Following the backlash that Boohoo faced earlier this year for the exploitation of their workers, you would have thought that other leading fast fashion brands would have learnt from their mistakes. Well, we were mistaken. This Black Friday saw fast fashion stooping to the lowest of lows, with PrettyLittleThing selling their items for as little as 6p in their up to 99% off sale.
Customers may have been getting a “bargain” – even though the items will be of awful quality, and last all of about five minutes – but it is the garment workers that will be paying the price. Over the course of lockdown, global fashion brands refused to pay for over $16 billion worth of goods. Their refusal to pay meant that workers were underpaid and they are owed at least $3.19 to $5.79 billion for the first three months of the pandemic alone. It is woeful to think about how high the figure will have climbed as the pandemic has progressed.
You’d think after the scandal that Boohoo PLC faced earlier this year they’d at least try to hide that they have no intention of ending their unethical practices, but this PLT sale proves the sad reality that they know most shoppers simply don’t care. pic.twitter.com/DLeuVIfDTc
— Jasmine Parker (@jasminellparker) November 27, 2020
Until consumers start to question #WhoMadeMyClothes, garment workers will never wake up from this nightmare. Fast fashion brands would not hold such large sales if they were not going to make a profit from them, leaving us all to question how little are these workers being paid in the first place. Put differently: how much are brands deducting from their pay to be able to facilitate the sale? During the exposure of garment factories in Leicester during the first lockdown, it was uncovered that in many of the 1,000 or so factories and workshops, employees were paid as little as £3 an hour. It is unacceptable that anyone can be paid as little as that and it is worrying to consider how Black Friday may have contributed to these wage deductions.
Deep down, customers know that if they are paying a pittance for an item of clothing, the quality will reflect that. Despite this, the items sell out quickly. The average person would think – for the sake of a couple of pence – that even if the items are awful it was worth the spend. However, we fail to remember that the more we buy from brands in these circumstances, the more they will continue to do what makes them money. After the success of PrettyLittleThing’s scheme, we will undoubtedly see the same thing happen in a years time if we fail to act now.
“our efforts will never amount to anything unless higher authorities take a stand.”
In an ideal world, we would all be wearing sustainable garments and money would be no object when it comes to fashion. Of course, that is not the case. Sustainable fashion remains inaccessible for some and we cannot blame people for shopping with brands they can afford, which are typically fast fashion. Better quality and sustainably-made items will always be more expensive and class divide will continue to prevail in the fashion industry.
Fast fashion brands selling items for PENNIES on Black Friday…underpaid garment workers will be paying the price for this (and yes it happens in this country too)😖😖😖
— Anna Whittaker (@journoanna_) November 27, 2020
Many attempts have been made to boycott these companies, but our efforts will never amount to anything unless higher authorities take a stand. Fast fashion brands will never go away, but they need to operate differently, be more transparent and stop with these ridiculous sales. Government regulations seem to be the only option left. It has been great to see the media reporting on and holding brands to account more frequently this year. The coverage of the Boohoo scandal sparked a momentum we have never seen before and we have to keep this fire alight. Be angry, continue to speak your mind and use your voice to raise awareness of what is really happening.
Although Black Friday is the perfect opportunity to get your Christmas shopping done or treat yourself to something you have been eyeing up for a while, it promotes unethical practices. Year after year it gives the fast fashion industry the chance to make a greater profit from mistreating their workers, and it is getting worse as time progresses. Now is the time to call on those with authority to stand with us in our fight for justice for garment workers.
Katie Wheatley
Featured image courtesy of @markusspiske via Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
Katie Wheatley
Fashion Editor at Liberty Belle Magazine. Co-host of the Just Us Three Podcast. Trainee Journalist at the University of Sheffield. Twitter: @_KatieWheatley