Ethical Fashion

Who made our clothes?

Do we know? 
Do we care? 

These are the questions asked by Fashion Revolution, an organisation set up to combat the enormous abuse of people and planet that has become the norm in the fashion industry over the last couple of decades. 

The collapse of a clothing factory in Bangladesh in 2013 led to a real wakeup call for brands whose workers, mainly young women, were killed in the tragedy, but this has not been broadcast very widely. Many people are still unaware of the impact their fashion choices have on the people who make their clothes. Alternatively, we may be uncomfortably aware that something is not quite right in the supply chain, but it is far enough away that we do not feel driven to make a change.

The fashion industry also has a lot to answer for environmentally, as dyes pollute seas, water is overused and polluted, or materials are used inefficiently and wasted.

So what can we do? 

1. Read the Fashion Transparency Index here: https://www.fashionrevolution.org/about/transparency/
It's really interesting and informative to see exactly how each brand surveyed scored in relation to how it treats its workers and the environment. It's a long read, so I have summarised some of the findings below.*
2. Put your money where your mouth is! Don't buy from the places that scored really low on the list, and do try to buy from the ones that scored higher. Perhaps also let them know why you've stopped buying from them - dropping an email to the customer service team could make all the difference!
3. Whenever you can afford it, buy clothes that are higher quality and will last longer. Resist the temptation to throw things away after a couple of months when you don't love them as much as you first did. Give them to friends, sell them, chop them up and make them into quilts! Try to buy from charity shops as much as you give to them, because they can often end up with a glut of clothes no one seems to want, which can lead to issues later on...
4. Try to mend the clothes you love if they're broken, instead of throwing them away. This website popped up on a Youtube add for me today: https://clothes-doctor.com/ and it looks like they mend clothes then post them back to you. I'm sure there are other similar websites, or if you have a local tailor take it to them! Reusing your clothes plus supporting a local business - a double win!
5. As consumers, demand that brands tell us exactly where the clothes they sell come from, who made them, and how they are intending to address issues such as gender inequality or waste and recycling. We can do this on social media, using #whomademyclothes, or email brands using a template provided on the homepage of fashion revolution's website. The Transparency Index found that the brands that were included generally got better with each year, which shows that being held accountable by consumers can make a real difference to shops' attitudes towards ethical fashion.
6. Write to a politician and demand that they focus on something other than Brexit for a change (!) and promise to try and alter policies and laws to focus on sustainable and ethical fashion in future. A template for a postcard to your local MP is here: https://www.fashionrevolution.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/FashionRevolution_postcard_instructions.pdf but you could also go rogue and make your own!

Good luck, and happy researching!


*I have only looked at UK brands because I don't know much about other countries' brands so I couldn't tell which were household names. The higher the percentage, the more that brand reveals about its policies on ethics and sustainability:

61-70% (good): H&M, Adidas, Reebok, Patagonia
51-60% (pretty good): ASOS, Converse, Nike, Timberland, The North Face, Vans, M&S, Gap
41-50% (ok): Pull & Bear, Zara, Hugo Boss, Calvin Klein
31-40% (ok): Tesco (F&F), Asda (George), Primark, Next
21-30% (not great): New Look, Debenhams, John Lewis, Sainsburys (Tu), Topshop, Clarks, Superdry
11-20% (bad): Very, Monsoon, Amazon, Lacoste, Boohoo
0-10% (very bad): River Island, Chanel, Sports Direct, Skechers, Foot Locker, Claire's.

I missed out lots, just put the ones I think most people have heard of. There are also scores for different categories in the full Index, so I would definitely recommend a read.


https://www.fashionrevolution.org/manifesto/
https://clothes-doctor.com/
https://www.facebook.com/buybetteruk/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-45745242