Does Ethical Fashion Mean American-Made?

The solution to fast fashion lies in the hands of transparent local manufacturers

“What is ethical fashion?” — That was the likely question I expected when I sent out my Hearken module asking friends, Tumblr mates, FIT students, and everyone in my phonebook to ask me whatever they wanted to know about ethical fashion. Hearken is a tool that allows journalists and the like to solicit questions from the public, hopefully lessening all the useless reporting that’s always going on. What do the people want to know? Start from there.

Before I freed my Hearken module to the world, I attended a panel discussion at the Fashion Institute of Technology on February 26, that was all about ethical and sustainable fashion, and the future of fashion’s global manufacturing industries. Hosted by Simone Cipriani of the Ethical Fashion Initiative and Bob Bland of Manufacture NY, this panel was part of FIT’s ongoing The Hand of Fashion series, which explores the growing need for sustainability in fashion. The focus of much of the panel was on the harmful “fast fashion” industry — an industry dependent on cheap labor and cheap clothing, which has led to the deterioration of local manufacturing industries.

Outsourced labor, typically exported to countries like China and India, which have poor human rights laws, allows brands to quickly manufacture more clothing, and for less money:

“A formerly standard turnaround time from catwalk to consumer of six months is now compressed to a matter of mere weeks by such companies as H&M and Zara, with heightened profits to match.” (Tokatli 2008)

So, what does this mean for those of us who enjoy shopping at H&M and Zara? Insert this question from former FIT student and prospective ethical shopper, Ciera:

“How do you know if a brand is ethical just by walking in? Is there any way to push for more companies to use more ethical measures?” — Asked by Ciera, through Hearken’s Curiosity Module.

At the panel, Cipriani replied to a similar question on public awareness by saying that ethical fashion is “a matter of legislation and enforcement.” But, what exactly does that mean?

This isn’t very optimistic, is it?

Many clothing companies have optimized their production and potential sale costs by manufacturing in countries with loose or exploitable environmental and labor laws. It’s the perfect business model. And, it’s why sustainable, humane fashion is absolutely a questions of ethics — which brands are willing to possibly lessen their profits if it means manufacturing greener (the Huffington Post lists textile waste as the third biggest global pollutant) and sweatshop-free?

Global fashion manufacturing is an industry built on opacity, and for shoppers like Ciera, figuring out who is and who’s not unethical can be difficult, especially with the confusing messages brands often send out. Several historically fast fashion brands signed the Bangladesh Accord, and even H&M participated in World Recycle Week.

For some, as highlighted in the AJ Plus video, buying ethically, seems like a wasted effort. How do you know if H&M’s factories in China are sweatshops; not every Chinese clothing factory is, and some brands have managed to create ethical partnerships with overseas manufacturers. Beyoncé’s Ivy Park label and its collaborator Topshop promises that their Sri Lankan factory workers are treated and paid fairly, despite reports to the contrary.

Ultimately, the only way to know if a brand is ethical is to know that the country on the clothing item’s tag is committed to ethical manufacturing. And this is where our options shrink. Until countries like China, India or Sri Lanka commit to prioritizing and protecting laborers and the environment, American shoppers will be left with one limiting choice — buying local.