand is mainly focused on German and Dutch brands but does feature some of the larger British companies. However, they all suggest quite different brands as being the best and all have a slightly focus. These can be useful to look at simply to find out more information about your favourite brands but they all seem to have certain bizarre anomalies. I suspect this come from different ways of measuring and applying data but these anomalies make me feel slightly unsure about them. For instance the Good Shopping Guide rates River Island at 73, which is the same rating they give to Patagonia (one of the most environmentally conscious brands there are) and rates Fat Face even higher at 81, which from my research over the years I cannot agree with. There are also many reports by groups such as the Clean Clothes Campaign, Fashion Revolution and Greenpeace investigating whether brands actually live up to their commitments. These help to build a bigger picture to inform my decisions. I used the comparison sites to help me create my own methodology with which to judge them by. I used many different markers to establish ranking, including being signatories to the Bangladesh Fire & Safety Accord, pledging to ZDHC (zero discharge of hazardous chemicals) and 'take back' schemes such as M&S's shwopping. There are far too many separate factors and areas I looked at to mention in full here, so I will simply give an overall summary on my findings. In this comparison I have focused solely on British fashion retailers and not included supermarkets. This amounted to 15 different brands, including 3 department stores, and one online-only retailer. For the sake of drama and suspense I shall count down from number 5! No. 5 - Debenhams (Rating of 17.5) Please note that Debenhams sells other brands alongside it's own. This scoring of them refers to the company itself and it's own products and practices. Debenhams uses 100% renewable energy to power it's stores[i] and are joint founders of Fast Forward auditing (see below). They also partner with the Salvation Army[ii] to divert waste from landfill. By collecting and donating unwanted clothing, textiles and shoes they also help raise funds for those in need. Debenhams also scored highly in the Good Shopping Guide. No. 4 - Arcadia Group (Rating of 20.5) In fourth place this large retail group includes Topshop, Miss Selfridge, Dorothy Perkins and others. Topshop have a strong animal welfare policy and got shortlisted in 2008 for the RSPCA good business awards[iii] and worked with PETA to campaign against the use of exotic animal skins[iv]. They have also sold limited edition collections of garments made from upcycled fabrics[v]. However, having a 'fast fashion' business model works against them, which is why the Good on You site gives them a rating of 3 out of 5 saying 'it's a start'[vi]. No. 3 - New Look (Rating of 22) Even with cheap price points , New Look is still managing to score highly on ethics. (I wonder if this may be my anomaly, as low prices don't lend themselves to fair wages) They publish a list of their factories and rank midway in the Fashion Transparency Index[vii]. As they have stated recently that they are going to slash prices further[viii], I am not sure how they will maintain this. They also have a good animal welfare policy[ix]. No. 2 - ASOS (Rating of 29) Second place goes to this online only site which is not strictly a high street brand, but it deserves a place in our list. Many of their garments are made in the UK and most of them at the ethically audited factory where our launch collection will be made. In fact they helped to set up, along with Debenhams, a stricter audit system called Fast Forward[x] whose need became arose from the Leicester sweatshop problems noted in the press a few years ago. Not only do they have their own eco edit[xi] they also sell second hand garments[xii] through the site too, thereby encouraging circularity. The sheer volume of their production however, does categorise them as a 'fast fashion' brand which does lower their score. Drumroll please....and the winner is..... No. 1 - Marks & Spencers (Rating of 32) M&S's commitment to sustainability is evident in Plan A[xiii] which has been underway since 2007, years before many others started using the word 'sustainability'. They tick nearly every box for ethical and environmental commitment including having their own sustainable cotton ranges which use BCI (Better Cotton Initiative) cotton ensuring various ethical and environmental guarantees. They are also certified as carbon neutral and have even become a green energy provider[xiv] as well as giving away money to fund renewable energy projects[xv]. Ethical consumer magazine also put M&S in their top 5 ethical high street shops[xvi] and the Fashion Transparency Index rated them at 51%, the highest being 58%. These top two brands are head and shoulders above the rest and will hopefully convince others to follow their lead. Middling… There were 5 brands that came in the middle of the rankings whose scores were less than half of those at the top. Although they are doing some things right, they could do a lot more in my opinion. These were Next, John Lewis, Monsoon, White Stuff and Oasis. And the losers? The bottom five brands in my research in consecutive order were Fat Face, River Island and Matalan with French Connection and Peacocks coming joint last place. Come on guys, you can do better than this! If you do need to buy from the high street always remember that as consumers we can change things for the better with what we buy. Go for the brands 'eco' ranges and do ask questions. Do the garment workers get a fair wage? Does it really need plastic packaging? I hope this helps you to be more informed and conscious shoppers and to help those British brands that deserve our patronage. And lastly, what do you think? Do you agree with my rankings? Are there any surprises there? I would love to hear your thoughts x #ethicalfashion #sustainablefashion #britishhighstreet
Further reading
[i] https://www.scottishpower.com/news/pages/scottishpower_and_debenhams_sign_100_green_energy_deal.aspx [ii] http://sustainability.debenhamsplc.com/salvationarmy/ [iii] https://www.marieclaire.co.uk/news/fashion-news/topshop-and-m-s-ethical-fashion-fight-184156 [iv] https://www.thedrum.com/news/2013/03/15/topshop-and-peta-unveil-keep-wildlife-out-your-wardrobe-window-display-flagship [v] https://inhabitat.com/ecouterre/topshop-introduces-upcycled-reclaim-to-wear-collection-for-summer/ [vi] https://goodonyou.eco/how-ethical-topshop/ [vii] http://issuu.com/fashionrevolution/docs/fr_fashiontransparencyindex2018?e=25766662/60458846 [viii] https://metro.co.uk/2018/06/13/new-look-is-wrong-to-slash-prices-consumers-no-longer-want-fast-fashion-7626995/ [ix] https://www.newlookgroup.com/sustainability/animal-welfare [x] https://www.asosplc.com/site-services/case-studies/fast-forward [xi] https://www.asosplc.com/corporate-responsibility/our-products/eco-edit [xii] https://marketplace.asos.com/boutiques/vintage [xiii] https://corporate.marksandspencer.com/plan-a [xiv] https://www.uswitch.com/gas-electricity/suppliers/m-and-s-energy/ [xv] https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/mandsenergyfund [xvi] https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/retailers/top-five-ethical-high-street-shops
Ever since I started out as a teenager doing a summer job in a designer lingerie factory in my home town, I have wanted to manufacture in the UK. Local production boosts home industry and creates a much lower carbon footprint. However, as I have looked at manufacturers to produce my launch collection this year, I have become aware that not all UK garment factories adhere to the ethical standards that I would want.
British sweatshops in the press In January 2017 the Channel 4 Dispatches programme ‘Undercover: Britain's Cheap Clothes’[i] exposed extremely low pay and unsafe conditions in factories in Leicester. In August these problems were highlighted again in an interview with the CEO of New Look which unhelpfully the Times turned into sweeping statements: ‘Many of Britain’s clothing factories have worse ethical standards than manufacturers in China, Bangladesh and Burma, the boss of one the UK’s biggest fashion retailers has claimed.’[ii] As I have worked at a fashion company in Leicester which is just down the road from me this feels very personal. It is unfortunately true that Leicester does have it problems: ‘Typically, the workers being exploited are women from different countries who speak little English. Some come to UK on a six-month visa and work every hour they can before returning home…women who were being paid as little as £1 per hour.’[iii] A widescale problem? The Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) investigated the area and found that 26 businesses were issued with a Notice of Potential Liability or a Referral notice between February 2008 and August 2014[iv]. This can be put into perspective with regional industry figures: ‘Leicester has the largest amount of garment workers in the UK – there are 1500 garment manufacturing businesses in Leicester employing over 10,000 people.’[v] It seems to me that this is a small minority who have aroused press interest, which tars others in the industry. Kate Hills, founder of Make It British feels passionately that such generalizations about ethical standards in the UK are damaging. “I've been to hundreds of garment manufacturers in the UK and contrary to what The Times has reported, the MAJORITY are ethical and above board.”[vi] The claims were also rebutted by Nigel Lugg, Chairman of UKFT, the sector skills body for the fashion & textiles industry. “Whilst it is true and deeply regrettable that there are companies in the UK that break the law, there are hundreds and hundreds of factories who offer a safe working environment, pay their staff well and value their staff as their most valuable asset.’ [vii] Who is involved? Many UK retailers now use on-shore manufacturing units to support their global production operations and that number is growing rapidly. M&S employ 317 workers in 4 clothing factories in the UK, including 2 in Leicester. Arcadia Group has 54 factories in the UK[viii] and ASOS source their products from 28 factories employing 1015 people. Jenni Holloway is Director of Fashion-Enter, a social enterprise making garments for high street retailers including ASOS, M&S and John Lewis and who are SEDEX Members Ethical Trade Audit (SMETA) approved which means its factory is fully compliant. She says: ‘Producing ethically and transparently in the UK is possible and cost effective now. Our factory based in Haringey, North London is proof[ix] What is being done? Ethical issues are being addressed by retailers, the home office and other bodies including the ETI who called for a collaborative approach[x] and coordination of all those involved. A tough new audit for domestic garment manufacturing called Fast Forward was created in 2015 by a group of retailers including ASOS, House of Frazer, River Island and Debenhams. ‘The Fast Forward Programme is an industry initiative to look at social risks in UK manufacturing. The in-depth audit assessments through this programme cover key areas such as right to work, national minimum wage, contracts of employment, tax, mistreatment and health & safety in line with the UK labour law requirements.’ [xi] In March 2015 the UK government legislated the Modern Slavery Act that requires large companies to produce statements identifying risks and showing what steps they are taking to prevent slavery and exploitation within their supply chains. Furthermore, the British Fashion Council launched the High-End and Designer Manufacturers Database in March 2017 ‘which aims to make it easier for designers to gain ethical supply chain certificates and facilitate successful relationships between designers and production units.’[xii] Is enough being done? In my opinion much more needs to be done by all those involved. Some of the legislation and initiatives don’t go far enough as there are clearly still serious ethical issues throughout the industry. But rather than apportioning blame, maybe we all need to take some responsibility? As a designer I will be using Fashion Enter for my manufacturing as I trust them to be an ethical factory and will continue to scrutinize ethics throughout my supply chain. And as consumers we all have a big role to play. Don’t assume something is ethical just because it is made in Britain. Check whether your favourite retailer is part of ethical initiatives like ETI and Fast Forward. Ask them if their factories are audited to SMETA standards. And most importantly, question why a garment is cheap, because there is no doubt that somebody, somewhere is paying the price for it. This article featured last year on the Ethical Brand Directory Blog here. Related Posts Who made my Jeans Pt1 Who made my Jeans Pt2 Save the Children #ethicalfashion #madeinbritain #transparentfashion
Further reading
[i] Sweatshop Britain: Factory workers on £3 an hour 'making clothes for River Island and New Look' by Laura Lambert 23/01/2017 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4146648/Workers-make-clothes-major-brands-3-hour.html#ixzz4zFXQEX2i [ii] British factory standards ‘worse than Asia’ by Philip Aldrick 09/08/2017 https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/british-factory-standards-worse-than-asia-6txnv7bl8 [iii] Did You Know Sweatshops Exist In The UK? By Tamsin Blanchard 23/08/2017 https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/sweatshops-exist-in-the-uk-leicester [iv] A New Industry on a Skewed Playing Field: Supply Chain Relations and Working Conditions in UK Garment Manufacturing by University of Leicester 2014 https://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/press/for-journalists/media-resources/Leicester%20Report%20-%20Final%20-to%20publish.pdf/ [v] Can Leicester get back to it’s garment manufacturing heyday? October 2017 https://makeitbritish.co.uk/made-in-britain-news/leicester-garment-manufacturing/ [vi] THIS ARTICLE IN THE TIMES IS MISLEADING AND MAKES ME SO MAD! By Kate Hills https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/article-times-misleading-makes-me-so-mad-kate-hills/ [vii] Fashion and Textile Manufacturing in the UK 07/09/2017 http://www.ukft.org/newsletter-details.php?page=news&psub=newsletter&nlid=269&perpage=10&nlyear=&nltype=1 [viii] Returning fashion manufacturing to the UK - opportunities and challenges by Hannah Gould 10/06/2104 https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/sustainable-fashion-blog/returning-fashion-manufacturing-uk-opportunities-challenges [ix] The Times Business Clinic with Jenni Holloway 01/08/2017 http://www.fashioncapital.co.uk/services/press-cuttings/15985-the-times-business-clinic-with-jenny-holloway [x] A New Industry on a Skewed Playing Field: Supply Chain Relations and Working Conditions in UK Garment Manufacturing by University of Leicester December 2014 https://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/press/for-journalists/media-resources/Leicester%20Report%20-%20Final%20-to%20publish.pdf/ [xi] http://sustainability.debenhamsplc.com/ethical-trade-programmes/ [xii] Positive Fashion http://www.britishfashioncouncil.co.uk/About/Positive-Fashion Ethics are such an emotive issue and we all have very different ideas of what they should be. The ethical issues in fashion that are most written about are living wages for workers and cotton growers, forced or child labour and safe working conditions. However, for me ethical fashion is not just about people, it’s about the planet too, and so in my opinion, environmental and sustainable practices should be equally in debate. Fashion on a budget These days we all want to pay less for everything as our incomes stagnate or shrink so spending more than we have to is often not seen as an option. “Giving up “fast fashion” is something privileged people can do because privileged people don’t have to agonize about where they shop.” [i] Being on a very limited budget myself I can completely relate to this, but for me ethical fashion isn’t always about spending more, it is always about thinking more. Some would ask “Are ethically produced clothes a privilege for the wealthy?”[ii] Yes, maybe some of them are. Most people associate ethical fashion with Fair Trade or organic clothing produced by the more well-known brands such as Zady, Reformation & People Tree. Most of their clothes are substantially more expensive than a Primark alternative, but for good reasons: they guarantee an ethical and sustainable peace of mind for the buyer. The high cost of ethical fashion is also arguably a misconception. Back in the good old days we had fewer clothes, looked after them and wore them longer. The cheap clothing most of us buy now doesn’t last long, so we buy more of it and sometimes in different colours to suit every mood! Investing in new ethical or even designer pieces from sustainable fashion champions such as Stella McCartney & Vivienne Westwood will set you back a few bob but they will last a lifetime and you will cherish them all the more. If you consider cost per wear then that pretty top from Zara you can’t live without doesn’t seem quite so cheap. The need for the new In the west we are constantly bombarded with sleek advertising for the next new thing, upgrade your phone, get the latest look, keep up with the Kardashians! These fast changing trends are cleverly replicated in the massive turnover of low quality clothing in fast fashion stores encouraging disposability. This craving for the new begs the question “Are new clothes a right or a privilege?”[iii] A 2015 survey found “the average woman typically spends £64 per month - or £768 per year on clothes - most of which are left languishing in wardrobes unworn.”[iv] Surely we have reached peak stuff! In order to live more sustainably every one of us needs to consume less and so this desire for the next new shiny thing has to be challenged. Affordable ethical style Happily, there are so many ethical alternatives that don’t cost the earth (financially and literally!) Second hand shops, vintage fashion fairs and online auction sites, clothes swaps and of course revamping, repairing & renovating what you already have are worthy options. We could replace that joy of finding a bargain in the sales at Zara, with joy at finding a beautiful Dolce & Gabbana coat in a second hand shop for next to nothing (I spotted one recently in a charity shop on my local high street!) Buying from local makers or products that are made in your own country is also another good option. I am not suggesting this from any patriotic or protectionist standpoint but because the carbon footprint of the garment will be lower and be easier to check on whether it’s produced ethically. It helps support the local economy whilst maintaining skills and crafts that may have been around for generations. Most towns and cities will have a Fair Trade shop which often sell ethical clothing alongside their hand crafted ethnic goods. Would it not feel better to line the pocket of a small business or talented craftsperson than a greedy global fashion corporation? Many ethical fashionistas would be horrified at this suggestion but if you really can’t tear yourself away from your beloved fast fashion brands some now have greener lines and initiatives that (although they have a long way to go) are a step in the right direction. H&M’s Conscious collection is made from organic cotton and Zara’s JoinLife range even uses recycled wool. I say this with the caveat of really thinking about the purchase first. Asking yourself if you will get lots of wear out of it, whether it’s versatile and is classic enough to still be worn in 5 years’ time should ensure that it won’t disappear into your wardrobe never to be seen again. I will also add that there are other big brand names such as ASOS who probably deserve your hard earned cash much more: so be brave and step outside of your comfort zone! The real fashion victims If we are debating fast fashion in relation to the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’ we also have to put it into a global context as the impact of our trend-driven, throwaway culture disproportionately affects the poorest in the world - whether it’s the garment workers who barely earn enough to eat, the 6 year old who stitches sequins on the floor of the factory or the wider communities that are blighted by the effects of climate change. “Those of us who are privileged have more power than we think and are the ones negatively impacting those in the Developed World without even knowing it.”[v] Therefore it is imperative that all of us, irrespective of whether of wealth or lack thereof need to embrace and champion ethical clothing in order to fight fast fashion to help save our planet and all it’s inhabitants. We can all make a difference. This article first featured here on the ethicalbranddirectory.com Related Posts Who made my Jeans Pt1 Who made my Jeans Pt2 Save the Children #EthicalFashion #FirstWorldProblems #SocialIssue
Further reading
[i] The Struggle With Fast Fashion (And Other Problems Of Privilege) – Joni Edelman 30/03/17 https://ravishly.com/2017/03/30/struggle-fast-fashion-and-other-problems-privilege [ii] Is Fast Fashion A Class Issue? Tabi Jackson Gee 27/04/17 http://www.refinery29.uk/2017/04/149877/fast-fashion-social-issue [iii] Is Fast Fashion a Class Issue? Tabi Jackson Gee 27/04/17 http://www.refinery29.uk/2017/04/149877/fast-fashion-social-issue [iv] Throwaway fashion: Women have adopted a 'wear it once culture', binning clothes after only a few wears (so they aren't pictured in same outfit twice on social media)- Maybelle Morgan DailyMail on Facebookhttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3116962/Throwaway-fashion-Women-adopted-wear-culture-binning-clothes-wears-aren-t-pictured-outfit-twice-social-media.html [v] First World Privilege Drives Fast Fashion – Saba Ritzvi & Dee All 17/08/16 https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/first-world-privilege-drives-fast-fashion_us_57b072d1e4b03d06fe85146e
When we think about what fashion will be like in future, most of us will imagine silver space-suit type outfits. However, back in the eighties, we imagined we would all be driving hover cars, which never happened (not where I live anyway!) So how realistic are these design futures? Let’s look at the emerging innovations and the challenges they face to find out.
The future, the planet and all our lives will all be heavily impacted by climate change so it is inevitable that design processes will become sustainability driven due to dwindling resources. Financially, big high street names have suffered recently with massive drops in sales, as they have failed to evolve while our shopping preferences have rapidly changed. Bricks and mortar stores have become increasingly expensive to run with fewer customers to sustain them. This is compounded by online disruptors such as ASOS and BooHoo taking larger market shares by challenging traditional working practices. “There are historic changes happening in the fashion cycle, and at the same time significant technological advancements that are changing the industry”[i] A big growth area in fashion sustainability is textile innovation. As the environmental impact of animal products and synthetic materials are becoming acknowledged, significant research is being made into creating alternatives. Leather substitutes have now been developed from pineapples, mushrooms, apples and tree bark and Bolt Threads[ii] have even invented a spider silk without the spiders. Read a post I wrote before on strange and wonderful textile innovations here. Another area where designers are developing better use of resources is by through rethinking our waste. The fashion industry is incredibly wasteful, being based on the idea of the new, but the practice of circular fashion puts that ‘waste’ back into use. There are now many innovators with exciting recycled fibres and yarns such as Econyl[iii] who reuse abandoned fishing nets and Levis + Evernu[iv] who have created new jeans from old t-shirts. Supply chain transparency will hopefully become industry wide with the use of Blockchain. This is a technology that is used in digital currencies such as Bitcoin and has the potential to give brand and customer the ability to trace every stage of their products journey. There is great hope that this will force better ethical practice within the garment sector. Some designers such as Martine Jarlgaard[v] have already seen success with her ‘smart labels’ “Full transparency and traceability becomes a stamp of approval allowing consumers to make informed choices with no extra effort.”[vi] The automation of sewing machines is a hotly debated topic in the industry right now. As with any talk of automation there is widespread fear of massive job losses which would hit some of the poorest people in the world. Such robotic systems would, however, revolutionise the industry providing reliability and efficiency, while eradicating unethical practices. Production could be increased and waste reduced as less stock would need to be held. Uptake of this technology will lead to far more personalisation and customisation of garments as seen already with Adidas and Uniqlo. “Customers will be able to design or customise their own clothing and then have in produced in automated factories and delivered within days.”[vii] Most designers work to the traditional spring/summer and autumn/winter fashion cycle. However, the digital age has given us an expectation of immediacy. So in the last few years, buyers have wanted to be able to purchase designer collections as soon as the catwalk show has debuted. Only a few brands have been able to deliver this, but it is undoubtedly the way the future is going to look. As the designer, Tom Ford, clearly stated: “The current way of showing a collection four months before it is available to customers is an antiquated idea, and one that no longer makes sense,”[viii] As wearable tech becomes more widespread the digital world will become part of our clothing itself. Imagine being able to do everything you do on your phone through your jacket for instance? The Levi's Commuter x Jacquard by Google Trucker Jacket already does some of this, so it’s not too far-fetched an idea. The digital space will become a bigger part of our shopping experience, as we have already witnessed with virtual changing rooms. Augmented reality has been utilised by many Zara stores[ix], giving the consumers more opportunity to interact with the brand in a new and exciting way. In store models come to life through the screen of a mobile phone while supporting easy click to buy options. “Augmented reality is going to change the way that the fashion industry creates, showcases and retails its products”[x] As we continue into the unknown future one thing is obvious; for fashion to stay where it should be, at the vanguard of change, designers need to collaborate and technology shared. Engineers, scientists, programmers and other technical experts will have to join forces with designers to tackle some of the big challenges of our times. #fashionfutures #fashionblockchain #textileinnovation Related posts Edible Fashion Design it yourself fashion
Resources
[i] https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/news-analysis/the-state-of-fashion-2017 [ii]https://www.forbes.com/sites/rachelarthur/2016/06/30/the-future-of-fashion-10-wearable-tech-brands-you-need-to-know/#2282255f4220 [iii] http://www.aquafil.com/business-divisions/textile-yarn/ [iv]http://www.levistrauss.com/unzipped-blog/2016/05/11/levi-strauss-co-evrnu-create-first-pair-of-jeans-from-post-consumer-cotton-waste/ [v] https://www.provenance.org/case-studies/martine-jarlgaard [vi] https://www.forbes.com/sites/rachelarthur/2017/05/10/garment-blockchain-fashion-transparency/#20cdacbb74f3 [vii] https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/fashion-tech/the-robotics-opportunity-manufacturing-efficiencies [viii] https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/07/fashion/see-now-buy-now-business-fashion-week.html [ix] https://www.standard.co.uk/fashion/zara-to-launch-an-augmented-reality-app-in-its-stores-a3789441.html [x] https://www.forbes.com/sites/rachelarthur/2017/10/31/augmented-reality-is-set-to-transform-fashion-and-retail/#6fd515443151
Since doing the Who Made my Clothes course last year in association with Fashion Revolution, I have become very curious about the journeys that our clothes make. Take the average cheap cotton t-shirt for example; where did it come from, where did it go to and who did it meet along the way? I took up this tale again in the recent course I did and wanted to explore it further with you here.
The protagonist of this tale is the t-shirt itself, which starts it's life in the cotton fields. Up to 99% of the world’s cotton farmers are from developing countries[i]. The majority of cheap conventional cotton (not organic) is grown in the cotton belt of India[ii]. The 3 largest producing states being Gujurat, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. Forced and child labour is sadly very common in the cotton industry and India has the highest number of child workers in the world.[iii] You can read more about the children our t-shirt would meet in previous blog posts here and here. As cotton is traded many times before reaching the factory, tracing where it was grown and picked is incredibly difficult. This is why most UK retailers cannot say whether child labour has been used in their supply chain or not. Furthermore, as conventional cotton uses 24% of global pesticides, 11% of all insecticides and seven out of the 15 most deadly carcinogens known to man it is highly damaging to these cotton workers.[iv] After harvesting the cotton bales are transported to processors where it is washed and dried in a gin machine that separates the fibre from seeds and chaff. After this the cotton fibres are carded, combed and blended, often at another factory, before being spun. The cotton yarn can then be knitted into fabric which at this stage is rough and grey looking[v]. The next processing stage involves treatment with heat and chemicals until it looks as we see it in the shops, soft and white. Up to 2,700 litres of water[vi] are used to produce the cotton to make this t-shirt as well as up to 250ml of toxic and hazardous chemicals. Read more on this here. The sewing facility is often in another country. China is currently the largest garment producer in the world[vii], however Bangladesh has the lowest wages at about $65 or £40[viii] a month. As our protagonist is a cheap one, it’s safe to say it probably came from here. At this stage our t-shirt has now travelled over 3190 miles at least, not counting the distance from field to factory and the haulage route before being shipped to the garment factory. Here, the cotton cloth will be cut, stitched and finally pressed until it is the t-shirt we would recognise. You can read more about the people our t-shirt would meet in Bangladesh in a previous blog post here. Now our t-shirt travels the last part of it's journey as it is shipped to the UK, travelling over 10486 miles by sea. If the major cargo ports[ix] were used in each country on the journey then our t-shirt will have travelled well over 14,000 miles in total to reach its final destination of London, England. As it has travelled halfway around the world it will have met many people along the way. Cotton growers and pickers, processing factory workers, haulage drivers, shipping container staff, machinists and finishers and the retail staff who sell the t-shirt to us. Some of these people are the poorest in the world and their hard labour enables us to buy that t-shirt for very little. We've all heard of food miles, but maybe we should start thinking about fashion miles too. Buying locally made goods, including fashion, means you can lower your carbon footprint and often the provenance is clearer too. Ethical manufacturers in the UK look after their workers and keep British craftsmanship and skills alive. Related Posts The Terrific T-shirt Wake Up To Child Labour Who made my Jeans pt2 #fashionmiles #ethicalfashion #fashionfootprint
Resources
[I]https://campaign.worldvision.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Forced-and-child-labour-in-the-cotton-industry-fact-sheet.pdf [ii] https://www.statista.com/statistics/263055/cotton-production-worldwide-by-top-countries/ [iii] https://www.equaltimes.org/child-labour-and-exploitation-in?lang=en#.WyOXmfZFyUk [iv] http://www.ecooutfitters.co.uk/blog/the-environmental-cost-of-non-organic-cotton/ [v] https://makersrow.com/blog/2015/03/from-cotton-to-customer-how-your-t-shirt-is-made/ [vi] https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/the-impact-of-a-cotton-t-shirt [vii] https://www.quora.com/Who-are-the-top-10-garment-manufacturing-countries [viii] https://www.techpacker.com/blog/top-4-asian-countries-for-garment-manufacturing/ [ix] https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-busiest-cargo-ports-in-the-united-kingdom.html
As part of the online Fashion and Sustainability course, created by the Centre for Sustainable Fashion and Kering, that I have just completed, we had to develop our own fashion manifesto and action statement. These are a great way to demonstrate our values, vision and commitments as a sustainable business so thought it would be good to share them with you here. Would love to hear your thoughts on this and hopefully it might inspire you to create a manifesto or statement of your own x
#fashionmanifesto #sustainablefashion #fashionforchange It's that magical time of year again when we don our cheesy jumpers! But maybe this year try something different for your kids. This carefully selected edit has ethical or sustainable credentials that will make you feel good amidst the rampant consumerism and gluttony that is Christmas! They are also the antidote to the riot of colour the supermarkets have to offer, with a more subtle and sophisticated style and palette. Hope you like them :-) #Christmasfashion #organiccotton #madeinbritain #ethicalfashion
Ever since I started out as a teenager doing a summer job in a designer lingerie factory in my home town, I have wanted to manufacture in the UK. Local production boosts home industry and creates a much lower carbon footprint. However, as I have looked at manufacturers to produce my launch collection this year, I have become aware that not all UK garment factories adhere to the ethical standards that I would want. British sweatshops in the press In January the Channel 4 Dispatches programme ‘Undercover: Britain's Cheap Clothes’[i] exposed extremely low pay and unsafe conditions in factories in Leicester. In August these problems were highlighted again in an interview with the CEO of New Look which unhelpfully the Times turned into sweeping statements: ‘Many of Britain’s clothing factories have worse ethical standards than manufacturers in China, Bangladesh and Burma, the boss of one the UK’s biggest fashion retailers has claimed.’[ii] As I have worked at a fashion company in Leicester which is just down the road from me this feels very personal. It is unfortunately true that Leicester does have it problems: ‘Typically, the workers being exploited are women from different countries who speak little English. Some come to UK on a six-month visa and work every hour they can before returning home…women who were being paid as little as £1 per hour.’[iii] A widescale problem? The Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) investigated the area and found that 26 businesses were issued with a Notice of Potential Liability or a Referral notice between February 2008 and August 2014[iv]. This can be put into perspective with regional industry figures: ‘Leicester has the largest amount of garment workers in the UK – there are 1500 garment manufacturing businesses in Leicester employing over 10,000 people.’[v] It seems to me that this is a small minority who have aroused press interest, which tars others in the industry. Kate Hills, founder of Make It British feels passionately that such generalizations about ethical standards in the UK are damaging. “I've been to hundreds of garment manufacturers in the UK and contrary to what The Times has reported, the MAJORITY are ethical and above board.”[vi] The claims were also rebutted by Nigel Lugg, Chairman of UKFT, the sector skills body for the fashion & textiles industry. “Whilst it is true and deeply regrettable that there are companies in the UK that break the law, there are hundreds and hundreds of factories who offer a safe working environment, pay their staff well and value their staff as their most valuable asset.’ [vii] Who is involved? Many UK retailers now use on-shore manufacturing units to support their global production operations and that number is growing rapidly. M&S employ 317 workers in 4 clothing factories in the UK, including 2 in Leicester. Arcadia Group has 54 factories in the UK[viii], Debenhams has 26 factories employing over 7000 UK workers and ASOS source their products from 28 factories employing 1015 people. Jenni Holloway is Director of Fashion-Enter, a social enterprise making garments for high street retailers including ASOS, M&S and John Lewis and who are SEDEX Members Ethical Trade Audit (SMETA) approved which means its factory is fully compliant. She says: ‘Producing ethically and transparently in the UK is possible and cost effective now. Our factory based in Haringey, North London is proof[ix] What is being done? Ethical issues are being addressed by retailers, the home office and other bodies including the ETI who called for a collaborative approach[x] and coordination of all those involved. A tough new audit for domestic garment manufacturing called Fast Forward was created in 2015 by a group of retailers including ASOS, House of Frazer, River Island and Debenhams. ‘The Fast Forward Programme is an industry initiative to look at social risks in UK manufacturing. The in-depth audit assessments through this programme cover key areas such as right to work, national minimum wage, contracts of employment, tax, mistreatment and health & safety in line with the UK labour law requirements.’ [xi] In March 2015 the UK government legislated the Modern Slavery Act that requires large companies to produce statements identifying risks and showing what steps they are taking to prevent slavery and exploitation within their supply chains. Furthermore, the British Fashion Council launched the High-End and Designer Manufacturers Database in March 2017 ‘which aims to make it easier for designers to gain ethical supply chain certificates and facilitate successful relationships between designers and production units.’[xii] Is enough being done? In my opinion much more needs to be done by all those involved. Some of the legislation and initiatives don’t go far enough as there are clearly still serious ethical issues throughout the industry. But rather than apportioning blame, maybe we all need to take some responsibility? As a designer I will be using Fashion Enter for my manufacturing as I trust them to be an ethical factory and will continue to scrutinize ethics throughout my supply chain. And as consumers we all have a big role to play. Don’t assume something is ethical just because it is made in Britain. Check whether your favourite retailer is part of ethical initiatives like ETI and Fast Forward. Ask them if their factories are audited to SMETA standards. And most importantly, question why a garment is cheap, because there is no doubt that somebody, somewhere is paying the price for it. This post first appeared as a guest blog post for Roberta Style Lee. You can read more about why ethics is important in fashion and how to ask the brands who made my clothes on Roberta Style Lee’s blog. And check out some of the British made ethical brands like Antiform, BRM and Laura Zabo at the Ethical Brand Directory. #ethicalfashion #madeinbritain #uksweatshops [1] Sweatshop Britain: Factory workers on £3 an hour 'making clothes for River Island and New Look' by Laura Lambert 23/01/2017 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4146648/Workers-make-clothes-major-brands-3-hour.html#ixzz4zFXQEX2i
[1] British factory standards ‘worse than Asia’ by Philip Aldrick 09/08/2017 https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/british-factory-standards-worse-than-asia-6txnv7bl8 [1] Did You Know Sweatshops Exist In The UK? By Tamsin Blanchard 23/08/2017 https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/sweatshops-exist-in-the-uk-leicester [1] A New Industry on a Skewed Playing Field: Supply Chain Relations and Working Conditions in UK Garment Manufacturing by University of Leicester 2014 https://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/press/for-journalists/media-resources/Leicester%20Report%20-%20Final%20-to%20publish.pdf/ [1] Can Leicester get back to it’s garment manufacturing heyday? October 2017 https://makeitbritish.co.uk/made-in-britain-news/leicester-garment-manufacturing/ [1] THIS ARTICLE IN THE TIMES IS MISLEADING AND MAKES ME SO MAD! By Kate Hills https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/article-times-misleading-makes-me-so-mad-kate-hills/ [1] Fashion and Textile Manufacturing in the UK 07/09/2017 http://www.ukft.org/newsletter-details.php?page=news&psub=newsletter&nlid=269&perpage=10&nlyear=&nltype=1 [1] Returning fashion manufacturing to the UK - opportunities and challenges by Hannah Gould 10/06/2104 https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/sustainable-fashion-blog/returning-fashion-manufacturing-uk-opportunities-challenges [1] The Times Business Clinic with Jenni Holloway 01/08/2017 http://www.fashioncapital.co.uk/services/press-cuttings/15985-the-times-business-clinic-with-jenny-holloway [1] A New Industry on a Skewed Playing Field: Supply Chain Relations and Working Conditions in UK Garment Manufacturing by University of Leicester December 2014 https://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/press/for-journalists/media-resources/Leicester%20Report%20-%20Final%20-to%20publish.pdf/ [1] http://sustainability.debenhamsplc.com/ethical-trade-programmes/ [1] Positive Fashion http://www.britishfashioncouncil.co.uk/About/Positive-Fashion Read my guest blog post on this subject here: https://robertastylelee.co.uk/is-ethical-fashion-reserved-for-the-wealthy/
As the Boy Wonder is getting older (he is now 7 and a half, I don't quite know how that happened!) and more exposed to the wider world around him I begin to consider how much to make him aware of. As a mother my instinct would often be to protect him from the nastier side of life, but having lost his dad at a young age I know this isn't realistic. With so many terror attacks happening all around us these days, I imagine many of us are struggling to know what to tell our kids in order to explain such things while not frightening them. I have the same quandary in some ways with what I tell my son about fast fashion and my work in fighting against it.
Many of us mums have probably said to our kids when they won't eat their dinner that there are starving children in Africa, but how much of that can they really understand? I know I didn't when my mum said it to me as a kid and I would tell her to post it to them! So, maybe that distance and separation will help me to protect him a little from the worst horrors of my industry, but it could also make it very unreal to him. Having been brought up a vegetarian the Boy Wonder is maybe more aware than some on ethics in regard to animals so maybe this is a start. As a middle class, white boy growing up in the western world I want him to be fully aware of his privilege and to know there are many others less fortunate. Therefore, I believe that openness and honesty is the only way to stimulate empathy and understanding in him while maybe steering clear of the more gruesome and complicated areas. So, how could I explore ethical fashion and yet engage my son? I have come up with a few ideas for this based on the Fashion Revolution course I recently did. 1) Be curious: Firstly kids are naturally curious, so getting them to investigate like a detective will become a fun task. Getting them to find out about their own clothes - maybe the ones they are wearing or a favourite of theirs? Looking at the labels to find out where they are made, and what they are made out of is a great start. Which country are most of their clothes made in? How many are made from polyester? Asking in shops where the clothes are made or whether they have organic cotton. 2) Find out: Then delving deeper into finding out who could have made them, what the countries are like where they live and where the raw materials come from. The difficult part is making it real to children, for example, finding out that a child the same age as them could have made their clothes makes more of a connection to them. What can they find out about the materials used and their impact? Researching, imagining and maybe drawing the journey their clothes have taken to get to them will make them aware of the resources and carbon footprint involved in the fashion industry. How many miles has it travelled? How many litres of water used in production? How much pesticides and their affect? Your local library, school and of course the internet will have all sorts of resources. 3) Do something: The concluding part could be to work out how to change the way you shop together for clothes. They could try out different ways to make our clothes last longer by repairing, revamping, reusing or swapping them with friends. Look at donating and also buying from second hand shops or finding out what clothes you can buy locally? Maybe even considering hiring clothes for a special occasion and explaining the reasons why all these things matter in relation to what you found in your investigations. Obviously this has to be age appropriate and younger kids would need more hands on help with it. Don't forget to ask your kids their thoughts and ideas at every stage, you will often be surprised by their insight or practical ideas. By the age of 7 most kids already have a fixed idea of the world, however these ideas can be challenged and changed. So for me and the Boy Wonder that time is now! Ismay x #FashionRevolution #EthicalFashion #WonderKids Related Posts Wake up to Child Labour Who Made my Jeans? Pt1 Who Made my Jeans? Pt2
So I continue on from where I left off last week looking into who made my River Island skinny jeans.
Our investigations turned at this point from the garment workers and factories, or tier one to tier two, which is where all the materials and components that go into the product come from. As I have still had no response from River Island on where the cotton came from that my jeans are made out of I had to make some educated guesses. The largest exporter of cotton is the United States but the second largest is India. I presume this is the more likely country of origin for my jeans fabric as their cotton would have been cheaper. India is again well known for using child and forced labour according to the United States Labor Dept. In 2014 Mani, was working in the cotton fields of Karnataka aged just 14. She spoke about her abusive employer to the United Nation's Children's Fund. “He scolded us with bad words and would strike us on the legs, back and shoulders,” Mani said. But because a farmer had loaned her parents 20,000 rupees (about $326) in exchange for four years of their daughter’s labor [sic], she could do nothing." “We have a lot of poverty. That’s why we sent her,” said Mani’s mother, Sundamma. “I don’t want her to work. After the fields, she has red eyes, her hands are sore, and sometimes she vomits and gets dizzy from [the] sun. I do want my daughter in school. She’s happy there.” In every stage of the cotton process child workers are reported, from seeding, picking and onwards in all major cotton growing countries; China, Pakistan, India, Uzbekistan, Brazil and Turkey. They are at high risk of developing Byssinosis or brown lung disease from the cotton dust and are exposed to high levels of toxic pesticides with no protection, as well as being vulnerable to sexual abuse and even fatalities. The BBC spoke to Mr. Katiyar, a campaigner for labour action, about the child workers who reported that "there have been cases of them (the children) falling asleep through exhaustion and suffocating in the piles of raw cotton." Another child worker in the cotton fields of Gujurat talked to the Environmental Justice Foundation ‘The owner used to beat us if a single plant got missed. He used to beat us with pipes. We would get up at 4 in the morning and work for 12 hours a day…The partner of my farm owner used to switch off the lights at night and forcibly carry the girls sleeping on the floor, on to his cot.’ The cotton growers of India are also victims themselves . The Daily Mail reported how farmers were encouraged to buy expensive genetically modified cotton seeds that promised bumper harvests and more pest resistance. They would then become severely indebted after frequent crop failures and subsequently hundreds of thousands of Indian cotton farmers have committed suicide 'We are ruined now,' said [Suresh Bhalasa's] 38-year-old wife. 'We bought 100 grams of BT Cotton. Our crop failed twice. My husband had become depressed. He went out to his field, lay down in the cotton and swallowed insecticide.' These stories are very hard to hear and of course I have to add the caveat that I don't know for certain that my jeans and the cotton they are made from were made by the hands of children or grown by impoverished and indebted farmers. I don't know because River Island can't or won't tell me but there is a possibility and that makes me very sad. I do hope that by doing these investigations for the Who Made My Clothes course that I have encouraged some of you to ask more questions about where your clothes comes from too. Demanding transparency from our fashion brands is an important way to shed light on the lives of the workers and bring about positive change. I hope reading these stories hasn't put you off following my blog, I don't want to brow beat anyone into submission simply just tell you a little more about your clothes. #WhoMadeMyClothes #FashionRevolution #RiverIsland #IndianCottonWorkers
During the last month I have been taking an online (free!) course called Who Made My Clothes through futurelearn.com and the University of Exeter. Having watched The True Cost film on Netflix which investigates the Rana Plaza tragedy where over 1000 garment workers died during a factory collapse and subsequently getting involved with Fashion Revolution week back in April this course appealed to my interest in ethical fashion.
We were asked to choose some of our own clothes to investigate and try and uncover stories about the people who made them. I enjoyed playing super-sleuth, but it wasn't an easy nor happy task. I thought I already knew a lot about the rotten core of the fast fashion industry having done a lot of research on the subject for my business. However I still found myself shocked and tearful when faced with the human stories I uncovered. I chose three different garments to start with but then had to focus on one which ended up being a pair of black skinny jeans (92% Cotton, 6% polyester & 2% elastane) from River Island which were made in Turkey. I focussed on these mainly because River Island customer service was initially quite helpful when asked where the cloth came from. They actually responded whereas French Connection when asked about my white dress didn't bother and stayed ominously silent. River Island stated through Twitter that they would contact their production team and look into it for me. However I have had no answer on this now for a month and don't imagine that I will. Many of the other course participants had similar problems so we were asked then to investigate the countries of manufacture for information about garment workers and then what we could find out on the countries that were likely to have produced the materials involved. Furthermore what was the track record of these chosen retailers on ethical issues? This way we could uncover likely or possible stories that the brands are not keen to tell us themselves. As my jeans were made in Turkey it became obvious from news articles such as this one from The Guardian that they could have been made by Syrian refugees. (NB. This is a guess not a fact) "On this weekday morning most Turkish children are in school, but this Syrian boy is busy supplying the 15 sewing machines producing clothing mainly destined for the European market. Shukri, a Syrian Kurd who fled with his uncle from Qamishli in northern Syria 10 months ago, often works 60 hours a week earning 600 Turkish lira (£138) to help support his family. “I can’t go to school here because of work,” he says ". "The factory’s supervisor agrees that 12 years old is very young to be working so many hours, but shrugs off responsibility. “It’s not our fault that they need to work,” he says, “the state failed to provide for them.” In the Fairwear Foundation's 2016 report on the clothing industry in Turkey it states "Syrian families who are trying to survive in Turkey end up in the lowest paid and most precarious segments of the workforce, due to economic pressure. Since Syrians often lack the residence or work permits that would allow them to work legally in Turkey, without any official sources of income they have no other choice but to accept to work in very hard conditions" In February 2016 The Independent reported that The Business and Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC) asked 28 major brands about Turkish suppliers and what strategies they had in place to prevent Syrian children and adults being exploited within their supply chain. Ten companies including River Island have yet to respond. So as I am already feeling rather ashamed of my River Island purchase and only covered half of what I found I shall save the rest until next week! I just hope you have to stomach to stick with me and read on! #WhoMadeMyClothes #FashionRevolution #RiverIsland #FairWearFoundation #FutureLearn Winston Churchill once said "those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it" this truism rang in my ears recently as we visited Cromford Mills in Derbyshire. Those of you who have been reading past blog entries or know your history will know this to be the first water powered cotton spinning mill that sparked the industrial revolution. Situated just down the road from where I grew up, it is part of the Derwent Mills UNESCO world heritage site which provide a tangible glimpse into our textile history. Built in 1771 by Richard Arkwright, an entrepreneurial man who patented a carding machine and water loom that launched the mass production of cotton.
Working conditions in Victorian cotton mills were notoriously arduous and dangerous but Sir Richard Arkwright was seen by many to be a good man. He built most of the houses in the village for his mill workers and their families and for the weavers that spun his yarn. A hotel, mill and market were also established as was a chapel where the children attended Sunday school and received an basic education which was somewhat of a luxury for most mill workers. They worked twelve hour shifts with an hour for lunch for a six days a week with a week's holiday a year and even had medical insurance. Child labour was sadly used which can never be condoned. What Sir Richard had known, even a over 300 years ago, was that it was important and beneficial to respect his workers. Happy workers means better productivity and is better for business as attested to by vast fortune and knighthood in 1786. This ethos is sadly missing today in our modern fashion & textile industry. Most workers, some just children, are in mainly developing countries work very long hours with few breaks or leave, have little or no rights, no housing or education provision and no medical insurance. In this day and age things should be different surely? At the close of fashion revolution week to mark the Rana Plaza tragedy I am inspired by Cromford Mill to think about how the industry and consumers can move forward in a positive way and learn from both the good and bad aspects of our distant and recent past. What are the barriers to change or what could be the agents for change? I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas as I try to challenge such barriers and establish positive agents within my business. Ismay x #TextileHistory #ArkwrightsMill #RanaPlaza #FashionRevolution The 24th April marks the fourth anniversary of the Rana Plaza tragedy. This garment factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh collapsed killing 1,134 people and injuring around 2,500 others, mainly women aged 18-20 years old. Children were among the number that died as the nursery facilities were on the top floor and 200 people have still not been found.
It is the biggest and most horrific industrial accident to have happened within the fashion industry and highlights the dangerous working conditions that such workers toil under. When the workers arrived in the morning they didn't want to go into the building because of large cracks that had appeared in the walls making it obviously unsafe. Gang members were paid by the owner to beat the workers back into the factory, being told if they didn't work they wouldn't get paid for the whole month. Many survivors were trapped in the rubble for days and had to have limbs amputated. The workers were making clothes for 29 US, European and Canadian labels such as Benneton, Walmart and Primark. Their normal shift was 12-13 hours long with just two days off a month. A new accord on factory and building safety in Bangladesh was drawn up not long afterwards but many of the American brands involved did not want to sign up to it and decided to draw up their own plan which was strongly criticised for being less stringent. Only 9 of the brands attended the meetings to discuss victim compensation and only 7 had contributed to the fund by the following year. Full compensation has still yet to be paid to all the workers from the big name brands whose garments were being made at rock bottom prices. Sadly there have been many other disasters before and since Rana Plaza including the fire at Tazreen fashions which killed 117 and injured over 200. So why aren't things changing and what can we do about it? I believe we all have a great powers we can wield and one is social media; Ask your favourite brands where your garments are made and about the workers. Secondly use your purchasing power; if you aren't happy with their answer or want to buy something knowing it has been produced ethically then look to other brands who offer this. The 24th April is Fashion Revolution day so join us and be part of it and use the hashtag #whomademyclothes. To find out more watch The True Cost movie available on Netflix. Ismay x #fashionrevolution #ethicalfashion #thetruecost Transparency is a buzz word in the fashion industry these days, but what does it really mean? As consumers we are becoming more aware of what we are buying and want to know the provenance of them. Who made them, were the workers well paid and working in safe environments and what are they made from? Some of us would also ask what impact the materials and processes of manufacturing our purchase has had on the workers and the environment.
Supply chain transparency is the amount of information that a company makes available about all these things. Who their suppliers are, where they source their products from and how and if their factories are inspected. The supply chain is the people and resources involved in moving the product from the supplier to you, the buyer. In this consumer lead, tech-savvy world we should be able to access this information freely and easily. However some brands have no idea who makes their clothes and what impact they have and some quite honestly don't seem to care. We have all seen the headlines when a big high street name has been caught out using child workers or paying slave wages and I (and probably many of you) assumed that after having been publicly shamed they would get their act together. Sadly this isn't always the case. There are repeat offenders and some that feign complete ignorance and shift the blame. However most brands are now starting to realise that transparency is the way forward and enables a brand to be truly credible and authentic even when they have to be honest about problems they are trying to address. As a case in point, back in the 90's, Nike were seen to be one of the worst culprits dogged by reports of sweatshops but are now leading the way in transparency. There are over 150 reports of Nike factory inspections available to read on the Fair Labor Association's website that attest to this. This was change brought about by activism and boycott more than 20 years ago and which now gives the consumer a great power in influencing brand behaviour through our social media channels . If we aren't happy with what they are doing or want to know more, we should say so and they need to listen. The more we know, or demand to know, as buyers of any kind of product the more we can choose to buy according to our ethics and support good practice around the world. Patagonia uses very clear and creative ways to show complete transparency about their supply chain and is proud to do so. Their customers appreciate this and it becomes part of the story behind the garments themselves. How fascinating is it to learn how many people it took to create your purchase, how many sheep to provide the wool or how many miles it has travelled to get to the store? Ismay x #SupplyChainTransparency #Nike #Patagonia |
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