OneKind is proud to present a guest blog by Aimee Ritchie who gives us a view of ethical fashion from a teenager's perspective.
Today’s teenagers are not fully aware of the term ‘ethical fashion’. Ethical fashion is a more positive way of creating clothes; the resources used to make the clothes do not harm the environment or animals. If stores were to announce where their materials really came from, teenagers may think twice about purchasing the product.
The idea of buying clothing which has damaged the environment and hurt animals really does put teenagers off. I put the following question to my friends:
Imagine you had the money to buy a new handbag or new shoes, but couldn’t tell from the tag if it was made from animal skin, would you care?
Each one of my friends responded the exact same. Animal welfare is very important and even if they had the money for the prettiest handbag or pair of shoes they would still stick to the high street bargains so as not to risk the chances of buying something they’re not sure of.
When it comes to teenagers and following the crowd they typically end up buying what’s ‘in’ that season. I asked my friends if this would still be the case if it was animal skin/fur which was the must have. Again, they were against the idea – it’s just not a legitimate piece of clothing to own.
Those teenagers who do feel it is okay to purchase products made from wildlife resources have most likely been brought up thinking there is no reason why not. And also have the money for it. My research suggests teenagers care about 3 things: cost, fashion trends and where they can go to get ethical fashion.
Even faux fur could be a faux-pas! This could lead to increasing sales of real fur in the fashion industry. If you ask me, animal fur should not appear in shop windows. Stores which do not use animals and are environmentally friendly should advertise this benefit as they would gain respect and probably more customers.
How do we know which of our favourite stores are consistently using the ‘wrong’ resources? Where would a teenager go to buy great fashion ethically? My research shows teenagers are willing to use the internet and they want clear product information. But teenagers do need more information when it comes to their number one priority - clothes! All we need is help in knowing where to shop for the most stylish –but nature-friendly- items.
A great place to start could be online stores;
www.fashion-conscience.com
www.green-uk.co.uk
www.wombatclothing.com
www.bochica.co.uk
Working in the OneKind office has made me look more deeply into the fashion industry and it has been oh so interesting!
OneKind - being an animal and people welfare charity - support ethical fashion and do what they can to make the public aware of the effect various fashion trends have on the environment and wildlife.
Supporting OneKind means you are helping to make the fashion industry more ethical and helping us all develop a fashion conscience!
Aimee