The Ethics of Fashion

Image credit: TVN24

In recent years popular fast-fashion brands have been exposed for using slave labor to make their low-cost items. Those brands include H&M, Forever 21, GAP, Nike, Urban Outfitters, and many more.

In Myanmar, H&M hires girls 14 to 18 years old, Sarah Butler tells in her Guardian Article, “H&M Factories in Myanmar Employed 14-year-old Workers.” The catch is that if a worker is above fourteen, it is not considered child labor. In general, Myanmar’s minimum wage is as low as $2.93. Therefore, many British fast fashion brands have exported their production to Myanmar.

Child labor may seem like a social justice issue exported abroad, but in fact, Forever 21 is committing violations of child labor right outside of Los Angeles. Natalie Kitroeff and Victoria Kim write in their article, “Behind a $13 shirt, A $6-an-hour Worker” They profile Norma Ulloa, a 44-year old working at a clothing factory for Forever 21, in the outskirt of Los Angeles. Ulloa is only paid $6/hr, even though the California minimum wage is $7.25.

The outfits from Forever 21 would not be that affected by paying each working minimum wage. Kitroeff and Kim explain, “A knee-length Forever 21 dress made in one of the Los Angeles factories investigated by the government came with a price tag of $24.90. But it would have cost $30.43 to make that dress with workers earning the $7.25 federal minimum wage and even more to pay the $12 Los Angeles minimum, according to previously unpublished investigative results from the Labor Department.” It is unfair and inhumane to pay people this little and ultimately unlawful. The ethics behind buying fast fashion are called into question often. Even so, cheaper options for clothing are necessary because of the high prices that high-quality clothing brands demand.

It is a privilege to be able to buy clothes at a higher price. Second-hand stores are becoming more popular as eco-friendly and trendier options. However, this is not a perfect option because, ever since the rise in popularity of these thrift stores, stores have begun to raise prices and thus put those who need cheaper clothes out of options.

The detrimental effects of fast fashion go beyond child labor; environmental impact and animal welfare also must be addressed. Good On You surveys Urban Outfitters’ environmental impact, labor conditions, and animal welfare. URBN, the mother brand of Free People, Anthropology, and Urban Outfitters, has been caught violating multiple break labor laws. Though they have promised transparency, there is “very little evidence to support any of these claims.” Also, there are cases of forcing employees to work on weekends without pay. URBN’s despicable use of low-income workers as free labor should put them out of business.

Similarly, “Urban Outfitters has made no commitment to reduce their indirect or direct greenhouse gas emissions, although they have taken [sic] some steps to lower their carbon footprint. There is also no evidence that they are minimizing or eliminating hazardous chemicals across their supply chain. They have also failed to produce adequate policies to address water usage and wastewater management.” The complete lack of care for the planet is an atrocious disregard for the climate crises.

Allison McCune writes on “The Complicated Ethics of Second Hand Clothing” for Dressember, detailing the waste generated by Goodwill, “While supposedly only 5 percent of Goodwill’s inventory is sorted into a landfill, this is still a large part of the staggering 12.8 million tons of textile waste sent to landfills every year. The global scale of second-hand stores like this greatly increases the difficulty of ensuring that clothes are actually recycled and utilized.” Even though the effects of second-hand clothing are far less damaging than those of fast fashion, it is not perfect. She goes on to address the sometimes unsolvable answer to buying ethical clothing. She suggests that people focus on the quality of quantity of clothing so that in the end, we create less waste.

The use of labor in fast fashion is often forgotten and must be addressed. It is critical to know a brand before you buy it. URBN, Forever 21, and GAP are some of the most popular brands for young adults to buy, and we must face head-on the brands we are supporting. We have to focus on buying ethically, environmentally, and economically.