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As soon as I saw Naomi Campbell\u2019s collaboration with fast-fashion brand PrettyLittleThing (PLT), I was disappointed but not surprised.<\/p>\n
This was just the latest in a stream of out-of-touch celebrities working with unsustainable brands that we\u2019ve seen before, like Kourtney Kardashian with Boohoo or Laura Whitmore with Primark.<\/p>\n
And just like in the cases above, there was profound backlash online to Naomi, with people sharing their disappointment.<\/p>\n
So how did the supermodel respond?\u00a0<\/p>\n
She appeared to double down on her decision to do the collaboration, stating in a recent interview with W Magazine that she did \u2018understand people\u2019s criticism\u2019, but that she did it \u2018from a standpoint of getting to know the audience of the younger generation\u2019.<\/p>\n
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It was what came next that really shocked me.<\/p>\n
She seemed to attribute the criticism \u2013 not to PLT\u2019s reputation for unethical business practices, but \u2013 to racism, stating: \u2018There are so many other fast-fashion brands out there \u2014 do people say anything about other models when they work with them? Do they say anything when other caucasian models have worked with fast-fashion brands and done collaborations? They\u2019ve said not a word. They\u2019ve praised them.\u2019<\/p>\n
As a Black woman myself, it felt like an insult. I\u2019ve encountered racism \u2013 as I know Naomi has \u2013 but to seemingly attribute this criticism to that is missing the point entirely.<\/p>\n
In my view, no one experiences the effects of racism in the fashion industry more than garment workers, who are mostly women of colour. The fast-fashion business model thrives on the exploitation of these people, as it is a way that they can achieve cheap prices \u2013 like a dress for 8p \u2013 and still achieve high profit margins.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Criticism of PrettyLittleThing has been rife since it was co-founded by brothers Umar and Adam Kamani in 2012, then acquired by their father, Mahmud, in 2017.<\/p>\n
In fact, Good On You \u2013 a website that rates brands on their sustainability credentials \u2013 deemed it \u2018not good enough\u2019 last year because it \u2018doesn\u2019t use lower-impact materials\u2019 and there is \u2018no evidence it has taken meaningful action to reduce or eliminate hazardous chemicals, nor does it implement any water or waste reduction initiatives\u2019.<\/p>\n
In 2020, an undercover Sunday Times investigation reported that its parent company (Boohoo Group PLC) were allegedly paying workers in their Leicester factory as little as \u00a33.50 per hour.<\/p>\n
At the time, Boohoo said the conditions at the factory, Jaswal Fashions \u2013 who they insisted were not a \u2018direct supplier\u2019 \u2013 were \u2018totally unacceptable and fall woefully short of any standards acceptable in any workplace\u2019.<\/p>\n
So it baffles me that Naomi Campbell can work with this company. On top of that, it is also simply not true that caucasian women haven\u2019t been called out for similar fashion collaborations.<\/p>\n
Kourtney Kadashian received huge backlash for her collaboration with Boohoo last year. As a sustainability professional and activist, I wrote about it at the time, stating: \u2018If Boohoo really cared about sustainability, they would hire someone who is actually knowledgeable about the subject to work with them, not a celebrity that\u2019s best known for using private jets like taxis.\u2019<\/p>\n
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Then in April this year, protestors staged a demonstration outside Molly Mae Hague\u2019s PrettyLittleThing fashion show \u2013 including fellow former Love Islander Brett Staniland. I fully supported this action because the voices of garment workers need to be heard.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After reading Naomi Campbell\u2019s comments about racism, I felt really strongly that she needed to understand why people were so upset. So I took to social media with an open letter urging her to \u2018do better\u2019.<\/p>\n
I wrote: \u2018Attributing this to racism is an insult to all of us but it\u2019s the biggest insult to the people of colour who are disproportionately affected by the effects of climate change and are routinely exploited by unethical fast-fashion businesses in the global north.\u2019<\/p>\n
Platform is the home of Metro.co.uk’s first-person and opinion pieces, devoted to giving a platform to underheard and underrepresented voices in the media. <\/strong><\/p>\n Find some of our best reads of the week below:<\/p>\n An anonymous writer shares the moment that he realised he was groomed as a 14-year-old by a man in his 30s. <\/p>\n Metro.co.uk’s Josie Copson paid tribute to Wilko, a trip to which accompanied all of her life milestones. <\/p>\n Lowri Llewelyn was attacked while travelling solo through Scotland. She credits a stranger she met at her hostel the day before with saving her life. <\/p>\n And Heidi Crowter describes her perfect first date to her now-husband, James. The couple, who both have Down’s syndrome, instantly realised the other was their soulmate. <\/p>\n I don\u2019t know whether Naomi has seen my letter or will read this piece, but I hope that she does.<\/p>\n I would urge Naomi to reconsider her comments about racism and acknowledge the valid reasons she is being called out. We all need to do our part to live more sustainably, but those with a platform can really make a difference if they use their position of influence for good.<\/p>\n Naomi has always been a brilliant advocate for Black models in the fashion industry. I\u2019d love to see her using her platform to advocate for garment workers too.<\/p>\n