Fill the word fairness with meaning

Discussions on the topic of sustainability usually revolve around new material innovations, circular business models or recycling technologies. However, in view of current global conflicts, societal crises and human rights violations, it seems more important than ever to look at a different perspective of sustainability: social justice.

At the fourth edition of the annual Fashion Changers conference in Berlin last week, panel discussions and keynote speeches focused primarily on the social level of sustainability. FashionUnited has summarized three key areas of social sustainability for you.

Representing BIPoC in the industry

After recent criticism of the luxury goods group Kering because of a lack of diversity in the creative leadership became loud and Supreme creative director Tremaine Emory left the brand because of its “systemic racism”, the issue of gender and, above all, ethnic underrepresentation in the fashion industry is highly topical.

In a first lecture, journalist and founder of ‘Daddy Magazine’ Kemi Fatoba spoke about diversity and the representation of BIPoC in the fashion industry. She gave a talk at the conference four years ago and has now dared to look back – what has changed in four years and what is the status quo in the industry?

In her comparison to the situation four years ago, Fatoba initially based on a survey by the trade magazine Vogue Business, in which 52 percent of those surveyed agreed with the statement that their
Race or ethnicity has or has had an impact on their career in the industry. In contrast, only six percent of the white
Respondents agreed with the statement. The survey also revealed differences in terms of pay: 48 percent of those surveyed agreed
white People agree that they are paid fairly for their work, but only 37 percent of PoC do.

Despite the demonstrably uneven playing field when it comes to representation in the industry – be it in the media, in leadership positions, at fashion weeks or in retail – the journalist and activist has chosen to highlight the positive changes of the last four years.

Above all, she praised the work of various organizations, including the ‘Black in Fashion Council’ in the USA, the non-profit organization ‘Fashion Minority Alliance’ and the Berlin PR agency Reference Studios. The US initiative ‘Fifteen Percent Pledge’ has already achieved important successes in increasing the visibility of BIPoC. The initiative advocates for retailers in the US to make 15 percent of their shelf space available to Black-owned brands – which corresponds exactly to the PoC population share in the United States.

A lot has also happened in the media landscape and BIPoC are becoming increasingly visible in the fashion media and also behind the cameras of major cover shoots. Last year, an indigenous person appeared on the cover of Vogue Australia for the first time, and Vogue Philippines also photographed an indigenous cover model this year.

Even if there is currently a growing interest in African culture in Western pop culture, this attention must be permanent in order to change the industry in the long term and sustainably. Fatoba spoke out in favor of a “decolonial mindset” – traditional craft techniques from the African continent must be revived and designers from the global south must also be given a platform and more relevance. You cannot talk about sustainability if you exclude people from the global south from the discourse and ignore their perspectives – because they are the ones who are primarily affected by the negative effects of fashion production.

Beware of social washing

Greenwashing is a term that has gained popularity due to the increasing sustainability efforts of many companies. However, it is only part of so-called social washing, which describes marketing practices by companies in which terms are misused to deceive consumers and thereby achieve a competitive advantage.

Salma Akli-Bichowski, consultant for corporate social responsibility, dealt with this topic and explained how companies want to profit from their customers’ need for justice.

Social washing is used by fast fashion companies that are “jumping on the sustainability bandwagon,” says Akli-Bichowski, but can also be found in many other brands. The communication strategy is based on the idea of ​​social justice and a sense of responsibility among people – it’s about social commitment.

The practice can be divided into three different strategies that focus on different thematic focuses: Greenwashingrefers to climate and environment, Pink wash addresses the interests of the LGBTQI+ movement and Blue washing sets with the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.

What sounds promising in principle looks different in reality: many companies use CSR as advertising in order to influence their customers’ purchasing decisions. It is more of a strategic element that contributes to reputation and competitiveness than an actual sense of responsibility. When fashion brands practice CSR and communicate this to the outside world, they make themselves interesting, says the consultant. She advocates that consumers should question sustainability claims and certificates more closely and calls for more transparency from companies.

Fashion providers should be guided by their own ethical standards and thus drive the actions of their company. Following the categorical imperative of philosopher Immanuel Kant, Akli-Bichowski proposed the following moral guidelines for fashion companies: social justice, pluralism, inclusivity and solidarity. It’s about becoming more honest and being sincere with your own attitude and business models. The focus should not be on exaggerated advertising slogans and perfection, but rather on transparency, education and reporting on the status quo – this is the only way the industry can become more honest.

A call for a living wage

Marian von Rappard, the co-founder and managing director of the jeans label Dawn Denim and the textile factory Evolution, turned to his industry colleagues in an emotional appeal: He is looking for partnerships in order to get closer to the goal of living wages throughout the entire supply chain.

Von Rappard owns a textile factory in Vietnam with 310 employees, to whom he pays a living wage using the anchor method. The cost of living is divided into three categories: food, housing and other needs. The costs for each category are estimated individually, including employees. When calculating the costs for living space, national and international standards are also taken into account, which is intended to ensure adequate living space.

His goal is to pay his factory workers a wage in the future according to the Asia Floor Wage method, which sets the living wage even higher than the anchor method. In addition, his ideal is to ensure this wage payment for all workers throughout the entire supply chain, which, according to him, is currently not possible due to many “complex reasons”. He also wants to compare the salaries of the employees of his own brand Dawn Denim with the salaries of the workers in the factories. The founder therefore used his lecture to find fellow campaigners “to spread the word
fairness “To fill it with content”. This requires know-how, buying power, verification and promotion and, above all, partnership-based cooperation in which the risk is also shared.

The three speakers made one thing clear: fashion companies must put their own profitability in the background and must not lose sight of humanity. It is important to be aware of other realities of life and to reflect them.