So often we like to regard things like 'sustainable fashion' and 'green beauty' as causes of the political left. But many of the issues surrounding causes like sustainable fashion should be of more concern to people who hold a conservative world view.
Just to bear in mind when I talk about 'conservatism' I am not referring to political parties, rather a ideological viewpoint.
Many of the ethical problems that arise from Fast Fashion have conservative solutions. Bringing more manufacturing and fabric production back to the UK and supporting the farms/businesses that are doing this is inherently an anti-globalist social conservative view. Much of the social conservative world view is centered around preserving jobs, communities and traditional clothing and fabrics.
This is a topic that we don't often speak about but it is an intrinsic part of slow fashion and sustainable production. In order for fashion and clothing production to be sustainable, we must support local businesses and artisans here in the UK. Sustainable fashion is about creating well paid jobs with meaningful work, producing fabric that does not damage the environment and not shipping clothing half way around the world.
The solutions to all these problems are ones which can be solved with the introduction of more socially conservative policies. I am not suggesting government regulation on clothing imports here, but more incentives and promotion for small clothing producers in the UK.
Made in Britain is the most important label to look for in my slow fashion journey.
It is the label that supports our farms, creates jobs in the countryside and rural areas as well as ensuring we keep traditional British style and clothing alive. This is something not many people on the left who love sustainable fashion talk about but it is something that we must acknowledge.
This may seem like a very strange topic, however I think it is an important distinction to make. Making ethical issues so, so political can have negative side effects discouraging people who don't share certain world views from engaging in things like sustainable fashion. It also promotes the idea that there is only one type of person who cares about the environment and only one solution. This is not true and over the last few years we have seen politics polarize so much that we cant even have these discussions that need to be had.
Sustainable solutions to problems are only true sustainable solutions when we consider the whole picture. We need to be thinking about the affects of Fast Fashion in this country not just in third world nations. This point was brought home to many with the realization that BOOHOO was employing people on slave wages in the Midlands. This has been going on for years and is something that everyone needs to have an open discussion about instead of creating more problems and name calling.
Sustainable fashion is meant to be about helping local artisans around the world, improving trade, maintaining biodiversity and tackling environmental pollution. This won't happen if we can't have honest conversations and consider every view point.
We must engage in conversations with everyone from every side of the political spectrum about environmental issues. We all want clean air and clean water and I am betting we all would also like to not have our clothes made by people paid slave wages...I'm sure we can all agree on that!
To see my favorite British clothing brands click here.
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