Marketing for the Future | Fashion’s Purpose Faux-Pas - Wearing Purpose Marketing as the Latest Trend

Marketing for the Future

Fashion’s Purpose Faux-Pas

Wearing Purpose Marketing as the Latest Trend

When brands communicate a message that their actions are either not in line with or are diametrically opposed to, the messages risk being written off as shameful commercialisation. No other sector embodies this trend quite like the fashion industry, the second most polluting industry in the world, producing 10% of global carbon dioxide emissions every year, with an annual water usage of 1.5 trillion litres. And yet fashion brands are prepared to put on the airs of purpose and impact like it’s the latest accessory, hastily clothing themselves in false narratives of sustainability and social impact. The problem is that - however untrue and far from reality - sometimes these narratives can be difficult to resist. 

There can be pressure to produce marketing that claims to be underpinned by social and environmental values, but purpose marketing cannot exist if rid of authenticity.  Just as it is bizarre that there were ever advertising campaigns touting smiling, smoking doctors endorsing cigarettes, it seems paradoxical for any fast-fashion brand to release a climate-conscious collection campaign amidst their 52 micro-season a year offering. The good news is there now exists a compelling case to push brands in a sustainable direction with their business before they attempt it with their marketing. This is exactly what we should be demanding from the following fashion retailers. 

As if ticking the boxes expected of them, UK retail giant Boohoo boasts a Sustainability strategy and a Modern Slavery Statement on their website. Their first 34 piece collection of 100% recycled garments released in 2019 was marketed as a step towards crucial change, but this is a microscopic drop in the ocean compared to their output of approximately 200-300 products a day, begging the question of where this commitment to sustainability really lies. Not only is their incendiary relationship with the environment reprehensible, but investigations into modern slavery have also begun when it was revealed that Boohoo was paying employees in its Leicester factory only £3.50 an hour, while the workers in Pakistan received as little as 29p, with some workers receiving 40% below the £81 minimum monthly wage for unskilled labourers. Unsurprisingly, the investigation also highlighted potential safety issues in the factories, especially in a time of a global pandemic. Considering that the majority of labourers within the textile supply chain are women, Boohoo's numerous garments and campaigns profiting from the label of “female empowerment” seem wildly out of place. Despite these clear breaches of ethics, morality and sustainability, however, Boohoo’s market position is only growing stronger. 

It’s worth complimenting this case with a less glaring example of misused purpose marketing. H&M is the second-largest fashion retailer in the world, a go-to choice for affordable and stylish clothing. Their 2015 ‘Recycle Your Clothes’, 2017 ‘Bring it On’, 2020 ‘Let’s wear the waste’  and 2021 “Role Models” ads are all beautiful, diverse, poetic, vibrant, and sympathetic campaigns. As creatives, the videos tick all our boxes. But as conscious, impact-driven individuals? H&M leaves a lot to be desired. Whilst any large company incorporating more sustainable changes into their business model is to be celebrated for its ripple effect on the industry, we shouldn’t let this inhibit criticism. The fact of the matter is, H&M’s recycling programmes and 100% recycled waste fashion lines are a drop in the polyester polluted ocean of their unsustainable business model. 

The colourful campaign lulls customers into a false sense of security that encourages more reckless consumption, detracting from the endemic issues that blight the fashion industry. H&M is doing nothing innovative or revolutionary; clever ways to recycle or upcycle your clothes have existed for centuries. On top of this, the campaigns themselves are misleading - according to H&M’s own development sustainability manager, only 0.1% of clothing collected by charities and take-back programmes is recycled into a new textile fibre. As recently as 2019, the consumer authority in Norway began investigating H&M’s sustainability claims. The retail giant came under fire for failing to provide any substance to the green-washing talk that dominated their campaigns. But you don’t immediately find people talking about this. Articles from fashion magazines complimenting the new range dominate the conversation, with critiques unceremoniously pushed out of sight. Consumers are hypnotised by the facade and also fed the message that it’s up to individuals to recycle, and not corporations to address the problem of waste in their enormous supply chains. 

With these examples, it grows ever clearer that purpose marketing is a tool that will be used by companies for better and for worse. It’s worth bearing in mind that it can at times be difficult to distinguish between the good and the bad. In 2021, we still have conversations with people who laud H&M for their eco-efforts, and you have to dig a little deeper to uncover a less palatable truth. We all want the pretty picture, especially when it comes with an affordable price tag - but these picture-perfect campaigns are leading us into a not-so-pretty future. Whilst there seems to be a growing platform for these kinds of discussions within our own bubble, forays into the world of mainstream media reveal that the conversation is far from where it needs to be. And this is, in part, due to successful marketing campaigns that pull the wool over the eyes of their market. The information needs to be provided so that consumers can see the bigger picture. With this series, we aim to use our voice to foreground cases that deserve our critiques, or that invite closer scrutiny. That said, we also take note of those who are living the purpose they present, and our next article sees how one cosmetics company does just that.