Is Cheap Chic Sustainable, or Is It Eating Itself?

[timwin]

Hi All,
How long is Cheap Chic going to last? We all love a bargain, but at what cost? It turns out that the trend for cheap, fast fashion is causing an increase in worker exploitation and the use of child labor. *edit*

Do you think consumers are eventually going to turn their back on Cheap Chic, or do you think they just don't care about how things are made and who gets exploited?

What do you reckon?

Tim
*edit-please see tFS guidelines*

 

[caryanne]

I don't think it is very responsible to blame worker exploitation on cheap chic there is a market for making cheap trendy clothes which only last as long as the current trends. If this means that companies need items produced faster why not hire more workers instead of forcing workers to stay overtime. If companies need the items produced at a lower cost they can use cheaper materials or try saving money by cutting back on there marketing or other expenses. It just seems ridiculous to say that because there is a demand for cheap chic companies and factories are forced to exploit workers, its their job to find ethical ways to produce their clothes you can't blame exploitation on a trend.

 

[Lena]

totally.. consumers already had enough of cheap no-good qualities and products..
as they say, cheap is so expensive

welcome to tFS timwin and thanks for starting up this discussion, i'm really interested to hear how tFS members see this

 

[tangiblelove]

Wow thats crazy! Interesting topic, thanks for bringing that to my attention. I never think about worker exploitation enough even though in the back of my head I know it happens all the time, this cause needs more publicity.

 

[Lena]

ethical spending is fast growing
this combined with bad quality on cheap but relatively high prices (consumer exploitation) it sure makes people think where they invest the little money they spend..

 

[AD041919]

I hope that consumers will care more about where the clothes come from. I like some of H&M's clothes but I don't by them because I feel guilty. I always think that it's probably a girl my age who has made them for a really bad salary.

 

[susie_bubble]

Who is to say that workers for more expensive brands with multi-million turnovers get a better deal though? I'm not saying I condone the exploitation of workers on any level but to focus on so called 'Cheap Chic' brands (by the by, which ones did you have in mind?) is a somewhat rose-tinted view.

To answer your question anyhow, my Cheap Chic brand of choice is Arcadia (owners of Topshop, Miss Selfridge etc.) and they have an extremely reputable ethical policy with very stringent rules about working conditions. But alas, I am ashamed to say it's not something I'm wary of when buying things but if I can afford it, of course I'll take the ethical route (Not visiting Primark too often for example....) For many people who can't afford to turn their back on these trend-induced cheap brands, well, I don't think it's fair to poo-poo all over them either because they shouldn't be denied the right to look fashionable at a lower cost if that is the only option they have (yes, I know they could be shopping vintage/thrifting etc. but that's not everyone's bag either...!)

What I envision is perhaps rather than turning our backs on Cheap Chic brands, in turn, these brands will wake up and shake up. As countries like China are developing so fast, so will their recognition of workers' rights and perhaps an overall shift in ethical policies from companies.

 

[timwin]

What I envision is perhaps rather than turning our backs on Cheap Chic brands, in turn, these brands will wake up and shake up. As countries like China are developing so fast, so will their recognition of workers' rights and perhaps an overall shift in ethical policies from companies.

susie_bubble, I think you're right that the initiative has to come from companies. It's actually really difficult for shoppers to know what has been made ethically and what hasn't. Most shops have ethical sourcing policies, but the problem is that it's really difficult for them to monitor their suppliers, especially when they have hundreds of them. And because the competition is so fierce, the suppliers have a really strong incentive to mislead their customers about working conditions, even if they're basically good people.

It's interesting to see a different perspective, anyway. In the US and Europe, you get the impression that there's this unlimited supply of cheap stuff from China waiting to come flooding in, but the mechanism looks kind of different from the other end. In China, the suppliers have really been squeezed. It's got to the point where prices have gone about as low as they can go, and labour costs are rising, so a lot of factories can't find enough people to make the clothes at that price. Then the bosses get to the point where they're asking themselves "Do I lose the business or do I just start taking on a bit of child labour?"

 

[tifa]

There was a list of the companies that have the worst ethics and apparently Primark came up top trumps.

 

[Kimkhuu]

Great thread....!

What's sad is that anti-consumption way too quickly comes back to responsible consumption which in a way is a trend, and therefore keeps us not too far away from the shopping center... So exploitation continues (because in my opinion, workers are being exploited by working for nothing while the boss is the one gaining the most)... Of course I am not going to say that responsible consumption is worse than irresponsible consumption, I am only trying to stop that comparison which only serves as a pretext to consume more and more......

Consuming, consuming and over-consuming..

 

[tifa]

Some information for all of you...

Primark scored 2.5 out of 20 on an ethical index. Sounds appalling? The rest of the high street is no better. Marks and Spencer are practically the same. Aomgst the highest rated shops were Kookai but the percentage of difference was not enough to make anything a guilt free purchase.

I did a bit of research in stores myself one day. It's apparent that bras selling in Topshop and similar stores are the same ones that are sold in Primark. Same country of production and same style usually means same factory. This means higher profit for the more expensive shops but in the sweatshop, these people are definitely benefiting from it.

So it's not just cheap chic, child labour is often expensive...hell, even designer.

The thing is, there is no alternative for many of us and simply not enough information, this is the kind of stuff companies want to keep quiet. It's a supply and demand world but I don't believe the blame solely lies in the consumer.

 

[Kimkhuu]

^ c a p i t a l i s m

 

[tifa]

yup

says me, the huge hypocrite drinking a can of coke...

 

[ApertureRomance]

I hate wearing clothes that have been made using cheap or child labour but it seems that it's unavoidable these days. I agree though that this cheap chic revolution is going to implode in on it's self , people are going to get sick eventually of wearing garments that fall apart after only a few wears plus certain items become really popular and everyone wears them . People who work in sweatshops or factories have very little power , if they protest or strike the company simply relocates work to another factory. It's a catch 22 situation people need jobs but the only ones available to them are poorly paid ones. This is something I feel very strongly about , I agree completely that shops need to make this information available to consumers because while some people will find it a problem there are a lot of people I know who couldn't care less where or how their clothes are made so I don't think it will or would make a huge difference to sales. I've been living in Australia for almost a year now I don't know how things are now back home (England) but everything is made in China here , even higher end brand stuff , I find it very frustrating because when I buy clothes my conscience is very loud ! How do people feel about H+M is it too good to be true , are they honestly as ethical as their website makes out ?

Maybe we could list ethical shops/designers here ?

 

[DriversHigh]

That's why you go vintage/thrift. It's a win-win situation.

 

[ApertureRomance]

I'm useless at vintage shopping or thrifting and I always have to try stuff on sometimes places don't have changing rooms. I hate it though because sometimes I find gorgeous prints or shapes but they're made out of yucky fabric like polyester.

 

[AlexN]

Though some consumers may be growing more aware of labor situations, constant decline in garment quality continues to lower the general population's standards. People don't have a clue. I have friends who aren't even phased by breaking three pairs of American Eagle sunglasses in a week. Garbage quality has become the norm.

 

[susie_bubble]

I'm not convinced that cheaper brands = cheaper quality to be honest.... Everything that I own high street is still intact and I've been wearing stuff for a few years..... but that's a whole other debate altogether

 

[snowqueen]

I feel privedged that in a way i can afford to be slightly more effical with my clothing chouice .. but there are some people ok I would say that the fast majority of the british public cant afford to be effical and shops like primark etc. are the onyl shops they can afford to shop in. Im not saying tis right but its the reality for a lot of people

 

[AlexN]

Well, there are different levels of quality/price there. Edit: Oops...I was addressing Susie's post.

But I can't tell you how many times a group of cheap-shopping girls in my dorm have mentioned to me how something they've worn once ripped or became completely unwearable in some way. Such a waste...