So, I recently got my Dimbleby hat on and hosted a Question Time style talk on ethical fashion. Everything from the corporate accountability to design work was discussed. However, what really stood out for me was that most people in the room thought that the only way to be ethical is by boycotting multinational brands.
As multinational brands have made mistakes in the past and yes there is still a long way to go. It’s like Mallen Baker was saying in his recent article, Nike is always associated with sweatshop labour, but maybe we should stop associating Nike with ‘sweatshops’ now. I do think Nike takes a lot of flak for what happened in the 90’s. Since then they have made improvements and are constantly thinking of ways to be greener and more ethical. Yet when the subject of ethical fashion comes up people always concentrate on the negative things about Nike. And instantly think they need to boycott large companies like Nike, Primark etc.
Large companies DO need to take more responsibility for their supply chains and should be held accountable for their actions. But they need to be recognised for the positive changes they make too.
To support ethical fashion I don’t think you have to boycott brands. I think we need to start looking at our buying habits. Demand now exceeds production by 30%. This means garment workers work three times as hard to make what we want, and this is still not enough. This result's in tight deadlines, no room for mistakes and a greater emphasis on making clothes with no consideration as to HOW and WHO makes our clothes.
But don’t forget boycotting also results in workers losing jobs, jobs they so desperately depend on.
So what do you think?
Can you be ethical without boycotting? Is boycotting the answer?
Some interesting points are raised here as brands are so finely ingrained in our daily lives (iphone, blackberry,nike, addidas, primark etc etc)that to boycott them would mean boycotting everything, and I do not see that as a sustainable solution. I agree with you!it is consumer attitudes to fast fashion which we need to disect further as this seems like a more sustainable solution than to simply protest against consumerism.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, your point of what effect boycotting has on workers is one that is quite easily overlooked. With that being said, what do you propose as an alternate to boycotting?
ReplyDeleteReducing how much we buy is key; do you really need another pair of jeans? And if you do then don't completely rely on buying those jeans from the high street. Go to second hand shops, look on eBay you could even organise a clothes swap with friends. Start buying clothes you can see yourself wearing for longer than just one season. Next time you go shopping ask yourself 'is this good quality?' Instead of, 'how cheap is it?'
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