Hong Kong Fashion | Tog Wears

after

which an item will no longer be expected to retain its original value,

due to poor-quality materials and manufacturing. The companies pay

no price for such revelations, nor do most customers experience regret

in tossing out clothes based on this principle. Leticia, a Hong Kong office

worker, did, however, have guilt pangs: “I fill up big garbage bags

of things and then throw them away. It is a lot of wasted goods—some

284 Annamma Joy, John F. Sherry, Jr, Alladi Venkatesh, Jeff Wang and Ricky Chan

of which I may not even have worn more than once. I do feel guilty, but

I have a small apartment and I cannot keep them.” She rationalizes her

actions on the basis of limited space, but shows no attempt to reducing

her shopping sprees. Alexa, a Hong Kong teacher, took specific steps to

assuage her guilt: “I give all my clothes to my maid...she is always in

fashion after I’ve had my fill with these clothes. But at least I don’t feel

guilty. It is recycling!” Hong Kong has a recent history of bringing in

domestic workers from the Philippines, and, unsurprisingly, they have

a reputation for dressing well (Constable 2007). Catherine, a Canadian

office worker, noted, assessing an image she chose of escalators:

Toronto artist Michel Awad captures urban movement in his panoramic

photographs. This picture captures images of escalators at

one of Canada’s busiest shopping centers on one of the craziest

shoppingdays—Boxing Day. Lots of people are conveyed in and

out of the same place every hour, every minute, and even every

second. This is exactly like the fashion industry; varieties of style

are put on and off the shelves at the same time.

Cynthia, a Hong Kong lawyer who had selected an image of a kaleidoscope

among her choices, pointed out:

Pop Art favoured figural imagery and the reproduction of existing

and everyday objects. This movement eliminated distinctions

between good and bad taste, and between fine and

commercial art techniques. On the other hand, a kaleidoscope

is a tube of mirrors. Once the tube is rotated, the tumbling of

the coloured objects presents the viewer with varying colours

and patterns. The main feature of both Pop Art and the kaleidoscope

is the alteration of an existing object to a small extent—in

the form of a silhouette, color, pattern, and so on. It is similar

to the design process in the fast fashion business. That is why

it is disposable.

Of the thirty participants in both locales, only six talked overtly about

the societal downside of fast fashion. Cathy, an office worker in Hong

Kong,suggested: “It makes producers violate guidelines on the treatment

of workers, and break the laws on overtime. Even if the factory

owner is a good man and willing to pay workers legally, he cannot

control the working hours.” Jenny, a young Hong Kong fashion student

who is appalled at the waste and unsustainable practices, described how

she reuses her clothes: “I take bits and pieces from my old clothes [that

do not fit anymore or are not in style] and sew them together. It will

become a new piece of clothing that is in style and I can wear it for

another year.”

Fast Fashion, Sustainability, and the Ethical Appeal of Luxury Brands 285

Understanding Sustainability: Is Eco-fashion a

Viable Option?

Responses to what sustainability meant to individuals were robust, with

details of how personal acts of consumption led to sustainability. Henry,

a Canadian student, said, “Sustainability means to live a life where you

are not taking any more from the earth than what you are giving back.

You are trying to minimize the environmental footprint that you leave

behind.” It is important to him; he notes that he does not buy books

anymore, but is involved in e-learning. He believes in not turning on

the washing machine unless there is a full load, and even hang-dries

his clothes. Yet, he experiences no guilt in buying clothes designed to

have no long-term value. David, a young Canadian student, observed:

“Sustainability is the level at which humans are able to live and co-exist

indefinitely with the natural world without harming or causing damage

to either side.” For him, partnership with nature is a mechanism by

which he is reminded to act in sustainable ways. He recycles bottles for

money, conserves electricity, and uses water very carefully. Yet, he too

shops for fast fashion items regularly. Alicia, who works in a grocery

store in Canada, talked about how important it was to be vegetarian,

given large-scale agribusiness’ detrimental impact on the environment.

But Alicia was oblivious of the links between environmental issues and

her obsession with fast fashion.

Some of the images that participants used to illustrate sustainability

suggest that they take it quite seriously. David provided a picture of a

plastic vortex in the ocean that he noted “includes all kinds of plastic

litter, including Crocs that we used last year. We are destroying our

oceans.” Tania, a Canadian student, chose an image of a big, brandnew

house to demonstrate how easy it is to fall victim “...to the false

North American reality that possessing material things equals happiness.

The purpose of life is not to buy, but to live and feel.” Melissa, a

Canadian student, said, “By recycling, I am helping to save trees and

allow more clean oxygen to be produced...I attempt to consider sustainable

values in all area of my life, including at home, at school, and at

work.” Joanne, a Hong Kong student, summarized it well: “I am happy

to do my bit for the planet and recycle, etc. But fashion...this is another

thing. Maybe if designers used eco-labelled materials and designs, the

change will happen. But at this point the eco-fashion I have seen is not

fashion—they are just plain dull and for older people perhaps.”

When participants were asked if they would buy eco-fashion, the

quick response was only if the clothes were stylish. Usually the choices

available to them were only T-shirts. Even when other items were available,

as in offerings by companies, such as American Apparel, that use

organic cotton, participants saw the clothing as frumpy. As Linda, a student

from Hong Kong, said, “I would never buy these clothes, because

286 Annamma Joy, John F. Sherry, Jr, Alladi Venkatesh, Jeff Wang and Ricky Chan

they are just as boring as [those from] Gap. It is so out of sync with what

is happening now on the catwalks.” When we probed further, Paula,