Primary Research: Interview

I interviewed a designer who is starting a sustainable clothing brand about the fashion industry and the difficulties in creating an ethical brand. These are her responses.

Could you tell me some details about your background in the fashion industry? 

I have worked in fashion since leaving university in 2001 - starting off working for a supplier, providing retail stores with a design service and production out of China and Bangladesh. From here i moved onto the retail side working for Arcadia for 5 years and then River island for another 4, freelancing for numerous brands in between.  I decided to start my own business supplying once again in 2013 which led to the Company Luna and Smith Ltd. I ran this for 6 years with a friend and we successfully supplied many the high street stores (Finery, Oliver bonus, Asos, River island amongst others). 

What are the environmental issues facing fast fashion?

What aren't the issues facing fast fashion - would be an easier and quicker question to answer. After working in amongst it for so many years i have seen first hand the multitude of environmental crimes that are being committed all over the world in manufacturing fast fashion. In both Bangladesh and China they don't have the same rules and regulations as say for instance manufacturing in the UK. Obviously you have the regular textile manufacturing processes that affect the environment , water usage and wastage ( ground waters are often used for this process and are meant to be disposed of correctly) the chemical used and processes many of these raw materials need to go through to become usable fibres, such as viscose that although its origins begin as a natural material (wood or bamboo pulp) it need to go through a process with a  highly toxic chemical carbon disulfide to make visose. two steps forward. 

The next big problem is packaging. Each item is normally individually wrapped with many layers of tissue paper, foam and plastic, as the shipping can take many weeks to get to the UK and so the packaging is there to protect the items and keep them as crease free as possible. Once its opened up in store? who knows what happens to this mountain of plastic. Not to mention all the kimbles/hangers/ tags/ wrapping / plastic bags to leave store etc. 

Lastly, shipping. Most product is shipped from the FE which is the most environmentally friendly method, however many orders run late (i would suggest this is an interesting statistic to try to look into as i very much doubt its shouted about by UK retail as this is purely down to bad planning and delays created by the retailer) and so these orders come by Air freight. This means if Tesco are late to reply to an email, fit a garment or approve a lab dip within the necessary time allowance they would need to get for instance 10k chunky jumpers FLOWN into the UK to make delivery..... the comparison to if this was shipped is huge. Especially as gas is calculated in weight. 10k pairs of socks? not such a big deal. 

This is not EVERYTHING that is an environmental issue within retail, and i am certainly no expect but i would say they are three 'biggys'. If we could follow a t shirt or jumper from its beginning life to its end it would be frightening to see the processes and the waste it has needed to be born. To then wear it once down Tiger Tiger...... is a crime. Thats fast fashion! 

What made you want to start this brand? 

See above! In general i beleive people are wanting something else. Theres change coming but slowly, possibly too slowly. I also see a craft movement happening, a return to something handmade, with care and as local as possible.

Thinking of environmental sustainability, what are the main objectives of your business/brand?

Natural, biodegradable fibres from sustainable sources. 

As little water wastage/ chemical ise as possible (at this current time it is impossible to be 100% free) 

Low Carbon footprint - made in the Uk where possible with a small percentage from Europe.

Do you think that there is a growing market for sustainable brands? How would you describe your target customer?

Yes. The most sustainable way to shop, is not to shop. To purchase second hand and stop the cycle of remaking. However understandably not everyone wants to shop like this, and so to make something that you buy once, in my mind is the next best thing. I don't want someone to need to buy another one of my items because it hasn't washed well, or has fallen to pieces. Hopefully they will only come back if they love it so much they want another colour.  Heirloom pieces, something that can be passed onto the next generation in a still wearable state is my aim. 

I have no target customer. I just want everyone to own one   :)

What have been the main obstacles you’ve found when trying to start an ethical/sustainable brand?

Cost. - The cost of production using UK factories and raw materials far outweighs that of the FE/ India etc. 

Variety of raw materials - the uk knitting industry has been in decline Significantly since the mid-20th Century, there has been a surge in the development of overseas manufacturers who have invested more in technology and advanced means of production than we ever considered and so in turn the cost of raw materials, spinning and general production has increased, dramatically. 

Being truly ethical and most importantly fair doesn't come cheap. 

Do you think it would be possible for a large brand like H&M to do the things that you, as a small business, are trying to do?

In a word, no.