Why is Ethical Fashion More Expensive?
The relationship between fashion and pricing
As a global movement, ethical fashion emerged as a redemption of the wasteful, toxic, and destructive fashion industry. Through its principles of environmentally and socially ethical fashion practices, ethical fashion aims to reduce the damage inflicted on the planet and all its inhabitants.
However, the high price tag of ethical fashion often deters those willing to make the change.
Admittedly, ethical and sustainable fashion is considerably more costly than fast fashion. As a result, people often dub the movement “elite” or “exclusive.”
So, do ethical fashion brands deliberately make it difficult for you to become conscious fashion consumers? Or could it be that the cut-throat pricing of fast fashion has forged unreasonable expectations?
Yes, fast fashion is cheap. But ethical fashion must uphold a vast value system, including ethical sourcing, fair wages, and meticulous craftsmanship. Surely, all these things will accumulate into a hefty price tag.
So, there are a fair few reasons that explain, if not justify, the high price of ethical fashion. But before we delve into those reasons, let’s set the stage by understanding how pricing actually works in the fashion industry.
The Relationship Between Fashion and Pricing
Why is it that fast fashion allows you to buy a t-shirt for the price of a coffee cup while ethical and sustainable fashion costs an arm and a leg?
Fast fashion is undeniably more affordable than its sustainable counterpart, especially ethical fashion. But if you peak behind the curtains, that low price tag is tainted with some truly appalling things.
Indeed, the cut-throat pricing of fast fashion distracts us from everything it takes to make them that cheap: unsustainable farming practices, labor exploitation, animal cruelty, and environmental degradation.
After all, why spend millions of dollars on building wastewater treatment plants when you can dump all your toxic sludge into the ocean? It’s free! Well, that’s how the fast fashion industry operates.
Moreover, fast fashion produces an unrestricted amount of clothing which, let’s face it, we don’t really need. A new line hits the shelves every few weeks, every holiday, every seasonal change. Combined with those unbelievably low price tags, people begin to view clothing as expendable or easily replaceable.
Hence, the affordability factor of fast fashion prolongs wasteful, unethical, and environmentally damaging fashion practices. On the other end of the spectrum, luxury brands with high-cost products aren’t any better, as they still exploit their workers and practice wasteful production practices.
On the other hand, sustainable fashion encompasses a whole ethical manufacturing value system that attempts to ensure human, animal, and environmental welfare. It also attempts to cut down on the number of fashion items needlessly churning out.
Hence, you can see how upholding these principles costs a lot further up the production chain. These high production costs of ethical and sustainable fashion thus translate into a high price.
4 Reasons Why Ethical Fashion is More Expensive
As discussed previously, ethical fashion has a much higher cost of production compared to its traditional counterpart. The reason ethical fashion is so expensive is that it costs a lot to make it.
With that said, let’s take a deeper look at these high costs of production.
Ethical Sourcing
Ethical sourcing is one of the main pillars of the ethical fashion movement. The source of material accounts for a huge portion of its carbon footprint. So, in simple terms, ethical sourcing involves acquiring the capital for production (raw materials, labor, land, etc.) in the most ethical way possible.
In other words, ethical sourcing means minimizing the exploitation of the planet and its inhabitants.
Unlike its traditional counterpart, ethical fashion spares no expense to:
Practice sustainable farming practices
Minimize the emission of greenhouse gasses
Minimize the production of toxic waste
Treat animals with kindness and compassion
Here, it is important to note that pricing starts with raw materials. If manufacturers use natural fibers, such as hemp, bamboo, silk, and wool, the final product price will reflect the high cost of sourcing.
Small-Scale Production
The most distinctive quality of ethical, slow, and sustainable fashion is small-scale production.
Ethical fashion deliberately forgoes mass production practices characteristic of capitalist industries to avoid wastefulness and overproduction. In this way, it attempts to redefine our relationship with our clothes by opening our eyes to the intense labor and resources that go into making our clothes. Combined with the high price tag, this behind-the-scenes look makes us think twice before we mindlessly chuck away old purchases.
However, this also means that they can’t enjoy the benefits of large factories, assembly lines, and automation technology.
Instead, small-scale production, traditional crafting methods, and made-to-order services ensure minimum waste. Unsurprisingly, though, these production practices are less economically efficient and cost a lot.
Fair Wages
Another defining feature of the ethical fashion movement is its emphasis on fair and equitable wages. Hence, the hefty price tag of ethical fashion reflects the fact that hard-working laborers are earning what they are due.
Think about it: would you ever pay anyone just $5 to fashion an entire item of clothing for you? It seems a little disrespectful, doesn’t it?
Well, fast and luxurious fashion is notorious for exploiting and underpaying its laborers. These workers don’t even make a minimum wage.
On the other hand, the sustainable fashion movement pays its laborers not only minimum wage but a living wage, allowing them to lead a comfortable life.
Craftsmanship
As a branch of sustainable fashion, ethical fashion attempts to preserve age-old craftsmanship skills and knowledge. We’re talking about the type of skills and knowledge that an automated assembly line can not live up to.
In fact, ethical fashion heavily relies on these artisan’s skills, techniques, and craftsmanship to uphold the “ethical” part of ethical fashion. Think about it: these craftsmen are privy to pre-industrial revolution techniques of making woolen clothes.
As such, many ethical fashion brands will team up with these expert textile manufacturers and facilitate their craft and produce top-tier products.
However, working alongside these small, often female-led businesses and borrowing from their traditional techniques is not easy on the pocket. Limited access to modern production methods and fair wages means that production will inevitably cost more.
Conclusion
The next time you forgo clothing from an expensive ethical fashion brand in favor of a cheaper one, think about the true cost of that low price tag.
The unusually low prices of fast fashion brands often reflect unethical sourcing, labor exploitation, environmental pollution, and animal cruelty.
Meanwhile, ethical and slow fashion may seem expensive at first. But once you think about where all that money goes, the hefty price tag is almost a welcoming sight. With ethical fashion, at least you’ll know that your fashion choices aren’t harming the planet.