Socially responsible fashion practice: Looking good and feeling good

Currently, the fashion industry focuses on the fast fashion production business model, which focuses on low pricing and a rapid turnaround of evolving trends. Cheap, easily accessible and underpinned by marketing that encourages frequent consumption to ‘look good’ dominates the approach taken by high street retailers. This approach has not differed in the last decade, despite allegations of garment worker exploitation in developing countries and concerns that this accelerated production system contributes significantly to climate change and environmental degradation. These allegations often lead to tensions between consumers wanting to look good, but also feel good about their consumption. Utilising social identity theory, the literature and data examine how fashion contributes to self-esteem and confidence, noting that similar feelings are experienced from sustainable production. This chapter explores how fashion producers and retailers could capitalise on creating new tenants of value through socially responsive production and supporting socially responsive consumption though educating and better use of labelling.