RELAÇÕES PÚBLICAS & MARKETING DIGITAIS

We all know it: global warming is taking its toll on the environment. It is hard to ignore its effect as it begins to set in around us, although we carry on with our daily routines as normal. Teenage violence is on the rise. Unexpected types of meat finds its way into a fast-food chain's beef burgers. The number of orphaned children continues to grow, fatal accidents occur, financial debts deepen. On a whole, the world can seem to be a grim place.

And what about the fashion industry, the industry of 'evil'? Held accountable for promoting unhealthy body image, animal cruelty, unethical production practises and air pollution? After weapons, tobacco and adult entertainment, fashion lingers probably the fourth in line; often labelled as an unethical, pretentious and totally useless business, generously contributing the deterioration of mankind.

You probably work in fashion and love it. The rest of the world does not like you that much. Sorry.

I don’t work in fashion. And yet, I still find it a little bit amazing. Here’s why.

We could start with the bleeding obvious: the fashion industry as a whole forms a rather big part of global economy. We need to produce goods and services in order to keep the dollars rolling and people need to buy and consume them. In other words, if you save your pennies in a box and sit on it, your own bank statements might brighten up but global economy won’t thank you.

When spending slows down, jobs will get cut, tax revenue will surge and we fall into a recession. Simple maths. Fashion is a massive money machine, providing bread on the table to almost one million people in the UK alone. And mind you, this is only the direct effect.

Also, could you imagine what would this lot – photographers, designers, models, pattern cutters and bloggers – do without jobs? I would rather not.

Consumerism is, however, a kind of a swearword these days. Say it out loud and proud, and most people start ranting about mountains of plastic bottles and dangerous electric waste filling the backyards of their idyllic suburban houses and Brazilian rainforests. Not like we need new clothes every month, and where do we put the old ones?

There’s no denying that manic consumption of useless products does not benefit anyone, but never before has the fashion industry been so conscious about environmental issues and ethics. With the Vintage, quality tailoring, brands boasting about their newly adopted more sustainable, less wasteful approach.