Fast Fashion and Coronavirus
In an unprecedented pandemic, is fashion protecting its people?
No one should die for fashion.
Garment workers shouldn’t die in a factory disaster, like they did at Rana Plaza in 2013, and like they did just last month in India. Cotton farmers shouldn’t die because their debt at the hands of GMO suppliers become unmanageable to the point of suicide. And retail workers shouldn’t die because they are forced to come to work in the coronavirus crisis.
Retailers with billionaire CEOs are begging for rent relief while their front-line sales staff, many on insecure zero hours contracts, are forced to come to work. In the name of trends, these workers have come face to face with the virus through the public they exchange cash and fabrics and recycled air with, and infecting others by turning up unwell (that’s what jobs without guaranteed sick pay will give you no choice but to do). Meanwhile, the people who make clothes for these brands are at a higher risk than ever. (follow the Clean Clothes Campaign live blog on the impact of coronavirus on garment workers for more details, and follow Draper’s Coronavirus fashion business tracker here).
The inimitable writer on fashion and sustainability, Aja Barber, has been investigating claims from major high street and luxury brands that staff wellbeing is their ‘priority’. Many of the brands she’s highlighted on Twitter have been operating on ‘business as usual’, offering no clarity on employee protections, and in some cases even using the pandemic to promote their ‘working from home’ outfit ideas. Here, she sums up the problem perfectly:
“We knew fast fashion was bad, but this is really truly bad. This will kill people and it will be right on our doorstep instead of in a factory thousands of miles away”
I think it’s also important to state the obvious - the sustainable fashion conversation will inevitably slip during this pandemic, while all of us focus on more urgent needs. This excellent blog post by ethical fashion and lifestyle blogger Besma Whayeb (aka. Curiously Conscious) discusses whether it is even possible to be sustainable during Coronavirus, the interconnectedness of social justice and sustainability, and most importantly, a clear message about not using this crisis to promote environmentalism. Reduced carbon emissions are not a ‘silver lining’ - this doesn’t mean that nature won’t have a much-needed time to heal, but framing this disease as a positive ‘solution’ is hugely disrespectful to the tens of thousands who are suffering.
On that note, I hope you don’t mind my continuation of content surrounding ethical fashion. I’m a freelance digital marketer and copywriter, so to keep myself financially afloat throughout this time, continuing to show up online is vital. I am not a reputable news or scientific source, therefore my advice on coronavirus is a moot point, therefore I need to focus on what I do best. My priority with this content is to ensure the fashion supply chain’s most vulnerable people are not forgotten, and that the fashion revolution continues, no matter what. And of course, support other small and ethical businesses to keep, on, swimming.
NEWSFLASH!
All the ethical fashion articles you need to read from the last two weeks.
Wardrobe Crisis | Could #Coronavirus Mean The End Of Fashion As We Know It?
Vogue Business | As Coronavirus Spreads, Supply Chain Workers Face Layoffs
Vogue Business | The Impact of Fashion’s ‘Sustainable’ Capsule Collections
Common Objective | Is Recycled Polyester Green or Greenwashing?
The Guardian | Are laboratory-grown diamonds the more ethical choice to say 'I do'?
Sourcing Journal | Fashion Will Stay Unsustainable if it Can’t Get the Business Model Right
The Business of Fashion | Plastic Hangers Are Fashion’s Plastic Straws
Fortune | What clothing companies and consumers can do to reduce fashion’s environmental impact
ARE YOU LISTENING?
New podcast episodes to fill your ears with conscious conversation
Pssst.. all things well and pandemic pending, I will be launching my very own podcast with an extremely exciting co-host soon - keep your eyes peeled on Instagram.
SOMETHING FOR THE WEEKEND
I spoke with sustainability agency Sunda Studio about all the intersection of fashion, environment and business for their new series, ‘The Small Matter of Sustainability’. Read the interview here. Photo by Kirsty McLachlan.
BRAND OF THE FORTNIGHT
This week I’m sharing just a few of my favourite local labels from Scotland - support small business, always. It doesn’t just have to be through purchasing. Image by Bethany Grace for Akvile Su.
Zen Zero // Olivia Rose the Label // Akvile Su // All that is Braw //Rachel McMillan
Rejean Denim // Ruth Leslie // Hayley McSporran // Collingwood Norris
Thanks for reading the fifth issue of The Ethical Fashion Roundup! This content is a labour of love and will remain free for the foreseeable future. I want to also assure you that I will not talk too much about Coronavirus, so this can your a small fortnightly distraction - your chance to learn something new and take action.
If you’re a new subscriber, you can explore previous issues here. Have some feedback? Email me, follow me on Instagram or Tweet me to get in touch.