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THE NEED FOR INCLUSIVITY

June 29 2023 – Delikate Rayne

 

As inclusivity and sustainability movements take a rise in the fashion industry, many brands have only ever contributed to one or the other. The sustainable fashion movement prides itself on the care and safety of garment workers and the environment but has yet to cater to the plus-sized consumer. In fact, the fashion industry itself is quite known for being overly exclusive. However, as we move into a new generation of consumers, the industry is compelled to adapt.

According to our sources, body positivity was evaluated as the fourth-most important consideration for choosing more conscious fashion. That is after labor standards, sustainable materials and processes, and sending profits to charity. However, this goes highly unrecognized by many sustainable designers and direct-to-consumer brands that rarely ever offer sizes above an XL, or sometimes not even that. This makes it terribly frustrating for the plus-sized consumer looking to go down the sustainable route.

THE PRIORITY SHIFT FROM TRENDS TO SOLUTIONS

As we know, many fashion companies have implemented greenwashing behaviors for the sake of staying on trend. "Sustainability" has become quite a buzzword in the industry. However, like greenwashing, consumers are also calling out brands who refuse to offer inclusive sizing and fail to represent a diverse range of models in their brand imagery, our sources report. Not only has it become a necessity to implement ethical and sustainable practices within a fashion brand, but it's crucial a brand represents that of the diverse consumer that exist.

Brands should work to solve problems in the industry rather than looking for more ways to be trendy, and right now, inclusivity in sustainable fashion is a much needed focus in the industry. Adding one black or one plus-sized model in an ad campaign no longer, nor has ever, cut it. "It’s about getting to a place where what we consider to be the “norm” in the fashion industry is characterized by a variety of skin tones, body types, gender expressions and ages," Celeste Scott from The Good Trade perfectly explained.


If fashion really is about cultivating the identity of the consumer, then it would be a disservice to ignore the portrayal of any kind of individual. Every consumer is unique, which creates a consistent number of possibilities in the industry when it comes to innovation. The market is in need of more sustainable brands offering an expansion of themselves to include more varieties of the consumer. Only then, when different sizes, colors, and shapes of a people being recognized, will we see real change being done in the industry.

Source: Harper's Bazaar & The Good Trade
Photos via Stylish Curves & Pinterest (Pé Marie)