New year, same old apparel sector?

As we move into the third week of the new year and Blue Monday, the apparel sector is still struggling with the same familiar problems, but it's not too late to start again.

The third Monday of the year — often dubbed ‘Blue Monday’ — is supposedly the most depressing day of the year. The concept is based on winter weather conditions, post-holiday season debt and the average time since new year’s resolutions have been broken.

While the concept has long-since been dismissed as pseudoscience, it provides an interesting backdrop to look at how 2024 is already shaping up and whether the apparel sector is still on track with its New Year resolutions.

So far, we’ve seen disruption to global trade in the Red Sea and Suez Canal, further escalated by recent intervention from the US and UK. We’ve also started to see the impact of last year’s unrest in Bangladesh as US apparel imports from the country again slowed in OTEXA’s latest figures last week.

All this before we’ve even started on the many pending elections this year.

The start of 2024 has also seen another unfortunately familiar trope in the sector, as Boohoo found itself accused of mislabelling goods manufactured overseas as “Made in the UK”.

The news came just months after a previous investigation alleged that Boohoo employees were instructed to pressure suppliers for reduced prices, even after deals had already been agreed.

So far, it’s not looking great for those hoping the fashion sector could start making more positive steps in 2024.

Gherzi Textil Organization partner Robert P Antoshak suggested the industry’s new year’s resolutions should include “doubling down on environmental initiatives and truly supporting garment workers’ demands”.

At Open Perspectives, global non-profit H&M Foundation’s virtual conference, associate professor and deputy science director at Stockholm Resilience Centre, Per Olsson, outlined how the fashion sector needs fundamental shifts in order to become more socially and environmentally stable.

“This is about actually phasing out the systems that created the problems in the first place,” he said.

Meanwhile, Charlotte Brunnström, strategy lead at H&M Foundation highlighted the inequalities that still exist in Bangladesh’s apparel sector.

Despite women making up 60% of Bangladesh’s apparel workforce, only a small percentage of leadership positions are held by women including managerial or supervisory roles. She said: “I want to remind us all about the importance of being aware of the current power relations out there and constantly ask yourself, who’s invited to the conversation?”

The new year also brought with it the news that hundreds of garment workers in Bangladesh were allegedly fired following protests for higher wages in October.

All of this acts as a pertinent reminder that old habits and stereotypes will be hard for the fashion sector to break.

The big question is will 2024 finally be the year when the apparel sector can clean up its act? Perhaps we can use Blue Monday to hit the refresh button and give 2024 another shot before it’s too late?

By Just Style

New year, same old apparel sector?

New year, same old apparel sector?

NEW YEAR, SAME OLD APPAREL SECTOR?