What is Ethical Fashion?

Since the world’s eyes have opened to the devastating environmental effects of the fashion industry, so many buzzwords have surfaced and it’s easy to get confused between them all. You might feel like you have some definitions sorted but ‘ethical fashion’ is often one that people don’t know much about. Don’t worry, we are here to talk about it and what it means in terms of changing our habits for a better future!

‘Sustainable Fashion’ has become such a buzzword that it has almost lost its true meaning, making it important that we break it down to better understand it. Sustainability just means that something can continue at its current rate without negative effects on people and resources. When many of us think of sustainable fashion, we think of which fabrics are used and how many garments go into landfill, but there is much more to the picture than that. Part of this picture is ethical fashion.

Ethical Fashion Definition

Ethical fashion can be defined as fashion that does not harm the planet by protecting the people involved in the process of making the garment from start to finish, as well as how the process affects wildlife.

Unfortunately, as the fashion industry has taken over, clothing brands have become extremely unethical in the way they treat human beings as well as their effects on the planet. How are fast fashion brands unethical?

Let’s start with working environment. Most large factories that supply to large fast fashion brands utilise their space as much as possible to reduce costs; this means that people and machinery are crammed into small spaces. As you can imagine, this leads to harmful and stressful conditions that are not safe or healthy to work in. Garment workers don’t even get the necessities needed for decent human treatment such as regular water and toilet breaks, and are forced to work overtime to meet demands. These are things that, as part of a Western workforce, we can’t even imagine.

It's not only the working environment that is unethical in these giant factories, but also what the garment workers are subject to when dealing with fabrics and dyes. In China it is said that you can tell which colour is on trend by the colour of the rivers – how can this be good for the planet? These dyes contain harmful chemicals which can damage the health of factory workers, as well as people and animals in surrounding villages due to water contamination. It is far more ethical to use dyes and fabrics that do not contain chemicals and are naturally safe for the environment, so look out for this when purchasing from fashion brands.

What makes a fashion brand ethical?

A fashion brand can be viewed as ethical if its workers are paid a decent wage, treated fairly and generally not exploited to meet the demands of the company. Not only does an ethical brand care for people, but it must also care for the environment. Ethical brands can do this by using eco-friendly fabrics, not using harmful dyes, and reducing their carbon footprint as much as possible.

Why is Ethical Fashion expensive?

The question should really be why are fast fashion clothes so cheap? The issue is that big fast fashion brands get all their clothing made in poorer countries where they can pay garment workers a criminally low wage and get away with it. This means their cost per garment is so low that even though their clothing is cheap in price, they still make a whopping great profit.

It is estimated that only 2% of garment workers around the world are paid a decent living wage. That means 98% struggle to afford food, warmth and certainly anything that doesn’t count as a necessity. For most of us living in the Western world, we can’t even imagine the circumstances these people are in and there’s a reason for that: it is kept as hidden as possible by the brands exploiting these people! When you really think about what people have to go through to give Shein, Boohoo and PLT thousands of new garments every month, it allows us to reflect upon our own fashion choices.

Perhaps, it would be more ethical and therefore better for our planet to shop from brands that actually care for their workers and pay them a decent wage. Although this means a bigger price tag, you are almost guaranteed much higher quality clothing as well as unique styles that not many others have in their wardrobe! There are lots of small clothing brands that are often run by either one or just a few individuals whereby the garment workers have safe environments to work in, are paid a good wage and are not forced to meet strict targets.

Where to buy Ethical Fashion

There are a few things to look out for when trying to shop from ethical brands. First and foremost, big fast fashion brands will never be ethical. If they were, their prices would have to increase dramatically which is clearly something they are not willing to do. The best way of thinking about if a fashion brand is ethical is to think about your morals and ask yourself these questions: where was the garment made? Would those people be paid enough to make it? What are the working conditions like in that country? What are the company doing about their waste? What sort of materials do the brand use?

Below we have put together a little list of ethical fashion brands to help you on your journey to shopping more consicously!

Gaia Garments

This business is run by one individual in the UK – everything is designed, sampled and manufactured in the same place with care and safe environments. The fabrics used are eco-friendly so this is a good all-rounder.

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Elosa

Elosa is run by one individual who puts ethics and sustainability at the forefront of the business. The fabrics used are mostly bamboo and organic cotton – two of the most planet-friendly fabrics out there, and there is a zero waste policy. Ellie, who designs, makes and runs the businesses gets to choose her working hours and how hard to push herself while earning a decent wage. The main take away is that it is far more ethical to purchase garments from someone who is treated fairly and not subject to harmful conditions.

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Rose Sol Designs

A UK-run businesses whereby all designing and manufacturing is done in-house using deadstock fabrics. The working environment is safe and pays a decent living wage.

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Mother of Pearl

At the more luxury, designer end of the scale is Mother of Pearl. This brand is ethical and sustainable by using eco-friendly materials and pays a living wage.

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Cossac

An ethical brand that works with small, GOTS-certified factories in Europe and uses eco-friendly materials.

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We hope this has given you some food for thought with shopping from more ethical brands and changing your habits for a better future!