London fashion week is abuzz with energy from backstage and stylish attendees. And, in the case of Pretty Little Thing, activists. During the fast fashion brand’s late night show, another catwalk showcased protestors sharing their concerns about accusations of poverty wages and fast fashion’s environmental impact. The protest was led by the founder of the Instagram account @OhSoEthical and campaigner Venetia La Manna who gave a speech about the how the billion-dollar fashion brand is negatively impacting both the environment and the workers across its supply chain.
Venetia also led her own Twitter protest calling out the brand for ‘not caring about the people who make their clothes or the planet.’ And, judging by the brand’s recent controversies around workers’ wages and misguided campaigns around sustainable collections, her statement doesn’t seem too far from the truth.
“Boohoo CEO net worth: £1.42 billion. Leicester garment maker: £3.50 per hour”
One of the signs protesters held up at the fashion show drew a comparison between the wage of Boohoo Group ( Pretty Little Thing’s parent company) CEO and the wages of garments workers at a Leicester factory. After founding Boohoo in 2006, Mahmud Kamani’s net worth is estimated to be around just over $1 billion. It’s a far cry from the poverty wages that garment workers are said to be paid at several factories making the brand’s clothing and textiles.
In 2017 Channel 4 went undercover to show that hundreds of British-based factory workers were paid less than half the legal minimum wage. Some workers were earning less than $5 an hour. In response to the undercover documentary, Boohoo released a statement that they were unaware of the investigation and would not tolerate workers being paid less than minimum wage.
Despite the 2017 investigation, more unethical labor allegations followed in 2019. An independent report from the workers’ rights group Labor Behind the Label published an independent study showing that factories in Leicester were putting workers at risk of catching COVID-19 and were not given protective gear. Again the brand released a statement that unfair treatment of workers would not be tolerated.
In 2020 the The Sunday Times ran an investigation that found that garments workers at one of the brand’s factories were paid as little as $4.69 an hour. The undercover reporter worked at the factory for two days earning less than $11.69 an hour ( Britain’s minimum wage).
In response to the damaging investigations, Boohoo Group began the production of a new factory in Leicester. The 23,000 square foot space is designated as the brand’s first and to-date only Boohoo-owned manufacturing site. The designated factory is said to allow the group to actively take a part in ensuring that labor standards are met such as guaranteed 40-hour contracts, 33 days of paid leave, medical care and free shares in the group. However, it’s
Greenwashing Fast Fashion
Similar to other fast fashion brands, Pretty Little Thing has made a series of statements and commitments to be sustainable. Yet, similar to these other brands, these claims have come under fire for being vague or misleading. For instance, despite many brands having ‘conscious’ or ‘green’ collections, a recent study has shown that up to 80% of products sold by these fast fashion brands are made from virgin-plastic. This holds true for shoppers seeking to shop at Pretty Little Thing for pieces made with more sustainable materials under its ‘Ready For The Future’ label. Most of the items in this curated section are made from only a percentage of recycled fibers. That still means that 50% of a garment’s material can be virgin plastic-based polyester, which is the dominate material used throughout the brand’s collections. Without that clear distinction a customer might not instantly realize that they are still purchasing plastic-based fast fashion and contributing to the plastic problem in the fashion industry.
Pretty Little Thing has also released its sustainable goals for 2025 and 2030. But, without clear targets like GOTS organic cotton certifications or partnerships with organizations like the Leather Working Group, it’s unclear exactly how the brand will ensure that these goals are met and valid.
- 100% recycled polyester and cotton by 2025.
- More sustainably sourced organic cotton by 2025.
- 100% animal welfare standards for leather, wool, feather and down products.
- 100% sustainably sourced materials by 2030.
The fashion industry might be on trend with terms like ethical and sustainable, but aside from clean-looking marketing pictorials and vague claims to work with more sustainable materials, most fast fashion brands fall short when it comes to specifying their sustainable initiatives and goals. Pretty Little Thing still showcases products with prices so low that they raise questions about workers’ salaries and the supply chain. During Black Friday prices were said to be as low as $0.55. To date, sale pieces from their sustainable collections are still within the single digits with prices as low as $4.80. These cheap prices are the effect of cheap labor and cheap materials, not sustainable materials like organic cotton or living wages. So, despite the fast fashion brand’s claims, it appears that Pretty Little Thing isn’t on track to be an ethical or sustainable brand this season at least.
Read more about fast fashion:
Turns Out Most Fast Fashion Clothing Is Made From Plastics
The Best Sustainable Fashion Apps For An Eco-Chic Wardrobe
11 Dirty Fast Fashion Statistics You’ll Want To Know