Sustainable and Ethical Fashion has always been a bit of a taboo subject that merely got skimmed over in the past. This was until, at long last the animal testing ban came in to play. I think this kick started the issues that surround Fast Fashion and what was being put into our Beauty Products. It has somewhat been a bit of a roller coaster journey since then, but hopefully it’s a starting to move forward.
We are no longer seeing ‘Fast Fashion’ just on the high street. With larger and growing numbers of the younger generation being able to afford more luxury labels at different price points, they want to see both on trend pieces that are in season as well as key fashion pieces that will last a few decent years. But how do brands juggle trying to design on pieces that are sustainable, environmentally friendly, on trend, and something you’ll want to pull out the wardrobe in a couple of years time? Tough, right? I’d like to think that in this day of age, with all styles being accepted, fast fashion shouldn’t be as big of an issue, so why is it?
73% of Millennials have demonstrated a willingness to pay more for products that are sustainable.
Everyone from millennial’s to Gen-Z are demanding more and more to know where their item’s are coming from, (along with how their food is sourced and what impact industries have on the planet of course), how they are made, who they are made by and the exact materials used (i’m pretty sure some brands tell a few white lies still, don’t they…). At the moment, the textile production industry creates 1.2 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually- surely everyone agrees with me when I say it shouldn’t have got to this crisis point and for millennials to throw their hands in the air to say they will pay more and buy less, well made long lasting products? In the early days of 2019, there has already been protests throughout London addressing the issue. “There’s no fashion on a dead planet.”was protested outside Victoria’s Beckham’s show at the Tate Britain last Sunday and signs reading “Ethical is always on trend,”
Marie Kondo is teaching us to”love our stuff” and begin to look at what we have with new eyes.
Marie Kondo — consistently reminding the nation how poorly organised our wardrobes are and guilt tripping us for having a ridiculous amount of clothing, because, well it’s fashion and we love it. But as much as I try and block her voice in my head, she is 100% correct. We know longer buy products that are ‘built to last’ whether that’s in fashion, tech, mechanics, the list is endless. That’s where brands have to start taking responsibility and make crucial decisions that are going to have a significant impact on the environment- will they prioritise profits of fast fashion sales or the future of the planet? I know which one everyone will SAY they will choose, but not necessarily what they will DO. Brands also need to start communicating with their customers as to where their products are made and the type of environment they are made in. It goes without saying that for most the people who will make the products on our high street in other countries, its their only means to survive and have an income- but brands need to start proving how they are looking after their employees, that they have a fair and minimum wage, a safe and nurturing work environment, sensible working hours and appropriate training. In a recent article, brands like Big W, Kmart, Target and Cotton have come under fire due to an Oxfam report claiming they pay their workers as little as 51 cents an hour, that’s $169 a month and found 100% of surveyed workers in Bangladesh and 74% in Vietnam could not make ends meet. Would you still buy that $20 jumper if you knew the woman who made it couldn’t afford to feed her daughter? We know what the morally correct answer is, but I think it’s fair to say it’s far from what we actually do.
Beauty is by no means an exception either. Even though more and more brands are using vegan friendly ingredients and are cruelty free, there are two main issues we face in today’s Beauty industry. It’s the use of palm oil and plastic packaging. I have spoken with candidates about beauty brands they want to work with or have even been offered jobs by but have turned them down due to them using palm oil in their products. LISTEN TO YOUR CONSUMERS! You can only go so far making excuses as to why you have use it in your products — you are going to have to stop eventually and hopefully sooner rather than later (if you are reading, and use palm oil in the products, please stop killing the orangutan’s. Id rather see them in the wild than the last 2 in the world behind glass in a zoo. Rant over :))
Our beauty regimes are responsible for 30% to 40% of landfill waste — a report by the World Wildlife Fund estimates that in 2018 alone, the UK will work through 10.8 billion wet wipes and 13.2 billion cotton buds.
Yeah- this needs to change. I think the example below show’s how hard it still is to find beauty and skincare products that abide to cruelty free, vegan, organic and palm oil free rules. But i think we are on the right path. More and more brands and start up beauty brands are choosing to make a difference and using recyclable or refillable products and setting the ground work for the future. This something that’s becoming increasingly popular and I truly believe that this is just the start and is setting the groundwork for the future of beauty and packaging. The big beauty brands will eventually follow in their footsteps.
This is a subject that i’m pretty sure most people could go on about for hours on end, there are too many brands to think of that are still completely backwards in terms of sustainability, but equally some that are at the forefront of change. I know that its something i’m conscious of (i am a bit of clothes hoarder) but this has made me think harder about what kind of products I buy and, do I really need that £10 sweater on special buy in Zara that will be forgotten about in a few months? Probably not.
What brands do you think are at the forefront of change? it would be interesting to hear what brands people love and how we can all learn from them in making the our Fashion industry something to be proud of…
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