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Why is ethical fashion so interesting, well for a few reasons, some more obvious than others. People have started to engage with how and where their clothes are made, this years Fashion Revolution Week is bigger than ever, I'm seeing more and more social media content, events and industry invites and press releases about how companies are taking part. They are responding to customer demand. Customers are increasing interested in buying ethical. I'm old enough to remember Naomi Klein publishing No Logo, but this time the wave seems more permanent.
Yes fast fashion in unfit factories is still the leader but step by step the change can be seen. 5 years ago you'd never see mention of ethical on the High Street, but a stroll through the town today will lead you to a myriad of multi-national retailers with at least a small section dedicated to the movement, either working conditions or sourcing, it's there and it's growing. H& M & Uniqlo are perfect examples of how the creep of products is coming along and how the supply chains measure up.
To supplement this a huge number of small and independent companies have popped up such as my personal faves Phannatiq & Po-Zu who are entirely founded on the notion of a product that is socially & environmentally responsible and this trend towards smaller and more unique and conscious labels shows no signs of stopping.
But perhaps the biggest change has been thanks to social media, these companies have been able to break the stereotype that ethical is all hemp shirts and cork sandels. Consumers are now able to access beautiful images of brands such as Pachacuti hats, Bottletop bags or Birdsong clothes. Ethical isn't dull fabrics in shapeless cuts, its bright, bold and brilliant, and so is the future of fashion if they succed, but that’s a big but.
I'll leave you with a challenge, how often do you think about your wardrobe, could you change even just 10% of it to more ethically produced garments, and here's the challenge, will you?
Ross Pollard