Long-term influencer Masego Morgan was shocked when a fast fashion giant offered her $1,000 for a single social media post to promote its brand.
Not only has the South African social media star never been offered so much money, the company represents exactly what she opposes: the overconsumption of cheap, planet-damaging clothes made by underpaid workers.
And she is not alone. Former Love Island contestant and sustainable fashion influencer Brett Staniland said he was offered almost $5,500 for a post for a major fast fashion brand – the kind of money that most small or sustainable brands just can’t compete with.
Content creators like Morgan and Staniland are promoting sustainable fashion online, where deep-pocketed fast fashion conglomerates have helped flood Instagram, TikTok and YouTube with sponsored posts encouraging visitors to shop more – mostly on cost of the planet.
This growing army of influencers is trying to uncover the environmental damage caused by big fashion companies like Shein, H&M and Zara.
They also encourage climate-conscious fashion choices – what Morgan calls “mindful consumption” – and urge people to generally buy less, or if they have to buy, then it’s best to buy second-hand or particularly sustainable.
“We shouldn’t necessarily be competing with (fast fashion)… their model is already unsustainable,” says Morgan, whose TikTok and Instagram pages are full of playful posts crammed with upcycled and handmade items that she uses many shows more than once.
“Repairing is revolutionary”
Morgan began borrowing second-hand clothes from her stylish Japanese mother, who always told her that “fixing is a revolutionary act” and encouraged her to mend clothes rather than buy new ones.
The 26-year-old, who posts much of her content from her kitchen in Cape Town, says she tries to hold companies accountable rather than making people feel guilty about their choices.
Influencers like her are “agents of change,” says Simone Cipriani, Chair of the UN Alliance for Sustainable Fashion and founder of the Ethical Fashion Initiative. “They counteract the negative impact of another thing you find on social media: overconsumption.”
Social media has become hugely important for fashion brands as they can reach millions of people via influencers flaunting their clothes in posts like #outfitoftheday.
Mainstream influencers in the Global North can easily make six figures a year through sponsored content and affiliate links. And the more followers they have, the more they can demand from brands.
Social media has helped boost fashion sales. Global consumption of clothing, shoes and accessories has doubled since 2000, according to the think tank Hot or Cool Institute.
But that comes at a high price for the planet: According to the World Resources Institute (WRI), the apparel industry was responsible for an estimated two percent of global greenhouse gas emissions in 2019 – about as much as the aviation industry.
These emissions could increase by 55 percent by the end of the decade, it said. They would have to fall by 45 percent to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, as envisaged in the Paris Agreement.
The ecological footprint of fashion production and consumption needs to be reduced by 60 percent in high-income countries to limit global warming, according to the Hot or Cool report.
In addition to decarbonizing the fashion industry, it is recommended not to buy more than five new clothes per year and to wear clothes longer.
“fight against it”
Exposing the harmful effects of fast fashion corporations is at the heart of Venetia La Manna’s content.
The 33-year-old influencer has built up a large following online. Her “Recipe for Disaster” series about the social and environmental damage caused by companies like Adidas, Amazon and Nike has been viewed around 6.5 million times on TikTok and Instagram.
She earns a good income and works with resale platforms like Vestiaire Collective, eBay and Depop. But it’s not always easy to compete with influencers endorsed by the fast fashion industry.
“We’re dealing with money and power,” she told AFP from London. “In the last five years, I really feel like this issue has caught on. Plastic and food used to be at the center of conversations about our environment, but now fashion is really being talked about,” says La Manna.
The second-hand clothing market is booming and is expected to reach $218 billion by 2026, up from $96 billion in 2021. This is partly due to the growing number of resale and clothing rental companies catering to a growing group of conscious consumers.
‘Love Island’ star Staniland is confident that companies that care about the planet will continue to grow on social media. And he’s already had a few successes of his own: The 29-year-old was instrumental in the show’s switch of sponsorship from fast fashion companies to eBay.
But right now it can be an uphill battle. Like most sustainable influencers, Staniland has to rely on multiple sources of income. After turning down $5,550 from a fast fashion giant, he partners with an underwear brand he believes in — One Essentials. However, he still needs his work as a model to make a living. (AFP)
This article originally appeared on FashionUnited.uk. Translated and edited by Simone Preuss.