How Transparent are the Fashion Companies really?

You may have seen a the following picture before, perhaps in the news, an article or on social media. This picture caught the attention of media in April of 2013, following the collapse of the Rana Plaza building in Dhaka Bangladesh. The commercial building served as a garment factory by brands including Benetton, Mango, Primark, and Walmart (Hoskins, 2014).

Munir uz Zaman/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images, picture of Rana Plaza 2013, retrived from New York Times

The incident in Bangladesh, only one of the many others before and after it, brought media and social media platforms to pressure companies like H&M for change. Soon after the incident 190 brands signed the Accord, an agreement to improve health and safety conditions in factories. Unfortunately, many companies remained unbothered by the pressuring attention set by the media (Hoskins, 2014).

Following the tragic incident in Bangladesh was the beginning of the Fashion Revolution movement. This movement aims to change the global fashion industry into a more sustainable industry through cultural, industrial and policy changes. Some of the key tools used by the fashion activist groups include raising awareness and education people, designers, and brands, and using the influence of the public to pressure brands into becoming more transparent, which involves communication of their supply chain and being held accountable for errors therein (Fashion Revolution, n.d.).

Why transparency is important

The reason to focus on transparency is because without it we have no clue if human rights and environmental practices are complied with. If there is no knowledge of where our clothes originate from, what materials is used, how it is made, and who made it, then how are we supposed to know if what we buy is sustainable or not. Transparency enables brands to map their entire supply chain and hold parties accountable for their wrongs, which eventually lead to change in the fashion industry’s business practices (Fashion Revolution, 2017). Transparency not only ensure companies’ accountability but also helps inform consumers about brands’ environmental and social sustainability efforts, aiding informed consumer decision-making (Fashion Revolution, 2017).

Transparency in the fashion idustry

Fast fashion as well as slow fashion companies implement sustainable reports and codes of conduct as part of their brands and supply chain. Fast fashion companies like Shein and Zara often conceal their reports and sustainable goals in unlike slow fashion companies that actively promotes themselves as sustainable through their website, advertisement, and social media. Despite the perceived distinction in marketing and objectives between fast and slow fashion, none of the companies can be considered entirely transparent. They provide minimal practical data regarding their products, production, and supply chain, hindering the identification of supply chain issues and product origins.

The impact of social media

Social media serves not only as a promotional tool for fashion brands to but also as a means for individuals to express personal identity. With the rise of social media, the fast fashion industry driven by influencers, celebrities, and other pressures contribute to the high demand and pace required to keep up with the swiftly evolving trends, that often emerges overnight (Wright, n.d.). Trends, fashion hauls and celebrity photoshoots generally reflect aesthetic as more important than environmental and social sustainability. The focus lies upon who wore it, who designed it, what brand the garment is from, and what people think about the aesthetic. But in a time where sustainability is becoming more important should the questions we ask not be: who made our clothes, where did It come from, is the materials used in this garment sustainably produced and how much impact has this garment had on the environment?

Activist movements like Fashion revolution has contributed to an increased in transparency and social sustainability, through campaigns like ‘Who made my clothes’ that brought consumers together under the hashtag #WhoMadeMyClothes on social media. As a response to this movement, brands could comment with #IMadeYourClothes, and that way start a dialog between consumer and brand. These hashtags contributed to an uprise in awareness through conversing on social media. Other campaigns and foundations focusing on social sustainability are:

-       Good Clothes, Fair pay

-       Clean Clothes Campaign

-       Thomas Reuters Foundation

-       Fair Wear Foundation

-       And many others…

What can you do to be part of the fashion revolution moving toward a more transparent industry? Here are some pointers to help you take the first steps.

-       Educate yourself – collect knowledge and evidence!

-       Don’t be shy, start the conversation – if it’s in person, on social media or somewhere else you decide. Even the shortest conversation matters

-       Speak up and question brands about their supply chain and workers’ rights

-       Use social media as a platform to initiate discussions  

-       Participate in activist campaigns, protests and marches

-       Support foundations and campaigns

Bibliography

Fashion Revolution. (n.d.). About. Retrieved November 12, 2023, from Fashion Revolution: https://www.fashionrevolution.org/about/

Fashion Revolution. (2017). Fashion Transperancy Index. Fashion Revolution CIC.

Gwilt, A. (2020). A Practical Guide to Sustainable Fashion (2 ed.). Bloomsbury.

Hoskins, T. E. (2014). Stiched Up: The Anti-Capatalist Book of Fashion. Halifax: Fernwood Publishing.

Wright, K. (n.d.). How trend cycles drive the rise of ultra-fast fashion. Retrieved November 16, 2023, from The momentum: https://www.themomentum.com/articles/how-trend-cycles-drive-the-rise-of-ultra-fast-fashion

Image list

Blog image: (Munir uz Zaman/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images, retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/24/fashion/rana-plaza-anniversary.html, 2023). Image of Collapsed factury in Rana Plaza Bangladesh