In a politically tense climate with a generation more socially aware than ever before, it’s no wonder activism-inspired apparel is in the window displays of fast fashion retailers everywhere. But when each stage of the production cycle invalidates what these clothes are trying to communicate, the feminist movement becomes no longer trendy, but tacky.
The Future Is Female, Wild Feminist, GRL PWR.
You’re not at a women’s rights march, but in a fast fashion clothing store. Instead of these politically charged slogans being painted in bright red on placards, they’re being bedazzled on crop tops. Instead of these powerful phrases being shouted into the air, loud, bold and unambiguous, they’re haphazardly falling off coat hangers, crumpled on the floor of changing rooms, and being dumped into bargain bins.
Fast fashion describes the modern phenomenon where retailers are able to rapidly produce runway-inspired garments reflective of the most in-the-moment trends, sometimes taking designs from sketch books to the store racks in as little as three weeks.
Their clothes are watered down versions of the designer pieces that walk the runways of Milan, Paris, London and New York. In 2017, fashion houses like Dior, Ashish and Prabal Gurung featured feminist slogans on t-shirts in their collections, so it was only a matter of time before designs at irresistibly low prices started filling the racks of Zara, H&M and Forever 21.
The timely trend of political fashion has well and truly seeped into the fast fashion bloodstream, and while on the surface the humble femme slogan tees seem harmless, the true cost of their creation couldn’t be more damaging.
The fast fashion machine, and their activism-inspired apparel, is hypocritical at every stage of the production process. In an era of social media, digital art and blurred copyright laws, it’s becoming more common to see big fashion retailers ripping designs straight from independent artists.
In 2017, American retailer Forever 21 directly copied Wildfang’s $40 best selling ‘Wild Feminist’ t-shirt, which has been seen on the likes of celebrities including St. Vincent, Sophia Bush, Kate Mara, and Ellen Page.
Not only was the Forever 21 version sold for a quarter of the price of the original, at $10.90, but the Wildfang tees directly benefit charity.
“When you rip off that t-shirt, you’re not just ripping off us, you’re also taking money out of the pocket of Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union, because 10% of every product that we make goes directly to them,” Wildfang CEO and designer Emma Mcilroy told Refinery29.
While Mcilroy plans to take legal action for trademark infringement, she highlights the alarmingly low price point of Forever 21’s version of her product.
“I would love to know how much everyone in that supply chain was paid, because I can tell you that I pay well above minimum wage for anyone in my company,” she said. “I don’t know how you make a garment like that — ethically and sustainably — for 10 bucks.”
This is where the true cost of cheap fashion comes from. In her TEDx Talk, Maxine Bédat, creator of sustainable fashion brand Zady, stated “80% of the people who work in the apparel industry are women, and 98% of them are not receiving a living wage.”
The workers are mostly underage, with fast fashion documentaries like The True Cost revealing some females as young as 12 pose as 18 year olds in order to maintain their jobs and provide for their families. They work 14 hour shifts in extremely hazardous conditions to earn as little as $3 a day.
While the realities of these sweatshops seem world’s away, the disturbing truth became global news in 2013 when the five story Rana Plaza factory building collapsed in Bangladesh, killing over 1,300 people in the deadliest garment factory accident in history.
It’s difficult to feel empowered by a shirt reading ‘Girls Support Girls’ on the rack of a fast fashion store when knowing the deadly, dehumanising and disastrous conditions females endured to make that cute pink top.
The solution to this problem isn’t to boycott fast fashion labels. After all, millions of women in third world countries depend on these jobs in sweatshops to provide for themselves and their families. The answer lies on the shoulders of the heads of the fast fashion industry. The workers who slave over their products deserve healthcare, regulated building codes, and equal human rights. Considering Zara’s CEO Amancio Ortega is the third richest person in the world with a net worth of $76.1 billion, improving work environments shouldn’t be an impossible ask.
As for consumers, education is key, and voting with your wallet is essential. If you want activist-inspired apparel, shop around and support ethical brands who engage in sustainable production practises. More importantly, if you want to wear a feminist t-shirt, stay informed, vote in elections, support women of all kinds, donate to responsible charities, walk arm in arm in women’s marches, and have your voice heard.
Essentially, be a feminist.
Note: This article was originally written for my Fashion Writing unit as part of my overseas university exchange at the European Institute of Design. I really love how it turned out so I wanted to also post it here. If you enjoyed it, feel free to give this post a ‘like‘ so I know!
All the love,
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This was such a great article! It’s such an important topic and I think that feminism being co-opted to sell shirts that exploit women in their production is inherently wrong. Beautifully written
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Aw thank you so much! So glad you enjoyed it and feel the same way! Thanks for reading lovely!
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Hey! I nominated you for the Mystery Blogger Award because I really enjoy reading your posts! Link here – https://opinionatingblog.wordpress.com/2018/04/15/the-mystery-blogger-award/
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Aw thank you!
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Flawless, as I was reading this all I could think was ‘yes, yes, yes, this is exactly what’s happening and thank god someone is saying it’! I often feel like such a sell out as someone who works in the fast fashion industry, because these issues are so much more prominent and real than what we see hanging on the rack. But you’re right, countless lives depend on the industry and it is up to the top tier of people to be sourcing and designing ethically. That said, they’ll never get the message if we don’t all vote with our dollar. A pleasure to read as usual, and couldn’t have said any of that better!!
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Aw thank you Morgan! For the longest time I thought the only solution was to boycott fast fashion completely, but through researching and writing this I realised people need to buy less and know what they’re buying into. So glad you enjoyed this! 💖
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This was an awesome, well-thought article! So many social concerns become trends and commercialized. It’s sad that the meaning behind movements can get lost in the snap of a finger, without any education behind the bedazzled t-shirts. I definitely believe that being a feminist is more than just about being a female.
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Yes I couldn’t agree more, especially with the last sentence! Thank you so much for reading! x
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This was such an amazing read! Never really thought about what the fashion industry was doing with this
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Aw thank you so much! I’m glad I was able to help shed a bit of light on the situation!
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This is an absolutely amazing article, I loved every second of it! I’m writing an article on the diversity that was seen in NYFW Fall 2018, but how the number of “plus sized” models declines.
I got the idea from this article: https://mic.com/articles/188549/racial-diversity-at-fall-2018-fashion-month-hits-a-new-high-as-the-number-of-plus-size-models-drop#.O3Rq3wYeE
It looks like something that might interest you!
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Aw thank you so much! Ooh I’ll check that out!
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Wow this is a brilliant article! It’s so nice to see someone else writing about fast fashion.
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Aw thank you so much, so glad you enjoyed it!
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Unfortunately, these fast fashion companies are notorious for stealing ideas. I guess they have such a big platform/brand following, that they think people won’t go up against them?! Either way, it’s sad. Great article!
https://www.bluelabelsboutique.com
https://www.fashionnotfear.com
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Thank you! And yes, perfectly said! It’s so upsetting once you realise how big the problem is, which is why it’s so important to create conversions and make a difference. Thank you for reading!
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All I can say to this post is yes, yes YES
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Aw thank you, glad you enjoyed it!
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New follower to your blog. Absolutely love this article on feminist . I didn’t even realize so many retailers were making shirts like this. Thank you so much for sharing!
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Aw thank you! Glad you enjoyed it. And yes, the problem is huge once you realise it!
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This is such a great read!
The sort of societal pop culture which is feminism rn, really should be lifted up like you have here to take a deeper look. 🌸🌸🐘
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Thank you so much! I’m glad you agree, thanks for reading 🙂
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This is an interesting point of view, and one that is rarely covered… As a young girl who actually owns one of these t shirts (albeit not a crop top) I think I can see both sides of the argument, and I think these items of clothing can put across a positive message. However, you have raised some points I never thought of, great post, really thought-provoking 🙂
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Very interesting article with some thought provoking ideas. As a feminist, I try to make sure I’m thinking of different sections of society, but it can be easy to focus one what I can see. Good read!
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Really great article! I would love your take on Georgina Chapman’s recent Vogue article (I wrote my own post about it here https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/82055241/posts/1856292879 and would appreciate your insight). I don’t know much about fashion, but I’m curious about if you think my theory is right and if Marchesa has value.
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A great post, I am definitely of the same opinion. As much as I agree with a shirt that says “feminist” on it, you have to think about the reasons they are making the shirt… Unfortunately, more often than not, it’s to capitalise on a trend, like you said!
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Exactly! Thank you for reading lovely!
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An excellent post. I totally agree that it’s hard to feel empowered with feminist text logo when we know of the inequality women in fashion industry face and the oppression, exploitation, negligence they all are subjected to. Sad but true. Thanks for sharing.
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Thank you so much for reading! And yes, I agree with everything, well said!
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This is a great post. Solving problems such as this is so difficult, as there are so many lives at stake. As consumers we have so much power, people often don’t realise that the choices they make have such an impact!
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Clearly well researched and well written … really shows the fundamental issues with ‘capitalise on a trend’ rather than empower .. thanks so much for this ..Absolutely love it !
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Should say trying to ‘capitalise on a trend’😂🤦🏾♀️
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This is an amazingly beautiful and well written post. I would love to share this with my followers on here and amongst other social media sites if you don’t mind!!
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I love this post. It reminds me that in a capitalistic culture, everything is commodified, even activism is seen as a rail car toward profit.
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Really important article, well written, balanced, thoughtful and backed up with great research – thanks for sharing!
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Thank you! This is something that has been bothering me for quite a while now, and I am glad to see it’s not just me.
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Great article!
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Apparently wearing a feminist t shirt is an ironic gesture.
Unpicking the route of the tshirt from design to home. Was it made it a sweatshop? Did the people making it earn a living wage under human conditions? Was the water polluted by factory chemicals? Are the shop workers on zero hours? Do the companies involved avoid paying tax?
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