Fairtrade clothing. Have you turned the page already? Adamant that Fairtrade and fashion can’t go hand in hand? Well you’d be missing out, because Fairtrade clothes are set to be the next big thing and by reading on you can find out how to make a difference.
Clothes shopping is a hugely popular pastime in the UK, where consumers spend billions each year on jeans, dresses, jewellery, going-out tops, staying-in tops, sportswear, suits, skirts and seasonal styles.
As students, we tend to be favourably inclined by a good bargain. It’s difficult to look around a shop such as Primark without wondering how they can sell their clothes for so little money, but this is often overshadowed by the warm feeling of saving some cash. Sometimes bargains come at a different sort of cost.
As retailers try to keep their product prices down to attract consumers, they often turn a blind eye to the cheap labour behind the label. Cotton farmers receive pitiful amounts and work in terrible conditions, so that we can save a few pounds on an outfit for a night out.
Equally, some of the more expensive high street shops still skimp on those at the bottom end of the supply chain, knowing how vulnerable they are to exploitation. Whilst we might spend £30 on a top, 1.2 billion workers live on less than a dollar a day, whilst 22,000 workers die each year from bad working conditions.
More and more shops on the high street are becoming members of the ETI, Ethical Trading Initiative, an alliance of companies, non-government organisations and trade union organisations who aim to maintain an acceptable minimum labour standard. This is a positive step but would be greatly advanced if more shops stocked fair trade clothing as this directly improves the lives of marginalised producers and the communities in which they live.
Fairtrade clothing is not necessarily expensive, so long as it covers the minimum cost of paying its cotton suppliers adequately to meet their basic living needs. Even if you really can’t bear the thought of passing up your favourite clothes shop, you could still make a difference by writing to them, asking why they don’t have fair trade clothing and telling them that you would really like to see the Fairtrade label in their store.
Marks & Spencer have just released a new range as part of their campaign to remain the largest retailer on the high street to support Fairtrade. Look out for the label in Monsoon, and Topshop has joined forces with the pioneering Fairtrade and ecological fashion company, People Tree, to create a beautiful range of guilt-free fashion.
After making the largest single order of Fairtrade-certified cotton ever in the UK for the Sports Relief T-Shirts line, Sainsbury’s is launching a new 100% Fairtrade cotton range. Debenhams and Next are also set to be the new stockists of the Fairtrade label.
There are many web retail sites selling a wide variety of clothing. Kate Lawler and Jenny Frost are regulars at www.ladymissfoofoo.com. The suppliers from this website also donate 15% of their profit margin towards establishing and maintaining worker cooperatives in developing communities.
All of these shops and websites are intent on advancing trade in a fair way. They are not charities, but wish to use their profits to make the world a better place rather than unjustly exploit workers.
While most shops can only offer a range, rather than a full stock of Fairtrade clothes, they are bound to increase their Fairtrade stock if it is popular with consumers. So, the next time you go shopping keep an open mind for some conscience appeasing fashion.
