Fashion: is it time to stop and think?

By Nathan Kamal Cortes Rojas

As London Metropolitan University‘s Fashion Newsweek draws to a close, we look back on what was discussed, from the future of fashion going virtual to how fashion has taken a hit from the pandemic.

A point that was brought up was how some manufacturers treat their workers and even mentioned the illegal work done by companies who exploited their workers in the name of Fast fashion.

Panellist Barry Laden MBE, an independent fashion entrepreneur, said that while these companies are at fault, the consumer also has a part in this terrible system.

“Many people… want to get the best price possible and get the best deals but at the same time you could ask those same people how they want the workers to be treated and of course they want to be sustainable…and honestly, you cannot have it both ways.”

It’s all about supply and demand

The point was that the supply and demand allow these companies to keep pushing forward and to keep making money. That means that as long as people continue to buy these products then they will keep making them.

The sad fact is that despite the 2020 conscious fashion report by Lyst, which found a 37% increase in searches for sustainable products, consumers are still buying fast fashion.

People often ask why, in our more “aware” society, have our shopping habits not undergone a drastic change. The answer is simple: many people can’t afford otherwise, and some cannot pay the premium for sustainable products.

Many of us purchase fast fashion because it is affordable, ethically wrong but affordable.

Gabriella La Croix, 18, student at the University of Glasgow, said: “I’d rather pay more knowing it doesn’t have so much impact on environmental issues and labour. Buy less clothes for a higher quality, however this isn’t always a reality for some people.”

Fast fashion scandals

Fast fashion has come under more fire in the last year as more and more scandals have popped up. The most acclaimed scandal concerned fashion house Boohoo, which was linked with a factory in Leicester that paid low wages in a life-threatening environment.

As a result, more people are becoming more conscious about what they are buying – and from whom.

The business model has always operated by manufacturing clothing and other fashion accessories at a high volume and selling it for cheap prices, but this has led to investigations by organisations like ILO, the International Labour Organization, which checks workplace conditions and attempt to stem illegal activity.

Now only time will tell if people heed what has been said and think more carefully next time they plan to buy clothes, and consider whether a few pounds off is worth having a system that allows child labour to exist.