Should We Criticise Influencers for Supporting Fast Fashion?

A question every influencer should ask. Art credit goes to @the_stitchess on Instagram.

Recently more and more fashion influencers have decided to ditch fast fashion in pursuit of a more ethical and sustainable lifestyle, and beyond that, most seem to be at least vaguely aware of the atrocities within the fashion industry. I’m also willing to bet (or hope) that a large number are still unaware of the ethical and environmental issues behind the brands they flaunt. With Fashion Revolution Week just a few hours away, these issues will be brought to the forefront of many fashion communities, and simply being unaware is becoming less common. Regardless of if they know the truth about the fashion industry or not, is it appropriate to criticise influencers for supporting fast fashion? This week I will go through the pros and cons of each argument, and try to come up with a solution to help people encourage their favourite influencers to make better choices.

Yes, we should criticise influencers.

Ignorance is unprofessional. Anyone who works in the fashion industry should know where and by whom the clothes they are designing, buying, or promoting are made. To not know about this damages an influencer’s credibility.

Influencers have a responsibility to their audiences. Just as the word “influencer” suggests, these people are role models for their audiences, some of which consist of millions. Because of this, they have a responsibility to call out brands for their horrible practices and promote mindful consumerism, rather than encourage viewers to binge on fast fashion or other problematic companies.

We could at least influence their audience. Even if the influencer themselves doesn’t listen, their fans might. They could go on to influence others to do better, or they too could ask the influencer to support more sustainable fashion alternatives.

No, we shouldn’t criticise influencers.

It’s the influencer's job. People come to their videos to see fast fashion or prominent brands, so that is what the influencer must deliver. If an influencer is known for fast fashion hauls, they should continue to do fast fashion hauls. If they are known for trend-forecasting based on luxury brands and fast fashion, then they should continue to forecast trends because that is what their audience is following them for. Changing that could alienate their audience and jeopardise their job.

Fast fashion intentionally hides their corruption. Furthermore, fast fashion brands have taken to greenwashing and making pledges to convince consumers that they do care when in reality they only care about their bottom line. H&M says that they’ll pay their workers a living wage eventually, and they signed an agreement to ensure less people die when the next building collapses, and they recycle a whopping 1% of all the clothing donated to them! Companies like H&M can afford to invest in high quality propaganda that would probably even convince me that they are a just company if I wasn’t taught how to see through them.

Not everyone has access to sustainable alternatives. The fashion industry as a whole is riddled with issues surrounding inclusivity and accessibility for people with disability, plus-size figures, curves, low budgets, remote homesteads, and more. Some people can’t afford sustainable brands, some people don’t live near thrift stores, and some people might have access to both those options, but don’t fit into their products.

What can we do?

Lead by example. I believe that anyone, no matter how small their audience is, can be an influencer. My audience is tiny and I’ve still managed to support and educate people in the ways of sustainable fashion. You should flaunt your secondhand or small business clothing and repeat outfits on Instagram. When someone asks you where you got one of your slow fashion pieces from, use that as an opportunity to introduce them to the concept of slow fashion.

Suggest video topics more focused on sustainable fashion. I’ve done this, and while I have yet to see content of said suggestions put into the world, the suggestions themselves are always well-received. You can suggest a content creator share tips for thrifting, or how to repair clothes, or how to refresh one’s wardrobe without buying anything new, or ask them to talk about some of their favourite handmade, small business items.

Ask their opinion on sustainable fashion in Q&As. Or alternatively, ask their opinion on fast fashion. They might ignore it, or they might answer it, but at the very least, hope that they read it. If they’re asking for Q&A questions, then any comments on that post would be much more likely to be noticed, so that is probably one of the best opportunities to bring up fast fashion.

Educate, educate, educate! In this world, it’s easy to be ignorant of a lot of things, and criticising people for not knowing what they don’t know isn’t going to reflect well on the sustainable fashion movement, especially if it’s their first exposure to it. If you see someone supporting a company or product that you know to be harmful to the world, you can educate them in a calm and respectful manner, and it is important that you introduce them to more sustainable and ethical alternatives. This is because if someone is going to change, they need to know how. Otherwise you might just make them feel bad about something that they believe to be out of their control, and that will only serve to make them more defensive.

Most importantly, be kind. Even if this person should or does know better or tries to justify their choices by saying that at least the abused workers in Bangladesh have jobs to begin with. People will always be more likely to respond to kindness and empathy with an open mind. Shaming someone for their choices isn’t going to get them to make better choices, but being open and warm and a positive example means that when they feel ready to change, they won’t be afraid to.

Of course, there may be cases where uproar is needed, but unlike fast fashion corporations, these influencers are real people, and we have to treat them like people. Whether it is right to criticise influencers for supporting fast fashion is up to you and how you want to approach fashion activism. However if you personally do not want to cause controversy or discourse, I doubt you can cause any harm by portraying slow fashion and mindful consumerism as highly rewarding when compared to fast fashion and haul culture. Even in our dying world, an optimistic approach is still valuable.

This Fashion Revolution Week, I think we should ask more fashion icons who made their clothes. Let's encourage more influencers to make better choices. Who are you going to ask to embrace sustainable fashion?

Further material:

• 'Fast Fashion Hauls & Reviews are Problematic' by Tiffany Ferg (YouTube video)
• 'Are You A Good Influence?' by Tiffany Ferg (YouTube video)
• 'The True Cost' available on Netflix. Some bloody imagery, as well as mentions of suicide and physical assault. Best possible intro to the fast fashion industry's widespread corruption.