IS BUYING BRITISH ETHICAL?

Everything I'm wearing (ankles up) is High-Street bought 'Made in Britain'. But how ethically was it produced?

It's a question I have been debating for quite some time. And I'd really love you to share your thoughts too.

This post has mainly been spurred on by a recent conversation I had with a MIB designer. I feel quite a lot more passionately about the ethics of clothes than the place of manufacture. Don't get me wrong, but the reason I started buying British and then blogging about it was more about economics of the state of our country, not because of ethics surrounding manufacture. But since I started this 'journey' it's become appallingly apparent that MIB doesn't equal ETHICAL. Something I probably assumed was a given. In fact I even said fairly recently:

"I know how much minimum wage amounts to. I know we have strict health and safety legislation. I know the brands I'm buying from. To some extent I even know some of the factories and studios and people making the garments and products. There is traceable transparency in what I buy made in Britain."   

- Online Descriptions

But as a Made in Britain blogger how can I ensure that everything I feature is made in this way? The majority of things I have bought with MIB in the label have been from small brands, the kind that only have a couple of employees, the type that I know are so small they don't have a marketing department sending their tweets, it's actually them in their day-to-day life. Yet I often challenge myself to find entire outfits 'Made In Britain'. Googling "made in Britain xxxxx" or resorting to High-Street faves, but should I be including everyone just because they say they're made in Britain, or should I just start featuring the brands I have the confidence that they are doing what they are saying? I've bought a fair few things (online I must say) which have been proudly labelled as Made in Britain, only to then discover it isn't what it said it was when I bought it.

British-made is hugely desirable in the wider world. It means something to people. But I don't get the impression it really means a lot to Brits. Is it sustainable to manufacture here for example if Brits don't care and the majority of your client base isn't even EU? Short answer - not really.

I hoped our law would govern that if something says it's made here, it's because it's actually MADE here. But it's not the case. It happens time and time again. Yes, by law you can get something made else where and then 'finish' the item here and state it provence to be made in UK. So does this give brands the right to cut corners, finish something off and then lay full claim it was made here - only then to ship it out again? How would anyone know? It en vogue to celebrate the provence of something. SO hip. SO cool. But how can brands be proud of a lie? I've read a lot on the subject. From newspapers, forums and other bloggers. And you can't be blind to what people are saying.

Then theres the ethical or sustainable issue of the raw materials, where are they made, how can you be assured that the amazing sequinned dress is ethical? I can probably go out on a un-researched limb and say sequinned/embroidery fabrics are not made in the UK. More likely India as it suits their skill set. So if something has some seams which were sewn here... does it make that dress ethically made in the UK or more likely (I hope) ethically made in India? What about the zip, the thread, the buttons, the lining, the facing? Should we be considering the time it took to make the components part of the manufacturing process and therefore the provenance of the garment?

Finally, my last thought goes to the well paid, well treated workers in the UK. All those fashion students I studied along side who delight at their basic expenses paid 3 month internship in a design studio, only to find out there is no job at the end of the tunnel. Repeat cycle. I know my Uni did a lot to ensure no internship was offered without pay. But it still happens. And then theres apprenticeships. A company I used to work for offered apprenticeships. And whilst we agreed and wanted to pay minimum wage. Actually, the "minimum wage" subsidised by the govt for on the job training is half that. And there was no obligation to pay anymore than that. Is that ethical? Is that fair?

I'm not claiming this to be a well researched, well thought out blog post. But it's cumulative thoughts which have been going around my head for the last few weeks. And whilst I was keen to just think it and not say it, actually, yes it's better to say it. If you're interested in more of what I'm alluding to - I'm sure I can put the time to gather my sources and discover some more reputable sources and actually try and justify my thoughts. But what do you think? Is buying British inherently ethical or sustainable?

Andrea x