Much like most clothing prices today, consumers’ talk about their fashion purchasing behavior is cheap. There is a clear disconnect between the sustainability they claim to value and what they will actually pay for.
One reason for this gap is simply financial. There is a segment of the population that cannot afford to pay more for clothing, especially as prices of other goods inflate. However, the main factor influencing the propensity toward super low-priced apparel—such as T-shirts retailing for low single-digit dollar amounts—is a lack of awareness about how garments are manufactured. Many shoppers believe that clothing production is automated like car assembly, whereas the reality is that skilled human hands are making our clothes.
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“The majority of consumers do not realize that 90 percent of the world’s fashion is still handmade by people on machines; it’s not automated,” said Suzanne Ellingham, director at UK-based trade show Source Fashion, produced by Hyve Group. “Consumers do want to make better choices, but there is a huge storytelling and education gap as to how clothes are made. We’re conditioned that fashion is cheap, and I think that is still a big part of the consumer consciousness, and I don’t think it’s going to change until we start to re-humanize fashion.”
The lack of understanding about fashion production and the people behind it is partly due to offshoring, which has created an “out of sight, out of mind” attitude. Moving production back to the place of consumption could change the narrative around the value of clothing, and consumers have shown they will pay more for something made domestically.
Ellingham noted that companies often say that shifting production to locations such as the United Kingdom would be too expensive, in part due to wage requirements in the Global North. However, she challenged fashion firms to look at the full picture of their pricing, since producing in Asia comes with high import taxes and shipping costs. Additionally, focusing on selling more at full price could make the equation more appealing. “If you start looking at the total cost of your range, then starting to manufacture close to home makes sense,” she said.
However, completely pulling out of offshore production hubs is not the answer either, since the industry sustains the economies of other countries. Instead, the focus should be on changing production practices to allow for living wages that support a better life and work-life balance for workers—for instance, enabling them to afford to send their children to school and allowing for time off. “The only way that we’re going to do that is if we actually start paying more for our clothes and genuinely start producing less but better,” said Ellingham.
finance.yahoo.com
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