'Un-Ethical' Fashion

I'm currently writing a 2,000 word essay on Ethical Fashion as part of my art course.

I know only a limited amount about Ethical fashion, but what surprised me most when I was trying to source information, is how difficult is to find information on "UN-Ethical fashion".. as soon as you type it into Google, or any search engine, it tries to recorrect you to 'ethical fashion'

There just doesn't seem to be a lot of information on it!

I'd be greatful if anybody could give me some advice on topics to bring up in my essay.

The topics i've already started looking into are;

- Primark

- Child labour

- Minimum wage for workers

- the battle in the high street for cheaper and cheaper clothing

- Charity shops - providing an alternative to unethical fashion

and the new trends of vintage clothing, and clothes swapping parties.

If anybody else has any points, i'd be greatful to hear them to inspire me in my essay!

Thanks :)

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Permalink Reply by Olivia Hegarty on February 9, 2010 at 20:38

Hi Louise,

The results of your google searches on 'unethical fashion" are an indicator of the status quo - i.e. that industry standards as we have it now are unethical.

That is why there is such a push to explore and create new systems and new networks of "ethical fashion" as an alternative.

It seems from your list of topics that you are focusing on social issues rather than environmental. (Although there is an argument to say that all environmental issues have social implications - eg if you look at how climate change will affect the people of the developing world)

Here's a really good video made a few years ago by the Environmental Justice Foundation on the social issues around cotton agriculture.
http://www.ejfoundation.org/page85.html

O