Are Kit Clothes The Answer To Being Ethical And Cost Conscious?

Following a recent acquisition from the catalogue giant Freemans by businesswoman Kay Mawer, clothkit clothes could be the latest must have practical fashion trend, as they appeal to both the ethically minded consumer, as well as those who are cost conscious.

This resurgence of the popular 70’s self-knit clothing line comes at a time when a recent Panorama investigation into Primark’s reliance on sweat shop factories to produce their low price clothing poses new challenges for today’s ethical shopper, and how much trust you can really have with the big name brands. With mounting pressure on our income due to higher costs of living, how ethical can you realistically continue to be and are kit clothes the only realistic alternative?

The morally minded consumer now has to rethink where they shop and whether their favourite stores really are as ethical as they seem. In order to settle any consumer fears, clothing retailers are now having to show the lengths that they go to in order to produce ethical clothing; from labelling clothes made of organic materials and even using fair trade labels clearly in view on retail displays.

To address shoppers’ concerns further, products that are made in Britain may also be prominently displayed in stores once again as the high street stores protect their reputations. These steps may help reduce any customer unease regarding working conditions and employee pay due to the UK’s stringent minimum wage and working environment laws.

That being said, any extra lengths that retailers go to in order to protect their image, will undoubtedly be reflected on the prices we pay at the tills. But, with mounting pressures on consumer income, retailers will have to seriously consider their pricing policy while they meet consumers’ increasing demands for more ethically produced alternatives, such as kit clothes.

Consumers who take to the nostalgic pastime of kit clothes are safe in the knowledge that no sweat shop workers have been involved, plus the environmental benefit of minimal packaging and reduced emissions as a result of delivery.

But with ever escalating prices, those morally minded may be forced to stray from this environmental and ethical path. As costs spiral out of control due to higher energy and food prices, the big question is, can consumers really be as ethical as they would like? The fear is that many will turn away from green energy and cut down on trips to recycling centres due to the increasing fuel costs and fewer people will travel to the out of town shopping centres to purchase the more expensive items that are ethically made.

With the reintroduction of kit clothing being a viable option for a greener environment and available to the more ethical shopper, it is far from realistic to expect customers to check other items of clothing for signs of work shop involvement, fair trade, and carbon foot print. That said, will our desires for an ethical world be the end of sweat shops as we know them, or will customers turn a blind eye as they shop with their wallets, being persuaded by bargains on clothes rails and accepting that their favourite stores aren’t as white as they should be?

Victoria Cochrane writes on a number of topics on behalf of a digital marketing agency and a variety of clients. As such, this article is to be considered a professional piece with business interests in mind.