Consumers don't have enough platforms offering appealing ethical products at reasonable prices, says Rachel Kibbe. Photograph: Mike Marsland/WireImage
In April, more than 1,100 people died and 2,500 were injured after the collapse of the Rana Plaza garment factory in Bangladesh. The facility manufactured items destined for the mass market clothing stores we all might visit. Names included Joe Fresh, Mango, El Corte Inglés, Benetton and a slew of others. After the incident, the initial uproar was loud, but it quickly died down.
While consumers might have a clearer picture of the not-so-glamorous reality behind fashion production and the tragic consequences of a broken system, not much has changed. Reports even state that imports from Bangladesh have increased.
However disappointing, this reaction doesn't really come as surprise. The lack of momentum in changing behaviour is a similar reason why anti-drugs and anti-smoking adds don't work: when threatened with scary consequences, we go into denial, continuing with our bad ways. The best way to promote behaviour change is not to use scare tactics but to make the alternative seem more appealing. In fashion, what this translates to is, "it's gotta be cool".
Fashion and sustainable fashion must meet and mingle. They can no longer be two separate categories and movements. The tricky thing with fashion is that it is inherently about appearance and many consider this vain and frivolous. While we've been pretending not to care how we look, concerning ourselves more with organic food purchases, fast fashion chains manufacturing in factories such as Rana Plaza have been ferociously committed to bringing us trends straight from the runways, keeping up with the visual zeitgeist. And people have bought them, a lot of people. As consumers, we are addicted to buying the latest trends quickly and cheaply.
A huge monster of an unethical fashion empire has grown up around us and we've been looking the other way. A 2011 briefing report from the Ethical Fashion Forum on the market for ethical fashion products, explains that shoppers buy on design and style first and ethical credentials as a secondary consideration. Whether or not I agree with the fast fashion business model and the disposability of products, stores like H&M and Forever21 seem here to stay. If ethical fashion wants to find a place, it's going have to look pretty similar, if not better.
The fashion industry has become so unwieldy because the consumer has bought into it; the consumer demands aesthetics and there's a market for it. Ethical fashionistas and businesses seeking to promote change must be plugged into the mainstream fashion world rather than exist separately. The division hasn't worked. For those interested in joining the ethical fashion movement, either on the business or consumer end, I challenge you to expect more visually, not less. Out with crunchy, dowdy, muted colours and crafty aesthetics. Let's own up to our desire to look good and realise it's okay, it's fantastic. But when feeding this desire it's just as important to care how about we meet these needs, just as we give increasing thought to where our food comes from.
At this point, however, consumers don't have enough platforms offering appealing ethical products at reasonable prices. Many great designers are incorporating ethical elements into design practices but don't overtly advertise this because they feel sustainable fashion gets a bad aesthetic rap.
There is a growing collection of fantastic platforms dedicated to curating the best in ethical fashion including Shop Ethica and Kaight, which are also as committed to finding and selling sustainable fashion with aesthetic value. Such platforms are a fundamental element to offering a more informed and transparent set of fashionable options for consumers to choose from. Hopefully, consumers will soon consider it not just right, but also more fashionable to turn to our platforms and instead of commenting, "thanks, £10 H&M!" They will brag: "Thank you - ecofriendly, made to last, fair trade".
Rachel Kibbe is the founder of HELPSY , an online boutique for ethical fashion. She tweets @rachelkibbe
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