Much has been said about the new fashion stores arriving at Sylvia Park – H&M and ZARA both open this month – both for and against, so I thought I’d summarise some of the key points for shoppers to consider when spending. After all, our purchasing decisions speak volumes about our beliefs and we cast a vote with our dollar when we choose. Fast fashion isn’t always bad, just as designer fashion isn’t always ethically-made and amazing quality. You only had to look at the recent Baptist Aid research on manufacturing practices to see that. I think the major takeaway here is discernment.
Here are 10 of the many, many pros and cons of international fashion coming to New Zealand.
PROS
1.Improved choice – we have been pretty isolated geographically as an island, requiring everything to be shipped here, and overseas trips were traditionally shopping trips. The past few years have seen the massive rise in online shopping appease this somewhat, but we have had limited access to top international brands here.
2. Bargain buys – for lower incomes and students and families buying designer fashion isn’t easy and fast fashion puts clothes on your back at a low price. It’s not just for those on a budget though; fast fashion is perfect for middle and high income earners, who want a trendy garment they wouldn’t necessarily invest in from a designer label, or to buy some cheap basics.
3. Employment – more shops opening means more local builders employed, more electricians working, and more retail staff and managers employed. Today alone, H&M has 200 staff employed for their opening.
4. Service improvements – heaven knows New Zealand isn’t famous for great customer retail service and overseas they take training pretty seriously at a lot of the big brands. Although I have had shocking service overseas, too, they do have training and policies. The trickle down of international staff training here is good for local industry as staff turnover moves them around, where they train other staff in their new stores. Also, good service is nice for customers shopping there. I have to say the H&M Auckland staff seemed very well trained when I went in.
5. Plus size – a lot of New Zealand fashion labels don’t do plus size and the cheaper brands have better options. Also, they are more affordable.
CONS
6. Ethical concerns – the strongest concern is the treatment of workers in the construction of garments, as seen in the deaths in factories in Bangladesh, and child labour in many sweat shops.
7. Damage to our local fashion manufacturing industry – we are losing trained seamstresses and factories are closing here as the garment industry moves offshore to lower costs.
8. Environmental concerns – landfill, and wastage of unwanted clothes as overconsumption means we buy more than we can wear. Americans buy 64 items of clothing each per year (from John Oliver show on Fast Fashion). Also, environmental concerns of toxic dyes, glues and bleaching used in cheap manufacture.
9. Increased competition for local business – New Zealand labels find it harder and harder to compete with the straight-off-the-runway looks and cheap as chips prices of fast fashion. Instead, they’ll need to compete on other key points, such as unique design, ethical values, customer loyalty, and quality of workmanship.
10. A dangerous paradigm shift in what we perceive as good value. Expensive garments are actually better value if you get years of use out of them, over cheap garments that fall apart. We have started to think that cheap is good and more is better. Perhaps instead, we should think that quality is better than quantity.
Above all, be mindful of your purchasing decisions. Of course, hardly anyone shops entirely in one area; it’s normal to shop around and buy some designer pieces as investment pieces, some vintage for character and uniqueness, and some fast fashion pieces as cheap basics. Just remember, if something is cheap, someone is paying the price.
Some fashion labels that are made in New Zealand:
The Stockroom www.the-stockroom.co.nz
Repertoire
Staple + Cloth www.stapleandcloth.co.nz
Liann Bellis www.liannbellis.co.nz
Liam www.rubynz.com
Bettie Monroe www.bettiemonroe.co.nz
Chalky Digits www.chalkydigits.co.nz
KILT www.kiltonline.co.nz
Some New Zealand labels that are produced ethically offshore
Allbirds
Kowtow
We’ar Clothing
Zoe + Morgan jewellery
More to read on Thread about ethical shopping:
My charity store op shop haul photos – some ideas on styling second-hand clothes I picked up.
Naomi Jorge shoots Autumn 2016 New Zealand fashion with an ethical slant here on Louise Hutt, from her blog at saycheeselouise.com “I love fashion, I really do. I love dressing up in ridiculous, interesting, and expressive clothes; but something I love to do should not come at the expensive of other’s lives, whether that is through building collapses, or continuing the cycle of poverty.”
Simonne Walmsley only buys New Zealand fashion for a year. “Think about what you’re buying, in the context of growing awareness of mass sweatshop manufacture and the underpaid and exploited workers who make the cheap, fast fashion imports that we just throw away.”
Megan Robinson
1st October 2016
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