How ethical is eco fashion?

The colour black arrived as a fashion statement of elegant vogue through the medium of the 1920s "little black dress" designed by Chanel. However, the historical connotations of black are complex and full of contradictions. Black was used by the Church but seen as a colour of evil. Black was used as a mark of military and social power: Mussolini's Black Shirts, Hitler's SS, but Royalty saw it as a hallmark of luxury in the medieval period. The colour black in fashion is also associated with global economic upheavals.

Now we have green - eco-friendly green. However, how green is green, how ethical is the PR spin around ethical fashion?

Ethical fashion is growing globally due to the demands of consumers who want more ethical fashion choices. The term ethical in fashion encompasses a wide range of issues such as workers rights, global trading practices, and chemical usage in garment production as well as social and environmental issues.

However, in South Africa when it comes to fashion, consumers are gullible they believe everything they read, hear and see in the world of fashion. They do not enquire about the truth behind the claims. Many of these claims made by retailers and designers may just be greenwash.

Because you buy apparel that is made from "Organic Cotton" does this automatically means it is ethical? No. We need to trace the value-chain. Under what conditions was the clothing made, is there fair labour practice or exploitation of apparel workers? This enquiry applies not only to retailers but also to designers. Do designers outsource their manufacturing and, if so, are their suppliers conforming to global and regional labour regulations?

The onus of responsible consumerism lies with you, the consumer, and with the fashion media. Unfortunately, in South Africa our fashion media does very little in the way of investigating of claims made by our retailers and designers who are "championing" ethical fashion. When it comes to fashion and fashion publicity, I am a sceptic. All the fanfare made at the various Fashion Weeks relating to ethical fashion is in my opinion tabloid fashion unless the designers are able to verify their entire value-chain. Therefore, before you buy an item of clothing you think is eco and ethically chic, ask yourself and the retailer, designer, boutique manager some important questions about their ethical fashion range.