Text: Towards an Ethical Fashion Framework
Authors: Anders Haug and Jacob Busch
This text being here reviewed was written by Doctor Auder Haug and Jacob Busch.
The matter of
‘sustainability’ is becoming more discussed as people are becoming more aware
of the limitless of raw materials. Inside various industries, this subjected
started to be debated, in some more than in others.
Inside the Fashion
industry this matter has been largely discussed, especially at universities,
however, despite the fact that some designers can be listed as ‘ethical’
producers, not many changes have been implemented.
This paper points the
fashion producers – designers, consumers and marketers - as the ones responsible
for the current situation in how products are made. According to the text they
are not only the ones blame but also the ones who have the ways to do some
changes, although, as noted in the article, there are factors that limited the
producers power. The text reverberates around the validity of actions already
took by some brands and designers, that every so often bring ‘ethical’ products
to the market. It notes that not only it is not an aspect that is part integral
of most of the brands production but also it is not very accessible in terms of
prices for the main targeted groups within the fast fashion market -
adolescents and adults.
The text also points
out the fact that information about how the products are made is not easy to
get. Although some designers use terms such as ‘eco-friendly’ or ‘sustainable’
to promote their products, they usually do not give enough information to the
consumer to the decide if he/she thinks the goods being advertised are consistent
with their ideology. However, although I agree that fashion companies, among
others, should give more detailed information about their manufacture, I would
like to emphasize the role of the consumer as the one who must try to research
about what he is consuming and demand more information from the makers.
Furthermore, the text
explain, in a language that is easy to understand – making it appropriate for
various audiences -, that, like many other industries, the Fashion industry is
engaged in a system that prioritizes the economic success. There is, in this
industry it is important that the products are made for the minimum value
achievable and sold for the maximum value possible, which primarily goes
against the principle of ethical production. Still, as the text emphasizes, the
producers, especially the designers and media, have the power of influencing
the population and leading the trends to a desire for ‘ethical’ wear. This way,
I think the question that we are left with is: how can the industry continue to
grow economically while following social and material ethical standards?
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