Kourtney Kardashian Barker, who has an estimated net worth of AUD$96.6 million, is fast-fashion brand Boohoo’s new “sustainability ambassador”. I’ve been in the foetal position, slowly rocking back and forth, ever since I saw the words “Kardashian”, “Boohoo” and “sustainability” in the same sentence. I need my Mum to hold me.
Per Women’s Wear Daily, Barker will release two capsule collections with the dogshit retailer, the first of which will be unveiled during New York Fashion Week on September 13.
Barker released a statement about her new meaningless job which IMO was simply a veiled attempt at trying to convince the world she has a conscience and cares about the environment.
“When Boohoo first approached me to collaborate on a line, I was concerned about the effects of the fast fashion industry on the planet,” Barker said.
Just gonna say it: someone who used 245 per cent of their home’s water budget in one month doesn’t give a flying fuck about how fast fashion is rotting the Earth.
In case you hadn’t guessed, that person was Kourtney Kardashian Barker, and her Calabasas home used that much water while California was experiencing a drought. But I digress; we’ve only conquered one sentence of Barker’s putrid statement.
“Boohoo responded with excitement and a desire to incorporate sustainable practices into our line. It’s been an enlightening experience speaking directly with industry experts,” she said.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to use my platform to drive conversations that lead to ongoing change and use my voice to share actionable tips with consumers on how we can play our own part.
“There’s still lots of work to be done and improvements to be made, but I truly believe that any progress we can make when it comes to sustainability is a step in the right direction and will open up the conversation for future advancements.”
“Future advancements” in sustainability? Sharing “actionable tips” with customers? Go off, Queen of Environmentalism.
Don’t get me wrong: I’m all for sustainable fashion. But it’s important to remember supposed environmental sustainability doesn’t necessarily equate to ethicality. Workers’ human rights are just as — if not more — important.
And guess what? Boohoo doesn’t fucking care about its working conditions. In 2020, the brand faced a modern slavery investigation after an undercover report found its workers at a factory in Leicester were being paid less than the minimum wage.
For reference, the minimum wage at the time in the UK was AUD$14.90 — Boohoo’s workers were being paid AUD$4.40 an hour.
The report also found employees continued to work during the COVID-19 pandemic without masks, despite clusters of infections breaking out in factories that produced Boohoo clothing.
Sustainability ambassador at Boohoo. *screams manically into void* pic.twitter.com/ebLh9m0sLf
— Lauren Alexis Fisher (@LaurenAlexis) September 6, 2022
In case you were wondering where the “sustainability” part of the collaboration kicks in, the line will be made using recycled polyester and recycled cotton. It’ll include 41 pieces, plus two vintage biker jackets sourced from a wholesale vintage company, all priced between AUD$8.9 and just under AUD$150.
Boohoo has also partnered with a fashion rental platform, in which some garments will only be available for hire.
I don’t understand how manufacturing clothes specifically so they can be hired is somehow more sustainable than purchasing a garment, wearing it for years and then donating it to an op-shop or giving it to a friend but hey, what do I know?
I also don’t get the price point. I’d like to know how any garment that retails full price for less than AUD$10 hasn’t been made through the exploitation of workers.
A private-jetting Kardashian worth $65 million is now “sustainability ambassador” for fossil fuel fashion brand boohoo, where she’ll chat “with sustainability experts to better understand challenges and opportunities in the fashion industry.” We absolutely KANNOT. pic.twitter.com/cmI8zwB3ui
— Venetia La Manna (@venetialamanna) September 6, 2022
The final nail in the coffin is the fact Barker wants to chat to “sustainability experts to better understand challenges and opportunities in the fashion industry,” per WWD.
Here’s an idea: why doesn’t she stop with her environmental virtue signalling and not profit off the fast fashion industry?
To give the brand some sort of credit, Boohoo does seem to be making more of an effort when it comes to sustainability. Last year it launched its first sustainability strategy, which includes targets to use more sustainably sourced materials when making clothes, implement a more ethical supply chain, reduce its carbon footprint, and more.
I’m disgusted by the fact Boohoo only introduced such a strategy in 2021, but at least it’s a start. There’s also one thing for sure: I just know the brand’s collaboration with Barker is going to blow chunks. That floor length puffer jacket that looks like it was made out of aluminium foil? I’m gagging — in a bad way.
