Can Kourtney Kardashian Really Clean Fast Fashion?

But truly sustainable brands remain a minority. Fast fashion retailers are an influential force in creating new products and trends and have an equally large impact on the environment. Fast fashion is responsible for up to 10% of the world’s population’s carbon emissions, more than international flights and ocean shipping combined.

Bhuhu is one of the most responsible names in this bracket. Following sales of more than $1 billion in the first financial quarter of 2021, the brand is planning an aggressive expansion into the U.S., with the ever-popular Kardashian family presenting a ‘Kardashian Capsule Collection’ at New York Fashion Week.

But many of Boohoo’s products are sourced from cheap labor in developing markets, and the retailer has faced criticism over the supply of these goods and the working conditions of the people who make them. Additionally, in July the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced that Boohoo was being investigated for ‘greenwashing’ – the practice of using inaccuracies or exaggerations to label something as sustainable or environmentally friendly.

Boohoo says he’s working with Kardashian to further his “sustainability journey.” But is this an example of a retailer making positive, meaningful change, or is it simply unsustainable lip service?

One is not a magic number.

Buhu’s business model revolves around discounts on mass-produced shorts, offering the latest short-wear trends to consumers who are constantly on the lookout for them.

Hence, the priority is to focus on the convenience of customers by purchasing popular products at low prices. And a large product catalog can only keep up with the waiting curve.

This strategy is to maintain loyalty from a base that is typically disloyal. For example, one study found that less than two in five fast fashion customers are loyal to their retailer. Free returns and low-cost items are a powerful way to drive short-term loyalty, but they are ineffective methods of creating a sustainable product catalog. Although Kardashian’s range is as durable as Stella McCartney’s, her collection makes up less than 0.1% of the clothes available at Boho.

This, in itself, is some dark meta-metal. While the more fickle fashion consumer may be put off, savvy consumers who understand the sustainability issues facing the fashion industry will not be fooled.

A fashion line is simply a drop in the ocean. Truly sustainable operations stem from wholesale changes across the board, which is what H&M has begun to do. The retailer also wholesales to recycled goods and sustainable production methods, with a broader focus on animal rights and working conditions. However, he still has a fair way to go.

H&M’s commitment to using only sustainable materials by 2030 means the collection looks even more authentic. It also means that the ‘Conscious’ line sits comfortably within its longstanding portfolio, but Boho’s range seems designed for marketing rather than effective sustainable improvement.

So how can Boohoo (and other fast fashion retailers) change their ways for good?

The question of living together

The apparel industry is at a crossroads. ‘Savvy’ consumers are driving demand for change. In fact, recent research shows that 50% of UK consumers shy away from retailers who greenwash their environmental credentials.

Fast fashion by its very definition is not sustainable. Sustainability means creating businesses that are in balance with nature and society, at worst, not depleting existing natural resources and at best regenerating them.

Boohoo’s sustainability goals are little more than acknowledging the environmental and social issues created by the company. Sure, the partnership with the Kardashians gets attention and the products in this range may be sustainable, but the sheer impact of this collaboration muddies the waters on what a ‘sustainable brand’ really is.

Standardized reporting and the lack of science-based targets for carbon reduction, water or waste means BHU is not making a real effort to change its ways. Objectives based on scientific evidence – with measurement, reporting and targeting protocols – are essential if the industry is to move away from outdated, unsustainable methods.

Brands need to encourage consumers to wear clothes longer than they currently do – which is completely at odds with the fast fashion retailer’s philosophy. And this is why, in the current situation, Boohoo is impossible to live with the sustainable fashion industry.

Make the green the color you like

Boho’s Kardashian-approved range could be a huge hit for the brand. But only in the short term.

Savvy consumers are no longer the exception – they are the rule. Awareness of the deteriorating environment is growing and it won’t be long before more users start voting with their wallets. Brands like Boohoo are quick to realize that no matter how trendy their clothes are, they’re still in the cold.

Amy Bryson is Chief Marketing Officer at Iris. For more on the evolution of e-commerce, check out The Drum’s latest deep dive.