Social media users have pointed out the surprising irony that Kourtney Kardashian Barker is the first “sustainability ambassador” for fast fashion e-tailer Boohoo, declaring it “has to be a joke”.
The collaboration will see the reality star and Poosh founder chat with “sustainability experts to better understand the challenges and opportunities in the fashion industry” and launch two capsule collections, the first of which will be presented at New York Fashion Week next Tuesday.
For those unfamiliar, Boohoo was founded in Manchester in 2006 and is known as one of the pioneers of the ‘ultra-fast fashion’ retail phenomenon, aimed at the Instagram and TikTok generation. A 2020 British newspaper investigation The Sunday Times revealed that not only was the e-tailer’s output unsustainable; workers in a Leicester factory supplying his product were paid as little as $4.40 an hour (the national living wage in Britain for those aged 25 and over at the time was $10.93).
“When Boohoo first approached me about collaborating on a line, I was concerned about the effects of the fast fashion industry on our planet,” Kardashian Barker said in a statement alongside today’s announcement.
“Boohoo responded with enthusiasm to the desire to incorporate sustainable practices into our line. It has been an enlightening experience to speak directly with industry experts. I am grateful for the opportunity to use my platform to drive conversations that lead to ongoing change and use my voice to share actionable advice with consumers about how we can play our own part.”
Boohoo Group co-founder and chief executive Carol Kane described the “extraordinary collaboration” as “the culmination of months of work by our teams”.
“Together, we’ve produced an amazing collection that reflects both Kourtney’s unique style and her passion for improving the sustainability of the fashion industry,” he said.
“We know that, like Kourtney, our customers are keen to improve their knowledge to help them make more informed purchasing decisions, so I’m particularly proud of the social series we’ve created and thank all the experts who gave graciously. his time to share his knowledge with Kourtney.”
The reaction on social media, however, was far from thrilled – it was met with everything from derision to outrage.
“We have reached the peak of greenwashing fashion. Private jet @kourtneykardash has been announced as a ‘sustainability ambassador’ for fossil fuel fast fashion brand @boohoo,” fair fashion activist Venetia La Manna wrote in an Instagram post.
“Kardashian Barker, who was publicly denounced for excessive water use in a drought, will host a series of interviews with ‘sustainability experts’ to discuss the ‘challenges’ and ‘opportunities’ she faces the fashion industry.
“There was the ‘opportunity’ for this $65 million celebrity to reject that contract and instead give a platform to what truly sustainable and ethical fashion looks like (spoiler alert: no boohoo).”
Comments on the retailer’s Instagram announcement, and subsequent posts about Kardashian Barker’s line, echoed a similar sentiment.
“The positive change would be to stop overproducing poor quality clothes made by poorly paid workers. Step 1. No more awareness needed, the world is aware,” wrote one.
“Kardashian and sustainability? This has got to be a joke!!” commented another, with a third questioning: “How is this SUSTAINABLE?!!!”
“Yeah, let’s keep it real. Have you tried doing less?” said a quarter.
“Instead of paying the rich to virtue, why not just pay super fair wages??? That’s something you can do and you don’t even have to give a rich person more money to do it.”
Or, as this user simply wrote, “Lol, no.”
Kardashian Barker noted in the announcement that “there is still a lot of work to be done and improvements to be made.”
“I really believe that any progress we can make in terms of sustainability is a step in the right direction and will open up the conversation for future advancements,” he added, of an industry that, in the US, sees up to 11.3 millions tons of textile waste every year (equivalent to about 2150 pieces of clothing every second).
It is natural to wonder, however, if Kardashian Barker, who last month was publicly announced The Los Angeles Times to excessive water use during Southern California’s worst drought on record, is the right person to “open” this conversation.
The 43-year-old has been labeled, more than once, a “selfish, wasteful climate criminal,” a moniker that has spread to her group of famous sisters.
Earlier this year, days before UK temperatures hit their hottest ever record and a wildfire threatened to destroy parts of California’s Yosemite National Park, Kylie Jenner posted a photo of herself and Travis Scott in front of two private jets, captioned. : “Do you want to take mine or yours?”
Or when, overnight, Kim Kardashian was asked for her “thoughts” on global warming in the accompanying story. Interviewmagazine cover and whether he feels he is doing “anything to combat and prevent it.”
“I believe in climate change and I believe that anything can help. But I also believe in being realistic and I think that sometimes there’s a lot to worry about on this planet, and it can be really scary to live your life with anxiety,” she replied.
“I have friends who are super involved in climate change and I love learning from them. I do what I can, but you have to choose what really works for you in your life.”
But, the business mogul added, “no one is going to be 100 percent perfect.”
While that might be true for the rest of us, there certainly are bit more than Kardashian, one of the richest women in the world, could be doing to combat the climate crisis.
For now, maybe La Manna said it best, ending her post with, “We absolutely can’t.”