A high profile fast fashion outlet made the headlines recently in the UK. During the first lockdown growing number of coronavirus cases led to claims over the lack of social distancing, poor working conditions and minimum wage violations at many of Leicester’s garment factories.
This isn’t a new problem. It’s not something that’s happening just during the Coronavirus. It’s something that has been happening for a long time. The fashion outlet knew about it, the media have reported on it and local government agencies have been trying to tackle it.
Around two years ago I was working for one of the local Members of Parliament in Leicester and when they realised there was a problem we were quick to get everyone together to see what could be done about it. The issue had come to light following a report in the Financial Times and a subsequent an inquiry by the Environmental Audit Committee.
A meeting was set up between various agencies in Leicester, the City Mayor and Members of Parliament to look at the problem and what we could do to solve it. Requests to meet with the outlet were strangely ignored for a long time and by the time they’d agreed a date I’d left the MP’s office.
Despite a desire to do something locally to tackle the problem, it turns out that local authorities are pretty powerless on this front. The power to issue improvement notices, or in extremely bad cases close down factories, lies with government agencies such as the Health and Safety Executive, Revenue and Customs and the National Crime Agency.
But the problem is bigger than Leicester. It’s more than just the working conditions and pay. Fast fashion is a global problem and one that’s contributing to the damage being done to our plant. A review of Dana Thomas’s FASHIONOPOLIS book in the New York Times claims that more than 60 per cent of fabric fibres are now synthetic — therefore they will not decay when they end up in landfill.
I’m not hugely into fashion. I can’t remember the last time I bought any new clothes — probably twice in the last year, once when I started a new job and then I think I bought some summer dresses not so long ago.
But even though I don’t buy clothes very often, I am still guilty of contributing to the problem. The clothes I buy are not designed to last — and they don’t. Although I try and get the most from them, and I send wearable clothing that I no longer need to charity shops, I’ve been guilty of throwing clothes away without a second thought.
These recent news stories started me thinking again about the sustainability of fast fashion and how our desires to have the latest fashion without a second thought about the consequences is encouraging bad working practices and contributing to the destruction of our planet.
So what can I do about it? Recently I saw a post from someone who has made a commitment to only shop for clothing from charity shops for twelve months. A bit of research and I learnt that many people have taken on this challenge before and it has changed their values and their shopping habits. The snobbery that many of us have in buying from charity shops is soon replaced with the realisation that you’re only buying what you need now. Shopping takes on a calmer, more enjoyable experience now that you’re now longer fighting others to get the latest fix or bargain in the sales.
It ticks all my boxes so is definitely worth a try. If buying more sustainably means that me, with my less than demanding shopping habit, can make a tiny difference to the world of fast fashion then I’m prepared to give it a go. And of course, there’s the money saving benefits too — I’ve only spent £20 so far and I’ve come away with a pair of jeans, a top, a dress, a smart work jacket and some great books too!
