Fast fashion exploits cultural heritage. Discover more.

Are you interested in prints, handmade pieces, or clothing from ethnic backgrounds? If so, have you ever wondered about the stories behind these unique creations? If these brands are ethical and genuinely value their artisans and craftsmanship, they ensure that credit and financial compensation are appropriately given. Unfortunately, many fast fashion brands exploit this know-how without acknowledging the creators.

At COSH!, we stand for supporting more sustainable brands that not only protect the environment but also preserve their cultural heritage. This article will explore how these brands that embrace their cultural roots also adhere to slow fashion principles. Our eco-responsible entrepreneurs will also share their more ethical approach to incorporating traditional skills.

For both consumers and aspiring entrepreneurs, we offer valuable advice:

How Fast Fashion Exploits Cultural Heritage

Fashion draws inspiration from various sources, including art, literature, music, and cultural traditions. These elements collectively form what we refer to as cultural heritage.

According to the Central European University, cultural heritage encompasses the tangible aspects of a group or society’s legacy, such as cultural artefacts and intangible attributes passed down from the past. Heritage for Peace further defines it as the expression of a community’s developed lifestyles, including customs, practices, places, objects, artistic expressions, and values, transmitted from one generation to another.

Therefore, cultural heritage is intricately tied to communities and the people who generate this knowledge. Unfortunately, this connection is often severed in the fashion industry, and this valuable knowledge is exploited without proper credit or recognition. This exploitation renders the human contributors and their concerns invisible, even though they may face dangers due to geographical location, financial status, race, and other circumstances.

The fashion industry has a troubling history of appropriating artisanal knowledge without acknowledging or honouring the communities that originated these creations. For instance, you may come across accessories with stereotyped Native American designs, Mexican prints, saris from India, and Malian prints widely used in summer fashion collections. Regrettably, these prints and artisanal techniques are often devalued and exploited, either sold at discounted prices during summer sales or disproportionately marked up by luxury brands.

In a recent case, Mexico took legal action against Zara and Patowl for incorporating cultural heritage elements of indigenous peoples into their collections. Alejandra Frausto, the Mexican Minister of Culture, emphasised that “this is a principle of ethical consideration that, locally and globally obliges us to draw attention to and debate the protection of the rights of indigenous peoples who have been historically invisible.”

The situation with Inditex’s Zara brand and Patowl and other fashion brands like Isabel Marant, Mango, and Carolina Herrera highlights a troubling pattern of cultural appropriation and exploitation in the fashion industry. These brands have been using elements, such as traditional prints for t‑shirts or dresses, from the cultural heritage of indigenous communities. From the municipality of Oaxaca to San Juan, the Mixtec and Zapotec people from the San Antonino Castillo Velasco community weren’t given due credit or recognition for the origins of these designs.

As the Minister of Culture pointed out, ethics have been utterly disregarded, and the rights and struggles of these vulnerable communities have been overlooked. It is a glaring example of how the fashion industry can profit from the work of marginalised and indigenous groups without facing significant consequences.

Addressing the Imbalance: North-South Disparities and the Divide Between Large and Small Fashion Companies

A Significant Economic Imbalance

In the fashion world, we often witness a concerning trend where cultural heritage or cultural appropriation predominantly flows in one direction: from the global North to the global South. In this dynamic, companies from the North appropriate the traditional knowledge and expertise of communities from the South, mechanise or industrialise their creations, and then sell them at either low prices or disproportionately high values.

What was once a skilful craft performed by hand is now replaced with rapid machine production, making it challenging for artisans to compete in this market. Consequently, these communities face a double loss – not only are they deprived of the fair compensation they deserve for their hard work, but their overall situation does not improve either. Instead, the profits generated from their cultural heritage go predominantly to large companies, exacerbating the imbalance further.

A more ethical approach would involve giving back these profits to the artisan collectives and providing them with fairer wages for their contributions, whether for the original design or the artisanal work. Unfortunately, many fast-fashion brands neglect this responsibility and fail to compensate these communities adequately for their cultural contributions.

A Lack of Visibility

Louis Vuitton, which offered a $750 keffiyeh as an emblem of the Palestinian struggle — at the same time, claiming to remain “neutral” about Israeli colonisation. The same goes for Etro, which recently used Native American Navajo aesthetics for its collection. As we saw earlier, large companies often appropriate objects, traditions, music, and art to profit from these communities whilst disregarding their respective issues.

In the fashion industry, visibility is heavily skewed, with luxury and fast-fashion brands conducting massive marketing campaigns that overshadow the efforts of artisans and small brands seeking to showcase cultural traditions. It is essential to cultivate true collaborations with craftspeople and designers from these countries to establish an ethical approach, giving them due recognition and prominence.

A genuine collaboration involves showcasing the crafters’ work and ensuring they are properly acknowledged and compensated with better working conditions and fairer wages. Unfortunately, luxury and fast-fashion brands often fail to highlight the challenges faced by these communities and instead appropriate their cultural symbols for profit, disregarding their actual concerns.

Furthermore, fashion brands can exploit these communities precisely because they are not widely recognised and face economic vulnerability. The situation worsens as these communities remain unseen and financially fragile. This phenomenon is akin to what the black community in the United States expresses with the saying, “They want our rhythm, but not our blues.”

Cultural Heritage and Slow Fashion

Incorporating handicrafts or traditional know-how into your designs as a designer or brand represents a slow fashion approach.

Unique and High-Quality Pieces

Brands that embrace traditional craftsmanship are known for offering one-of-a-kind, handcrafted pieces. Slow fashion thrives on a local approach, prioritising fair-trade materials and high-quality fabrics. When you purchase from such brands, you can expect top-notch quality because the design, materials, and manufacturing processes are all meticulously carried out by skilled local artisans who deeply understand the tools and techniques involved.

Handcrafted pieces in slow fashion transcend seasonal trends; they are timeless and exceptionally durable due to the careful selection of materials. Fast fashion prioritises low-cost materials for higher profitability, whereas slow fashion focuses on lasting quality. The intention is to provide you with items that withstand the test of time, discouraging a culture of frequent consumption and waste.

Collaborating With Artisans: A Fair Partnership

Fast fashion heavily exploits its workforce, imposing long hours, poor working conditions, and low wages. On the other hand, designers or brand founders who incorporate their cultural heritage into their work often have a more intimate relationship with their community and artisans. They prioritise providing fairer wages and decent working conditions, fostering a collaborative and appreciative atmosphere that values the craftsmanship of these artisans.

Unlike fast fashion, these brands showcase the stories and practices of the artisans, giving them a face and a name in the process. This approach allows the artisans to make a living from their art.

Slow fashion entrepreneurs are also encouraged to produce their goods locally. By doing so, they support local economies while promoting sustainability and more responsible production practices.

In the slow fashion movement, the production chain is intentionally transparent, which reshapes the traditional hierarchy between creators, consumers, and producers. This transparency fosters a deeper connection between all parties involved and reduces unnecessary intermediation. As a result, consumers gain a greater appreciation for the cultural and material value of the products they purchase.

The shared commitment of all stakeholders is clear – to create a positive impact on the environment and society as a whole.

Producing In Small Quantities

Fast-fashion brands churn out an overwhelming number of clothing items daily, with SHEIN alone creating over 8000 pieces daily. This massive production has a disastrous environmental impact, especially when many of these pieces are made from materials like polyester and discarded, ending up in delicate ecosystems. Many of these low-quality, fast fashion items are quickly discarded, travelling enormous distances from donation boxes in Europe to countries in the Global South such as Ghana or Uganda.

On the other hand, brands collaborating with artisans slowly cannot produce such enormous quantities due to the nature of craftsmanship, where each piece is meticulously handmade. This respect for the rhythm of the crafters is a significant advantage for the environment, as it minimises wasteful overproduction and reduces the strain on resources.

You actively promote slower and more sustainable production practices by supporting a small brand in the slow fashion movement.

“Social Washing” as a Means of Exploiting Cultural Heritage

In recent years, consumer interest in the production process of their clothing has grown significantly. According to McKinsey, “67% of consumers consider the use of sustainable materials to be an important factor in their purchasing decisions, and 63% value brands that promote sustainability.” As a result, many brands quickly label themselves as “eco-responsible” or “circular” to attract these more conscious consumers.

However, it is crucial to be vigilant, as some brands may exploit traditional know-how while simultaneously claiming to uplift women out of poverty or suggesting that artisans would be impoverished without their intervention. This practice raises ethical concerns and highlights the importance of verifying the authenticity of sustainability claims made by brands.

Although many artisans in developing countries often face poverty, it is not justified for creators or brands to exploit their know-how in exchange for meagre compensation. In contrast, the brand enjoys substantial profits and marketing advantages from the perceived social aspect. Brands with economic power and visibility often take advantage of the unbalanced relationship, using their privilege while being aware of the disparity. They may attempt to appease their guilt by making small donations to NGOs. Unfortunately, such practices are common in the fashion industry, known as social washing and white saviourism.

Social washing is a tactic used by companies to divert consumers’ attention away from the harmful effects they may have. White saviourism, or “the white saviour complex,” is an ideology where a white person assumes a position of superiority to ‘save’ a BIPOC (black, indigenous, or a person of colour) community or individual. These techniques are designed to appeal to more conscious consumers.

In reality, brands often enrich themselves at the expense of artisans who can barely survive. The brand takes advantage of the artisans’ know-how and uses high-quality materials while paying low wages, resulting in higher profits for the company. Instead of collaborating with artisans and supporting local communities, the brand dictates most aspects, including salaries.

If you aspire to create a brand based on traditional know-how without any existing connection to that community, it is crucial to research what already exists locally thoroughly.

Cultural heritage and ethics

The COSH! platform is full of brands and boutiques that support communities, their heritage, and their environment. Discover these entrepreneurs and their timeless and unique pieces.