The fashion industry is a huge contributor to modern slavery
Walk Free’s new Global Slavery Index estimates that 50 million people are living in modern slavery worldwide, up 10 million since 2018. As suggested by the findings, garment production is largely to blame for this dramatic increase. According to the latest findings from Walk Free’s Global Slavery Index, the number...
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TikTok sparks conversations about disability in the beauty industry
Rare Beauty has received praise from disabled customers for their easy-to-use packaging, sparking critical conversations about the beauty industry’s lack of inclusivity. Since launching in 2020, Selena Gomez’ beauty brand ‘Rare Beauty’ has enjoyed staggering success. With sleek branding, shade variety, and trend-worthy products, the makeup line made $60 million...
Angeline Jolie is launching a purpose-driven fashion brand
The actress and UN ambassador’s new venture will utilise deadstock and tap into the abilities of ‘refugees and other talented, under-appreciated groups, with positions of dignity based on skill.’ In the past few years, it’s become commonplace for celebrities to broaden their creative output. From seemingly endless forays into fashion, to...
New report suggests the beauty industry is ignoring net zero
Titled ‘greenhouse gloss,’ Carbon Trust’s inquiry into the sector’s commitment to tackling climate change has uncovered that some major brands’ sustainability efforts are falling short. Although the beauty industry’s impact on the environment pales in comparison to fashion’s (which itself accounts for ten per cent of humanity’s total emissions), the...
Australia to set a world-first standard for composting textiles
To combat the country’s 260,000-tonne-a-year fashion waste problem, lingerie company Very Good Bra has launched a campaign to improve natural garment recycling practices. According to a report by the Australian Fashion Council (AFC) published last May, Australians buy 14.8kg of clothing, or 56 new items, annually, making the country one...
Our obsession with collagen is hurting the planet
An investigation into the supply chains of this ‘wonder product’ for skin, ageing, and health that’s at the centre of a global wellness craze has uncovered a dark side to its cultivation. Collagen, which makes up 60 per cent of our cartilage, accounts for 70 to 80 per cent of...
SHEIN named the year’s most popular fashion brand
Overtaking ZARA and Nike as the world’s most Googled clothing brand is SHEIN. Founded in 2008 and gaining serious popularity during the pandemic, it looks like the fast-fashion giant is here to stay – regardless of its poor reputation. Yikes. According to a report compiled by Money.co.uk, SHEIN has become the world’s most popular fashion brand in 2022. It is the most Googled retailer in 113 countries - overtaking ZARA, adidas,...
Balenciaga’s quest for redemption has had the opposite effect
The luxury brand’s brush with accusations of paedophilia has united haters and fans in shared concern. But the controversy also points to systemic issues of exploitation and power within the fashion industry. Publicity stunt? Mindless oversight? Elite satanic conspiracy? Whichever best explains Balenciaga’s latest controversy – triggered by two campaigns that featured disturbing associations between children and sex – finding an answer to the whole fiasco has become somewhat of a...
The Fashion Pact establishes new renewable energy agreement
After a quiet two years, the CEO-led coalition has announced the launch of a promising sustainability initiative that seeks to accelerate the industry’s green transition. By now, I’m sure you’re well aware that fashion has an acute sustainability problem. If you’ve somehow missed out on the details, however, allow me to remind you that the industry is the largest global consumer of water and generates more greenhouse gas emissions than all...
New documentary goes undercover inside SHEIN’s factories
Available on Channel 4, the documentary reveals that workers making clothing for the fast-fashion giant SHEIN are paid as little as 3p per garment while working 18-hour shifts. Most of us aren’t blind to the fact that the availability of ultra-cheap clothing is impossible without the exploitation of workers who sew them. But this doesn’t make the findings in Channel 4’s new documentary any less shocking. Titled Untold: Inside the Shein Machine,...
