Fast fashion is a feminist issue. I’m sure many of us are aware a brand cannot be ‘sustainable’ unless they pay their garment workers – and everyone involved in the supply chain – a living wage. Not a minimum wage. We cannot simply call ourselves ‘feminists’ yet exploit the women making our clothes. It is estimated that 80% of the garment workers worldwide are women. Not to mention, these are women of colour who live well below the poverty line. This is unsurprising as the economic foundations of fast fashion are built on colonial structures that seek to exploit people of colour in the global south. Structures that have been prevalent since the 1500s and still remain intact today.
These women of colour are often forced to work in unsanitary, unsafe work environments where sexual assault and harassment are rife. The statistics are truly horrifying.
In factories in Bangladesh, a “survey of 200 garment factory workers, including 181 women, found 8 in 10 said they had experienced or witnessed sexual harassment and violence at work”, and “1 in 10 women surveyed said they were currently being subjected to sexual harassment, molestation, and assault in the workplace.” Though, these statistics are not isolated and can be seen worldwide.
In Vietnam, where FairWear also observed a number of female garment workers, nearly half (43.1%) of 763 women interviewed in factories said they had suffered at least one form of violence and/or harassment in the previous year, according to a study by the Fair Wear Foundation and Care International. The abuse ranged from groping and slapping to rape and threats of contract termination. These are grave examples of the kind of violence many garment workers have to endure on a daily basis – callous violence that can even result in death.
Most recently, fast fashion giant H&M came under fire after a garment worker named Jeyasre Kathiravel, aged 20, was reportedly murdered by her supervisor in Tamil Nabu in January 2021. She is said to have suffered months of sexual harassment and abuse from her supervisor. This should never happen to any woman.
H&M insist they have ‘zero tolerance’ for gender-based violence. However, international labour rights groups, such as Asia Floor Wage Alliance (AFWA) and the Global Labour Justice-International Labour Rights Forum (GLJ-ILRF), have criticised their evident failure to regulate their own codes of conduct on gender-based violence and to ensure there was a “responsible process” after Kathiravel’s murder, which put other women working in their supply chain in danger. A full investigation is underway, yet this begs the question; do we really know WHO makes our clothes and how they are treated?
H&M’s constant ‘conscious’ collections cleverly disguise this devastating truth behind glossy marketing and rampant greenwashing, as seen in their use of recycled polyester and organic cotton. Although, the brand has some good sustainable initiatives, such as their target of achieving 100% recycled or other sustainably-sourced materials by 2030, along with the ambitious goal of becoming climate positive by 2040. This is a start, but it is by no means enough.
True ‘sustainability’ lies with actually paying garment workers a living wage and giving them a safe place to work. As outlined by the UN Sustainable Development Goals, brands should be ‘protecting labour rights and promoting safe and secure working environments for all workers, including migrant workers, in particular women migrants and those in precarious employment’ – sustainability is merely a buzzword otherwise.
H&M is failing these women, so they are failing us too. We cannot fall privy to their empty promises and sordid attempts of sustainability. Penny Salman, a slow fashion influencer from @threadsforapenny on Instagram, said: “Fast fashion is a huge feminist issue. Fast fashion brands are so performative with feminism – selling slogan t-shirts and feigning support of female empowerment whilst they exploit their majority female workers.
"Often, they donate a proportion of the profits to a chosen women’s charity which is great, except it would be even better if those t-shirts weren’t made and people sent their valuable donations directly to the women’s charities.
“Also, the fact many women who work in their factories are sexually assaulted and the fast fashion brands do little to nothing is hugely telling of their real stance towards feminism. Fast fashion brands often claim they do not own the factories where their clothes are made, but it is not an excuse.”
Penny’s words certainly ring true. We must hold fast fashion brands accountable for their actions and shameful business practices, as no woman should have to endure abuse or murder to make our clothes. We have to challenge these fashion conglomerates who value profit over life. Fast fashion brands need to take responsibility for any crimes and mistreatment within their suppliers’ factories. After all, if feminism isn’t intersectional, it’s not feminism. So, we must include the lives of garment workers in our feminism because their lives depend on it.
Next time you pick up a ‘feminist’ t-shirt made from organic cotton, think of the women who made them. Be sure to follow Fashion Revolution’s campaign #WhoMadeMyClothes on Instagram for more information and tune into Venetia La Manna’s excellent podcast series ‘Remember who made them’ on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
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Edited by Katie Wheatley