Sustainability in fashion as a marketing gimmick

Paving a way to a meaningful discourse about sustainability in fashion grows with every seasonal collection. In this hour with environmental crunch being the talk of the town, every brand, every designer is rushing into the space of green advocacy to prove themselves sustainable. But in this ‘phy-gital’ and social media driven world, consumers fail to ask their favourite brands the right questions and only go by the looks of social media posts which is merely a smokescreen to hide workers unjust pays, several unpaid interns and hazardous working space for the hands behind your clothes. The responsibility befalls upon us to blow off that hazy line and uncover the actuality. Consumers must start asking the correct questions and demand transparency for we are warranted to know. The ambiguise nature of brand thus painted by them for us to see is a façade. The same people that talk about the richness of handwoven fabrics as a marketing gimmick are the same that do not care about the working conditions of the very hands behind that fabric from which they managed to earn thousands.

Is it possible to be 100% sustainable? Maybe, maybe not but the brands at least aught to be transparent & honest about their doings, then at least we know you are trying your best and that is all that is needed to know

When it comes to being transparent, I not only mean to reveal to consumers about your supply chains, I mean being transparent within the industry. When you say you are sustainable and support worker rights and local crafts, it automatically implies you would support them finding new work other than just your brand’s and if you are not using your reach on social media to help them do exactly that, is precisely what I mean that brands need to be transparent and not just safe lock them as ‘trade secrets’. If you have uncovered a certain material you deem can help reduce waste, promote it, make sure people are aware where to source it. Only that way can you true be ‘sustainable by heart’ else, it’s just a marketing gimmick.