Blog Post One – Lecture Reflection
Power Lecture
Throughout the start of the Better Loves project, I attended several lectures that prompted me to question and challenge the problems caused by the fashion industry but also encouraged me to acknowledge how the cycle is evolving and somewhat attempting to improve. Whilst most of the lectures inspired me to thoroughly analyse the large scale of issues that fashion poses, the Power lecture piqued my interest due to its heavy focus on the Better Lives themes, social responsibility, diversity and sustainability.
Crew discussed how there is a clear imbalance of power within the fashion chain and this inequity is contributing to the unethical treatment and exploitation of people at the bottom of the fashion pyramid, as well as the maltreatment of the planet. She touched on how the richest figures connected to fashion were all ‘Stale, Pale and Male,’ with their net-worth’s ranging from $9.2 billion dollars (Heinrich Deichmann) to $66.7 billion (Bernard Arnault). It is a disappointing but not a shocking statistic to discover and it is clear that there is a blatant disparity of power between CEO’s of companies in comparison to the garment workers – according to Fashion Revolution, millions of people are employed by multi billion dollar corporations, yet struggle to get by due to the fact that they do not earn enough for basic human necessities.
The lack of diversity amongst the elite few is astounding and it is evident that over time fashion has helped people become incredibly rich whilst essentially enslaving others. Along with this, the rapid consumption of fashion has led to companies pushing to deliver larger quantities of clothes, at faster and cheaper rates. This creates a negative ripple effect, eventually leading to a detrimental impact on the environment – linking in with the Better Lives themes of social responsibility and sustainability. As consumers, who play a big part in the fashion cycle, we need to be able to question and understand where our clothes are coming from, as well as what sort of damage production is having on the planet. We need to scrutinise what we pay for and challenge the conditions under which many garment workers are forced to work.
It is interesting to see, especially with the current climate surrounding COVID-19, how the fashion industry has virtually lost its power. It has been put on the back-burner, with many companies having been forced to close their factories and postpone production. It is clear that many CEO’s have experienced a panic that they may not have experienced prior to the outbreak, they are used to having control and authority within their world – but in this instance they are faced with something that completely overpowers them.
Upon leaving this lecture, I felt as though my eyes had been truly opened to the power the fashion industry holds. Diversity, social responsibility and sustainability are often overlooked, particularly by the ‘stale, pale, males’ who are at the forefront of the fashion industry but it will be interesting to see how the next generation of fashion influencers will implement the Better Lives themes into our work.
References:
Fashion Revolution (2015) Exploitation or Emancipation. Available at: https://www.fashionrevolution.org/exploitation-or-emancipation-women-workers-in-the-garment-industry/ (Accessed: 15 April 2020)
10th May 2020 @ 8:30 pm
This blog post clearly explores the three main better lives themes of, diversity, social responsibility, and sustainability. It critically analysis how the disparity of powers within the fashion industry are a key component to the lack of diversity, sustainability, and social responsibility in existence. It significantly brings to light how the hierarchies of the fashion industry, i.e. the CEO’s and Chairman’s of fashion cooperation’s strive on the struggle of those beneath them. This not only suggests the lack of diversity but also highlights another better lives theme of sustainability. The article explores the link between how if companies take advantage of those beneath them and less advantage it not only highlights no diversity but also creates fundamental sustainability issues. The blog is successful in bringing to the readers attention that there is a negative ripple effect created where if large corporations don’t show diversity and only take advantage of the less advantage, it creates rapid consumptions of fashion at a rate that is not enviournmentally friendly or sustainable. Finally, the blog puts into question how consumerism can be linked to social responsibility. In bringing to light the two main themes of better lives – diversity and sustainability – it urges its reader to take this information on the unjust treatment of lower classed workers and the apathetic nature of corporations towards sustainability to uphold the social responsibility we have as consumers to not encourage fashion companies to not continue operating in an unjust manner where they constantly exploit their powers.