If the consumer has well understood the challenges of organic food and cosmetics on wealth and the impact on environment, what about ethical fashion ?

The items to be sold in the shops and stores are mainly manufactured in China, India, Bangladesh, Turkey… Have a look on labels and try to find a ‘made in Italy’ or why not a ‘fabriqué en France’. We all know that costs of production have moved manufacturing : from South of Europe to North of Africa, then to Turkey to Asia. Just a little part of fashion is still produced in Europe and France : high quality with famous know-how, really inaccessible for the average consumer.

What is the place of ethical fashion ? How the consumer can buy ethical fashion clothes ? Today the big brands are selling some garments. They offers timidly some tee-shirts but it is just a matter of conscience than a deep attitude for change – most of the time not well cut… You can find nice items in but quite hidden, and more expensive than standard fashion. They are very trendy with a real design but only available in shops : the consumer may be a little shy to enter in these shops as the consumer is less used to buy in shops but yes in a department store.

So, is the consumer imposing how to consume (he does not want to buy ethical fashion) ? Or is it the offer which is too timorous ? Why ethical fashion is not more distributed ? The consumer is much less stupid and eater of fashion that he appears to be : he just has difficulties to find ethical or fair fashion. There is a real interaction between consumers and distribution which has to commit really in the industry and open the way.

Some platforms of ethical fashion such as Ethical Trade Place are one of the links between designers and final consumers. Ethical Trade Place is a kind of driver : to distribute ethical fashion in its all diversity close to the shops, department stores, wholesalers, style offices…

It is essential that distributers get much more involved :

- an ethical approach is really compatible with a “standard” offer

- to direct the consumer to new market trends

This new alternative of ethical fashion is a real business opportunity and added value for shops and fashion retailers facing the big ‘monsters’ of distribution which seem to react very slowly – quite normal because it is much more difficult to make moving a big structure.

The wide web of ethical fashion much be self-confident : the consumer is ready to follow and to act.