User:Thelordoflight/sandbox/Ethical Fashion

Ethical fashion

The expression “ethical fashion” is relatively new; the first paper that can be found on the topic is from 2002. “Ethics and Innovation: Is An Ethical Fashion Industry An Oxymoron?” explores the question of how can fashion designers be more ethical, using a broad definition of what constitutes ethical behavior, from intellectual property to sustainability and human rights. In recent years, the debate about ethical fashion has focused on the last two factors, disregarding protection of intellectual property, and we believe a certain level of plagiarism is generally accepted in today’s fashion industry.

Another early paper from 2006 (Joergens) “Ethical fashion: myth or future trend?” reads:

The findings from this research demonstrate little evidence that ethical issues have any effect on consumers’ fashion purchase behaviour. When it comes to fashion purchase, personal needs motivate consumers primarily to buy garments and take precedence over ethical issues.

That paper had methodological limitations that limit our ability to generalize its results to a broader population and consumer preferences have changed since then, but we believe the statement above is going to be true for the majority of consumers and, as we have discussed on Fashionhedge, aesthetics and good design have to be the primary element of anything related to fashion.