It’s the debate that trumps all others in the fashionable style stakes; do you buy well made, quality garments as investment pieces, or do you buy cheap, inexpensive items that are trendy?
With the allure of the cheap, China made bargain that has managed to dominate our shopping centres and High Streets, it seems the days of the ethical Australian rag trade is slowly dwindling, and with the economic gap between rich and poor households growing bigger and bigger by the week, looking good seems to be a decision made on the weight of the wearer’s conscience.
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Is buying Australian made fashion ethically sound? Photo by Chooyutshing. |
“At the moment, when the economy isn’t stable, people don’t like spending lots of money,” says Alice Edgeley, of Melbourne label, Edgeley Designs. “There are some people who like to buy things that they know are made well, but a lot of people are not buying a lot at all, and if they do, they are buying things that are cheaper.”
For young emerging designers like Ms Edgeley, this is the current harsh reality of the fashion and retail worlds.
Having seen several major Australian companies, such as Fosters, Qantas, Bonds and Ford shift the majority of their factory work overseas, it’s astonishing that young designers and emerging Australian companies are feeling any form of optimism.
“A lot of suppliers are shutting down, which means getting materials locally is harder,” says Ms Edgeley.
“Even if the economy does go further downhill, I think things that are one-off or really unique are going to be things people are willing to pay for.”
Despite the current doom and gloom, there are some major fast fashion Australian companies that are thriving every day at a Westfield near you, with young consumers as young as eight years-old decking themselves out in inexpensive, fashionable clothing stitched in the masses by poorly paid workers throughout Asia.* Commonly known as sweatshops, many retail chains have invested in the preferred process of sending simple designs to foreign manufacturers and having hundreds of boxes of clothing made out of cheap versatile fabrics shipped back to our shores and into their stores.
From a business point of view, it’s an easy avenue to make huge profits by simply slapping on a price tag with a mark-up of up to three hundred per cent.
Ashleigh Becker, owner of local fashion label Ash MayBe, has studied the industry’s practices and believes major clothing companies have no choice but to source labour internationally. “The difference in price is enormous; the total costs of locally manufactured garments would be approximately three times the price of overseas production.” says Ms Becker.
Having networked closely with a handful of major companies during the term of her studies, Ashleigh says success in today’s environment comes down purely to affordable prices.
“I think smart companies will thrive in the current climate, if they are willing to change, and adopt different strategies.
A company such as Cotton On has barely been affected by the GFC (Global Financial Crisis), and are successful because they are cheap and fashionable.” explains the soon-to-graduate designer.
“Although they are far from ethical.”
Alice Edgeley agrees.
“It’s definitely cheaper to have garments made out of the country, but as I have only been in business for six months, I can’t afford to get heaps made in China. They usually have a minimum of one thousand garments, and almost everything made here is for the [Edgeley store] racks,”
“It’s a real juggling act, I don’t want to pay a lot of money to have my clothes made, but I also don’t want to barter or battle people to get their prices down when they’re making something good quality,” she explains.
When asked to comment on the manufacturing operations,Cotton On Group failed to respond to at the time of printing. Similarly, when asked to comment on the validity of their Australian made labels, a spokesperson from Supre stated the company “do not have the resources to respond to questions”. Once upon a time, purchasing brand new clothes was a rarity. It was only when a family member was getting married or it was one’s birthday that a nice, neat lace dress or a smart suit was hand-made by the tailor down the road and boxed beautifully with a silk ribbon. Fast forward a few centuries and the majority of Australia’s working class purchase new clothes every month, but it is evident that the quality and life of the clothing is nowhere near as long and worthwhile as they used to be.
“My wares are hand-sewn and I often wonder if people or notice or not,” ponders Ms Edgeley.
“Younger people especially, today, have never experienced that quality, that workmanship. It seems they can’t actually wrap their head around the idea, sadly it’s incomprehensible.”
For the future of ethical, Australian made clothing and wares, it is hard to predict whether a following will ensue as an alternative to today’s dominating chain wares that are readily available.
As a student, Ms Becker supports Australian made clothing, but simply cannot afford to buy them on a regular basis.
“As a student, they’re not really in my budget. If more brands stocked Australian made products, prices would be more competitive... it really comes down to marketing.” She says.
While the industrial revolution brought mass produced, European influenced fashion garments available to the public, as opposed to the rich and the wealthy; there is discussion as to whether the retail sector’s pricing standards have toppled itself in competition with the accessibility and ease of online shopping.
“At the end of the day, we all buy cheap t-shirts, but in recent times it seems to have bitten itself on the bottom” says Ms Edgeley.
While there are a small number of labels and online eco-stores producing and selling Australian made wares, it seems money overrides morale in the fashion world. Good or bad, there are pros and cons between buying Australian made clothing and supporting the international sweatshop industry; however it’s clear that the real power of fashion lays with you: the individual.
*Poorly paid in comparison to the average annual Australian working wage. 
