THE FASHION INDUSTRY

There is a high demand for designer clothes in the UK in order to make a social statement. Many consumers believe that wearing a brand name will give them a higher status in society. The demand for designer brands has been fuelled further by the media obsession with celebrities. "The UK public appears to have developed an insatiable interest in celebrities and what they wear" (Jackson and Shaw, 2007:172) Brands are taking advantage of this. They know that getting a celebrity to wear their brand is a good way to get attention (Lloyd Kyi,2005:70).

Brands get attention from the consumer by seeding, which is when a brand's PR department is given a budget with which to give clothes away for free (Tungate, 2006:111). The clothes are seeded to credible celebrities who represent the image of a particular brand. More importantly, brands choose celebrities who have a high chance of being photographed wearing their clothing. "Sienna Miller gets seeded by nearly everyone" because she is constantly in the public eye (Tungate, 2006:111). In addition to seeding, leading brands pay thousands of pounds to place their clothing in TV programmes, films or music videos (Lloyd Kyi, 2005,:70).

"The boundaries between celebrity, fashion and pop culture are becoming increasingly blurred" (Jackson and Shaw, 2007:29). Fashion can now be integrated into entertainment culture more easily than ever. TV programmes showcase brands to the mass market and offer role models, and new attitudes and lifestyles. This makes consumers more aware of many brands they otherwise may not remember (Jackson and Shaw, 2007:29).

Advertising is invaluable in creating brand identity, but celebrities also have a large influence on the consumer. When a celebrity wears a brand, the consumer perceives it to be an independent endorsement instead of straight advertising by a brand (Jackson and Shaw, 2007:173). This is true to an extent, as a celebrity who is seeded still has the choice of wearing the brand's clothing. However, they are not buying into the brand so they don't have to take the same risks as the consumer. The regular consumer doesn't know about seeding, so therefore she believes that the celebrity has bought into a brand they trust.

In recent years top supermarkets, Asda, Sainsbury's and Tesco, have all entered the fashion market with low price clothing. Both Tesco and Asda have their lowest priced jeans retailing at just £3 (Mintel, 2005). In 2004, it was widely reported "that Asda had overtaken Marks and Spencer to become the UK's biggest clothing seller" (Jackson and Shaw, 2007) with one in twenty women in the UK owning a pair of George at Asda jeans (Dugdale, 2006a:57).

Cheap labour is essential to supermarket brands selling clothing for next to nothing. The skill in making these clothes isn't as important because the clothing will be simple with little detail. This enables supermarkets to take advantage of cheap, over-seas manufacturers. It is how supermarkets are able to charge such low prices for their products.

The demand for ethically sourced products is not a new phenomenon. Fairtrade was established 14 years ago, yet it is only in the past few years that brands have acknowledged the importance of Fairtrade (Finch, 2006).

Brands are reacting to the demand from consumers who want to help stop exploitation in developing countries, and it is important for brands to identify social change in order to stay ahead of competitors (Mellahi et al, 2005).

Levi's "new eco jeans are the first fully sustainable denims from a major brand" (Osborne, 2006). They are made from 100% organic cotton, with a coconut shell button at the waist band and non-galvanised metal fly buttons. The range was launched in 20 Levi's stores across the UK in November 2006 (Osborne, 2006).

Every part of this production process is eco-friendly (Osborne, 2006). Jessa Latona, the spokeswoman for the Centre for Alternative Technology said of the move towards eco-friendly fashion: "Switching to organic cotton and reducing carbon emissions at manufacturing will hopefully become the norm for the fashion industry" (Osborne, 2006).

Marks and Spencer collaborated with Fairtrade on their contribution to eco-friendly fashion. The jeans were launched in 2006, and are priced at £35. Marks and Spencer Chief Executive, Stuart Rose, said of the new range: "We are doing it because there is a demand there...People are very much more aware now" (Finch, 2006).

Although their jeans aren't organic, the Fairtrade label reassures the consumer that the brand doesn't exploit its labourers. "Fairtrade guarantees farmers and suppliers in the developing world a minimum price to cover their costs of production and a small premium to be invested in their local communities" (Finch, 2006).

With market leaders Levi's and Marks and Spencer reacting to the change in social attitudes towards eco-friendly fashion, it is only a matter of time before other brands follow suit.