Much of the focus for campaigners for ethical fashion has been concerned with making it a priority for absolutely everybody, especially endeavouring to change the attitudes of the supposedly apathetic youth of today.

On the other hand, our generation has been miserably nicknamed the iPod generation: Insecure, Pressured, Overtaxed, Debt-ridden. When you’ve got all that knocking at your door, sometimes the last thing you want to see is the bigger (equally daunting) picture. The promising news from research commissioned by Labour Behind a Label ’s education project Fashioning an Ethical Industry has found that more than two thirds of fashion students questioned were committed to making fashion more ethical when they enter the industry. Students from London College of Fashion, University of the Creative Arts, Central St Martins, Nottingham Trent University have shown concern about a wide range of ethical issues with almost three quarters of respondents highlighting workers’ rights, child labour, producer wages and sweatshops as particular areas of concern.

With the world surviving on a constant diet of generally crap news all round, this glimmer of hope is practically akin to a fan-fare, a massive parade with floats, confetti, brass bands and bunting, and just a generally drinks-all-round cause for celebration. Joint Project Coordinator for FEI Hannah Higginson points out that “at this time of economic uncertainty when fashion companies may be squeezing suppliers and thus undermining workers’ rights, it is extremely encouraging to see the commitment of fashion students and their tutors to play a pioneering role in transforming the fashion industry”.

According to the recent research, almost 40% of students now feel their tutors are actively engaging them in ethical issues – 20% more than three years ago. On the flipside, students highlighted the need for more resources and curriculum development around ethics, with more than 40% saying there was ‘little’ information about ethics on their courses. If we want fashion to have a viable place in our future, learning the ways to sustain it is evidently the key because there are problems on the up that aren’t going to go away. The fact that we’re moving that direction step by step is exciting, though, and its research that proves that maybe we could turn out to be more than a collective neurotic mess – and that creativity just might find a new force.

To find out more about its work and upcoming projects, visit the Fashioning an Ethical Industry website – where you can also see a variety of student work.

Written by Jonno Ovans on Wednesday August 5th, 2009 4:37 pm

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