Some thoughts on ethical clothing

In April 2013, Rana Plaza, a garment factory in a Bangladesh collapsed, killing 1134 people. In the aftermath, the conditions and lack of safety protocols at the factory were exposed, along with the range of high-street brands who’d been having their clothes made there – which included Primark, Matalan, Mango, but also high-end brands like Gucci, Moncler and Prada. The response from these companies and from the industry as a whole (this was just one factory and one group of companies – similar factories with similar issues making clothes for nearly all the high street brands existed alongside Rana Plaza) was really disappointing. Some groups were formed, some standards were supposedly established, but in general not a lot changed. Some things have got better – some brands have moved their manufacturing and brought in factory safety checks, but it is often unclear who is managing these and often factories subcontract labour to smaller, less well regulated factories in their areas.

In April 2013 I had been thinking about how I bought clothes for a while. I like nice clothes, and the feeling of buying something new, but had been starting to wonder if I should be taking more notice of where and how the things I bought were made. In my day job, I was a strong and vocal advocate for artists getting paid properly, for better conditions for artists to work in and for more rights for artists. I was becoming confronted by my own hypocrisy – did I care more about the rights to fair work for artists, because I knew lots of them and met them often, than I did about garment factory workers, because they lived far away and I didn’t know them personally? Did my feminist allyship only extend to women in my own circles, or did it also extend to the workers in the garment industry, the vast majority of whom are women?

Rana Plaza was a wake up call and from April 2013 I decided I would only buy clothing if I could confidently say who had made these clothes, where and in what sort of conditions.

Incidentally, at the exact moment, another group of people were having these same thoughts and set up Fashion Revolution (https://www.fashionrevolution.org/) – which are one of the key organisations I suggest you check out if you’re interested in any of this.

Since then I have been on a pretty proactive journey to learn more about what it means to buy ethically. I should note at this stage that these are generally principles that apply to all products (consumer electronics for example are a big issue) but here I am just talking about clothes.

I should also say that I’m not an expert in this and these are just my personal thoughts and experiences – I encourage you to do your own research, ask questions of the brands you love (it’s important that they know consumers care about this) and look at other sources of information, such as Fashion Revolution and Ethical Consumer (https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/).

What is ethical?

I often glibly describe my baseline for evaluating arts projects as ‘did everyone get paid properly and did everyone get treated well?’ and I guess that’s my main approach to ethical making too. Obviously there are levels and it’s very complex, but I think if you can find out where the clothes were made and the conditions they were made in, that’s a good start.

There are LOTS of opinions on what is or isn’t ethical practice, how we can assess these, and how we can best use our power as consumers to influence change. As I say, I am just describing my own approach here, and others may find their own way through this complexity to a way of buying garments that they feel is best.

It is also tricky because some brands will say that their products are made ethically, and mean this in relation to their environmental impact only. Obviously this is super important, but don’t assume that because a brand uses the word ethical they actually are in all areas of their practices. Whilst it’s often true that a brand that is environmentally aware is also ethically aware around how its garments are made (brands like Finisterre or Patagonia are both examples where this is the case), this can’t be assumed. Which brings me to my top tips:

Look for the detail

Brands will often say “ethically produced” but it’s important to interrogate this. Look for the detail on their brand or corporate websites – does it tell you where the garments are made, in specifically which factories, and how they’re inspected for good working practices? The best brands will give you this information. If they don’t then I often email them asking for this information – the best brands will be able to tell you all of this with ease.

Look at the full sourcing ‘journey’

Often a good way to get a sense of how ethical the manufacture is would be to look at where it’s made. For example, lots of very good cotton garments are made in Portugal, which has a long history of high-end cotton garment making and has pretty good standards around it’s worker protection, payment and health and safety (as do most EU countries). But it’s important to check the full journey of the product in its manufacture – lots of companies will actually just assemble in a particular country and make the component parts elsewhere. A lot of top-end historical British companies (like shoemakers) do this – making the parts cheaply in other countries and then assembling in the UK so they can add a ‘Made in the UK’ logo.

Look out for fabrics

It’s important to take into account how the fabrics in your garment were made, especially if you’re also interested in environmental impact. Some proprietary fabrics such as Gore-tex have pretty dodgy manufacturing processes, and others use huge amounts of natural resources. If you wear wool, also look out for Merino wool – there’s a practice called mulesing used in lots of manufacturer’s processes that is incredibly cruel. The best brands will tell you if they use wool from farms that don’t use this practice.

The money question

Lots of people say to me that they would like to buy ethically but they can’t afford to. I would never question anyone else’s purchasing choices – this has been a very personal journey for my own reasons. But I would say that it’s important to remember that our perception of what things cost – a t-shirt, a pair of jeans – is largely based on the period when fast-fashion and unethical manufacturing have been the main approach in the fashion industry. 40 years ago, a garment would have cost a lot higher percentage of the average wage, and people bought less. So it’s really our mindset that has changed around what is an appropriate cost. If you can’t afford an ethically made garment then it’s your choice whether you need a garment at all.

I have certainly changed my mindset since starting this journey. I am a lot more comfortable with being seen in the same garments multiple times for years on end. I generally find that garments that I’ve spent a bit more on last a bit longer, but I also repair more – it’s quite nice to sit and darn your socks in front of the TV.

And my relationship with the garments I have has changed. I am committed to them, they mean more to me because I’ve thought about their purchase a lot more.

Anyway, onto some recommended brands. To note, these are generally my taste, which you could probably categorise as classic/smart casual/basic – I’m sure there are some brands out there that do more younger or casual styles but that’s not my area. But I also find that more classic/simple pieces last longer and don’t go out of style. So:

Websites/brands that specialise in ethical clothing

Brothers we Stand – https://www.brotherswestand.com/

Community Clothing – https://communityclothing.co.uk/

Ethical Superstore – https://www.ethicalsuperstore.com/

Know the Origin – https://knowtheorigin.com/

General menswear

Form and Thread – https://formandthread.com/

Universal Works – https://universalworks.co.uk/

Albam – https://www.albamclothing.com/

Sunspel – https://www.sunspel.com/uk/

Kestin – https://www.kestin.co/

Margaret Howell/MHL – https://www.margarethowell.co.uk/