SHEIN, UNIQLO, Nike, H&M, and Forever 21 are trendy stores that lots of people shop at. However, these brands use unethical tactics to make and produce their products. According to brightly.eco, a website dedicated to “conscious consumers”, a majority of these brands use child labor, steal designs and contribute to environmental waste. These brands are creating bad impacts on society and we should not be supporting them.
On the other hand, some companies brand themselves as “ethical” which is good, but most of the time these brands are producing very expensive products. People usually gravitate towards brands like SHEIN, which have shirts for as low as two dollars, rather than brands like ABLE that has shirts that start at fifty dollars. Many people are not able to afford clothing that is priced this high, so they buy clothes from unethical brands.
Personally, I have mixed feelings about fashion brands. On one hand, I think we should not be supporting these companies as they have proven themselves to be unethical but on the other hand, brands that are ethical overcharge their products. I try not to buy from brands that are unethical but sometimes it is a little hard to buy ethical clothing when you can’t afford it. If I’m going to spend one hundred dollars on clothes, I’d much rather be getting five pieces rather than only getting two.
Instead of buying from unethical brands or brands that are ethical but cost too much, you should try thrifting. Thrifting or buying second-hand clothing is a much better way to buy your clothing. Most of the time it is also way cheaper. When you thrift, you’re being ethical and sustainable. You can even buy luxury pieces for a very discounted price.