Why Brand Ambassadorships Claiming Sustainability May Not Always Be So Sustainable
With the paralleling rise of fast fashion and the presence of social media in our lives, comes a new kind of business deal that is attainable by any committed influencer – brand ambassadorship. A modern means of income that spans from micro-influencers to big-name celebrities collaborating with companies like Boohoo, Primark, PrincessPolly, FashionNova, and so on. Brand ambassadors are effective in influencing a particular audience by showing them what their online fave is up to – what new brands are my favourite influencers wearing? This form of endorsement is evidently effective, giving people a reliable and trusted voice to help them choose what or where to buy.
With a business model relying on online users trusting influencers they have often never met, all while securing a paycheque for the brand ambassador, there is a surefire way of fucking it all up. But how does this all relate to fast fashion?
As I’m sure many of you have heard, Kourtney Kardashian- Barker has recently teamed up with the popular online fashion retailer, Boohoo, to create a limited sustainable line, including graphic tees, leather coats, and sequin skirts (???). Although a seemingly well-intentioned move towards sustainable fashion, Boohoo is notoriously known for their fast fashion business model – selling lots for cheap prices. News articles published as recent as 2020 reveal the huge scandal that caught brands like Boohoo, PrettyLittleThing and Nasty Gal, for perpetuating sweatshop conditions in their Leicester, England factories. The scandal revealed how workers were told to expect a £3.50 hourly wage, despite the typical minimum hourly wage in the country being £8.72 at the time.
Despite all this, Kardashian- Barker truly believes that “pushing Boohoo to make some initial changes and then holding them accountable” will ultimately lead to a “larger change” that the fashion industry has never seen before (Kourtney Kardashian, Instagram). Many commenters critiqued the method in which she approached sustainability, questioning why Boohoo was still using the same model that most definitely does not prioritize sustainability – more clothes, made with the same cheap materials, sold at the same cheap prices. Other fast fashion brands such as Primark have also endorsed and supported celebrities such as Laura Whitmore on a similar mission – to increase profits by slapping sustainability everywhere they can. This is not an uncommon practice, and many of us who partake in social media are familiar with this form of advertisement. Many of us are left confused about the messages our favourite online personalities are telling us in comparison to the factual evidence about the dying planet we all live on.
Many of these celebrities hold enough power and privilege to do more than just endorse empty campaigns for sustainability to just secure a paycheque at the cost of our planet and empty campaigns for sustainability. One article mentions
the difference Kardashian- Baker would have made “had she embarked upon this journey of discovery and education as an individual” (Sophie Benson, 2022), rather than paired with a fast fashion brand with the goal of making a profit.
“As a consumer, is it better to repair my old jacket, or buy a new one that a brand or celebrity tells me is more sustainable? How do we know which to choose and where the tipping point lies? Does there need to be a shift around marketing campaigns to reflect this?” Brooke Roberts-Islam, 2019
Reference Links
https://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/article/kourtney-kardashian-boohoo-greenwashing
https://www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/article/56923/1/kourtney-kardashian-baker-boohoo-sustainability-ambassador-fast-fashion-climate
https://www.forbes.com/sites/brookerobertsislam/2019/08/31/is-celebrity-marketing-making-sustainable-fashion-more-confusing/?sh=449c245b6b4a
https://greenisthenewblack.com/sustainability-ambassador-celebrities-fast-fashion-industry/
https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/jobs/boohoo-responds-allegations-leicester-factory-429 9713
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cic1bFcO0Bk/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=44576e8f-a21f-40 46-ab81-88deeb3a5d4b → KourtneyKardash @ Instagram
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