As modern slavery allegations blight the world of fast fashion and the world pauses to think about the impact of consumerism in lockdown, is this the turning point to change the fashion industry for the better?
- Shoppers are buying fewer items of clothing than they did four years ago
- People Tree managing director Melanie Traub says “retailers could learn that there is another option out there”
- Fast fashion is “inherently unethical” and brands are “jumping on the sustainability bandwagon”, says Tala’s Sarah Gillespie
Allegations that fast fashion giant Boohoo was found to be using modern slavery to make its clothes in a Leicester sweatshop rocked retail this month – however, few were surprised. Leicester’s rogue rag trade has been an open secret in the UK fashion industry for years.
However, the fresh media coverage has brought renewed attention to the ethics of fashion’s supply chain at home and abroad, particularly within fast fashion.
Using complex supply chains to produce huge volumes of clothing at low prices in super-fast time creates many ethical challenges that are difficult to manage.
Meanwhile, lockdown has quelled consumerism for many and led some to a rethink how they buy clothes. Could this be the moment that the fashion industry is turned on its head and ‘slow fashion’ – clothing designed and made to be sustainable and long-lasting using slower production – rises to the fore?
More conscientious consumers
Slow fashion can include a range of different concepts, from better treatment of workers to using sustainable materials and recycled packaging. But at its heart is a more considered approach to clothing – from supplier, to purchase, to how the consumer uses it.
There are signs that consumers are using and thinking about fashion differently. Over the last five years, people have been cutting back on the amount of clothing they buy, according to Kantar consumer fashion specialist Michael Mackenzie.
“The average shopper bought 76 items per year in 2016, whereas it’s now down to 72,” he says. “That might seem like a small reduction but it’s relatively large in the grand scheme of things.”
“What we are left with are more compassionate consumers that recognise the interconnectedness of the world, communities and each other”
Cara Smyth, Accenture
Mackenzie believes this trend is likely to continue. “Lockdown and social distancing measures and the other associated barriers to shopping at the moment, as well as the fact that there are currently fewer occasions to buy clothes for, will potentially lead to consumers really having time to think about those clothes they do purchase,” he says.
“Clothing will move away from being an impulsive purchase to something that is more planned and therefore sustainability and the ethical profile of that brand may perhaps become more important within the considerations for purchase.”
Accenture managing director for global responsible retail Cara Smyth agrees. “We’re all thinking ‘what is in my closet?’ because we’re all stuck in our houses and wondering whether we need everything that’s in there. Off the back of the pandemic, we will see some behavioural shifts and we will think more carefully about what we want and how long we will keep it.
“What we are left with are more compassionate consumers that recognise the interconnectedness of the world, communities and each other. Consumers will make different decisions so fast fashion, like every other company, can do better and absolutely should be trying to do better and evolve now.”
Smyth predicts that pressure from customers and investors – Boohoo’s share price plummeted 40% this month on the back of the modern slavery allegations – can force this fast fashion evolution.
Slow fashion spotlight: People Tree
People Tree was launched in 1991 and has been quietly using sustainable and ethical practices to create organic garments ever since.
The brand adopts traditional methods such as weaving, knitting and embroidery by hand, and uses low impact dyes in order to safeguard the environment and its customers’ health.
Consequently, the brand moves at a much slower pace, placing orders further in advance in order to allow time for creation.
“To People Tree, slow fashion means we have to work with our producers to give them sufficient time to create the items properly,” explains managing director Melanie Traub.
“What that usually means is that we have to commit to orders much further in advance. For example, by the end of August, we will have committed to our spring/summer 2021 collection so that they can take the time to weave the fabrics, give the staff enough time to do everything without working overtime or work funny hours, so we really have to plan for it.
“For the stores we sell to, we ask them to commit earlier to ordering our products than if we were an ordinary fast fashion business. It just means you have to take things way slower.
People Tree also advocates fairtrade and fair wages for workers.
“Not only do we visit the factories, but we do regular interviews with workers,” says Traub.
“Instead of using a manager as a translator, we hire independent native speakers to help conduct the interviews to ensure that the answers are honest and fair, and we’ll just pick people at random to ask what they’re paid and what hours they work to make sure the record and reality mix.”
Traub says People Tree has proven popular during the pandemic as consumers become more conscious, with a strong interest in organic cotton products.
“I think retailers could learn that there is another option out there, a better way to do business – hopefully this will be a positive that comes out of the situation,” she says.
Changemakers
For larger brands, overhauling supply chains could seem like a daunting and expensive task but as sustainability makes its way higher up consumers’ considerations and more ethical competition enters the market, it may become a hygiene factor rather than a nice-to-have.
“I think we will see increased players in the slow fashion industry,” says Mackenzie. “That kind of behaviour and business model is normally aligned with smaller operators and more niche companies and there are plenty that do it well and admirably.
“For the larger brands and retailers that have more complex supply chains that model is going to be a challenge to put in place but there are some that are very clear and transparent about the factories they source from.”
He gives the example of Boden, a brand that makes clear on its website the factories it uses.
Following the Boohoo furore, Asos chief executive Nick Beighton was also eager to point out that it publishes a list of its suppliers. It was also quick to ditch Boohoo brands from its roster of third party brands when the modern slavery claims were brought to light.
“Broadly fast fashion is inherently unethical. What we have seen is a lot of brands jumping on the sustainability bandwagon”
Sarah Gillespie, Tala
Fast fashion behemoth Primark has also made positive steps to improve how its supply chain operates.
“We have been working hard for many years to minimise our impact on the planet across our supply chain, from the way we source our raw materials to the way we transport our products to our depots, shipping the vast majority by sea and road, not air, and packaging them more efficiently, prioritising more sustainable practices wherever possible,” says a Primark spokesman.
“We’re also bringing more products made using more sustainable fibres to our customers, with ranges made from Primark’s sustainable cotton to recycled polyester. We realise there is always more to be done in this area and are committed to playing our part.”
However, Sarah Gillespie, brand manager of sustainable activewear retailer Tala, questions whether fast-fashion players can really be sustainable.
“I think broadly fast fashion is inherently unethical,” she says. “What we have seen is a lot of brands jumping on the sustainability bandwagon, incorporating it into one collection they do or launching a temporary initiative, but it’s not rooted in everything they do so customers have no idea what’s really going on behind the scenes.
“We encourage our audience to take the time to research where the clothing is coming from. If you can’t find that information, if you can’t find where it’s being produced or what the conditions are like, then there’s probably a reason for that.”
While Gillespie understands it is difficult for mainstream fashion firms to overhaul business practices overnight, she says small changes can make a big difference.
“I’m sure there’s an easy way to make changes without overhauling the entire business, even if it’s offsetting your carbon footprint or using recycled packaging,” she says. “Baby steps in the right direction show that they’re thinking that way and listening to what the consumers are demanding.”
Slow fashion spotlight: Tala
Activewear brand Tala was created by fitness influencer Grace Beverley with sustainability and slow fashion at its core.
The brand, which was launched in May 2019, ensures every element from packaging to production is in line with its sustainable values.
“To us, the slow fashion label means taking a lot more care across each and every element of the brand,” says Tala brand manager Sarah Gillespie.
“It starts with using accredited organisations to ensure all our suppliers have been audited.” She says audits cover quality of materials, the use of chemicals, working conditions and pay.
It also conducts many factory visits and, in the spirit of a company set up by an Instagram influencer, broadcasts footage from these excursions. For International Women’s Day this year, Tala visited one of its factories in Portugal to conduct video interviews with a range of workers there, which were then shown on the brand’s Instagram TV channel.
Tala also makes items with “the highest proportion of sustainable materials we possibly can”, says Gillespie.
“The majority of our activewear contains 92% upcycled or recycled materials, and our loungewear has 100% upcycled or recycled material, such as cotton and even plastic bottles. We’re really proud of those figures and we’re working with our suppliers to better that.
“Our packaging is made from 100% recycled and recyclable materials and we’ve recently made a change from black to white plastic as research has shown white plastic is easier to break down.”
Another unique sustainable feature of Tala is that product tags are made out of seeded paper, and customers can opt to plant them in soil and grow a surprise plant such as basil, sunflowers and fennel - meaning there’s no waste.
With ethics and sustainability threaded into its operations, Tala aims to take on the fast fashion industry and steal its business.
“I hope that as we grow our audience stays vocal and votes with their money,” says Gillespie. “If we continue the way we’re going, we will be able to drive that change in the industry and those brands will have no choice but to listen. It comes back to: if we can do it, what’s your excuse?”
The realities of slow fashion
As its name would indicate slow fashion, these brands cannot react to the latest trends or pivot their collections at a moment’s notice.
Mackenzie says this means the movement is more geared towards basic clothing; however, there are ways to ensure all clothing made this way remains on trend, says Traub.
“It’s challenging because we are working at a different pace to the rest of the industry. We have to get hold of the first trend books that come out because we’re doing everything ahead of the major fashion shows, which can be difficult. We are a fashionable brand so that’s what we have to do,” she explains.
As a brand aimed towards the 18-to-35-year-old customer, Tala is competing with a host of fast-fashion brands that, Gillespie says, can see a celebrity wearing a product and have a similar item listed on their website within a few weeks – but Tala cannot do the same.
Another reality is that profit margins are slimmer, admits Gillespie. “It costs more to produce sustainable products and from the beginning, we always said that we would keep our price points at an accessible level. We don’t want to outprice our customers, as historically sustainable apparel is known as a luxury that the majority can’t really afford.
“While there are some downsides, it’s not something we are willing to compromise on. If we can do it as a start-up, there’s no excuse for bigger brands not to be increasing their sustainability and ethical credentials.”
Moreover, if sustainable practices become the norm, the process will become cheaper, she says.
Big retailers are beginning to take notice of the movement. Zara-owner Inditex has pledged to use only sustainable materials by 2025, while H&M has promised to do the same by 2030. Of course, this is far from shunning fast fashion but it is making production more ethical.
Mackenzie refers to H&M, which has stocked its Conscious Collection of sustainably-made products for more than 10 years, as the “poster boy” for mainstream retailers adopting more sustainable practices.
“It’s clear commitment to conscious behaviour proves that multinational retailers can look to change and have elements of their offer be more sustainable. As a result, H&M’s market share has increased, showing that there are lucrative opportunities for those that behave differently.”
Smyth says widespread change will be driven by consumers buying more sustainable products. “The more consumers are asking for and buying sustainable products, then the more retailers will have to listen to the demands. We all have a place in evolving businesses to be what we want them to be. If there’s no real demand for slow fashion then there’s no reason for brands to make those changes.”
The demand is there and growing. Perhaps it is time for fashion retailers to slow down the pace in order to keep up with it.
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