Ethical fashion and why it is so needed
What is ethical fashion? Basically an umbrella term for the clothing choices we make and fashion lifestyles we cultivate while being mindful of the environment and other fellow humans. This also includes advocating against a range of issues such as working conditions exploitation, fair trade, sustainable production, animal welfare and environmental damage. The reason why it's being emphasized so much is because its counterpart-“fast fashion” exists. In brief terms fast fashion is having a new stream of clothes getting released every single week or so by top fashion and marketing agents.
It's said that fast fashion is a “response to a huge market of consumers that are demanding high fashion clothes at low prices” but truthfully it's the companies creating that demands, by creating trends that come and go because then selling tons of clothes becomes easier. Most of such corporations feed off our emotions on certain social topics just as they do on our insecurities. For example, creating guilt among the consumers for things that don't even matter and thus creating a problem just to sell a solution.
Bu, for what reason?
All is done for money.
Resource: benjaminlennoxstudio
The world runs on it.
These micro-collections of clothes that are released every week or so and don't last even a season are made in sweatshops around the world and who are the workers to manufacture?
They are none other than overworked children, underpaid men and sexually abused women. Take for example the 'Feminist T-shirts' or 'environmentally conscious T-shirts which are just hypocritical at best. But why would that be problematic? Don't get me wrong, I agree with all of these causes, being a feminist myself. You support something you believe in, you advertise it to everyone, and you just feel like a more educated and opinionated human being, right? Not really. You look behind the scenes and realize you aren’t really supporting the cause. What you are doing instead is giving money to companies that capitalize your emotions for their personal profits while still promoting the very same practices that you are fighting against.
Which is problematic , very much!
These 'woke' clothes are made in factories where women have to put up with incredibly disgusting hygiene conditions, long working hours, sexual abuse, domestic violence and extremely low wages. Fast fashion isn't free, somewhere, someone is paying. And so, no, this isn't what “Feminism looks like”, even if the T-shirts say so. The irony of such clothes is not lost on the female workers themselves. Being very much aware of the inhumane conditions they face while some of the biggest female rights activists unintentionally keep on supporting these companies and indirectly harm the very group of people they want to protect. Which is why, it becomes to spread awareness on issues half of the people don't know about, to highlight the complete hypocrisy behind such fast fashion Multi-billion dollar corporations who take up such important and needed movements and turn them into just another stream of profit and capital. They're not being feminist, they're not supporting minorities, they're not being environmentally conscious. They're doing the exact opposite, while pretending otherwise. Selling the products, that contradicts the values and ethics of the customers while still keeping them in the dark about it. So what do you do? That is where ethical fashion comes in. Reuse clothes, don't buy if you don't need to, donate, recycle and support brands that actually believe in ethics and basic human rights.
Aware or pseudo-aware?
I'll leave that up to you.
Mishita Khurana ( IBDP Jr), Editor
Cambridge International Foundation School
2019-2020
“No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, and show up.”