“Shein, you’re kidding right?” Bridling with incredulity, Susannah Jaffer took swinge at the ubiquitous e-commerce retailer in a caustic LinkedIn post, following its launch of its risibly named “purpose-driven collection” in April. The Chinese fashion behemoth has been accused of worker exploitation, among other things.
It’s not that the founder of media platform and sustainable fashion marketplace Zerrin is one to priggishly promote the cancellation of the fast fashion sector, linked to 10 per cent of all humanity’s carbon emissions and swelling waste.
Rather, she wants to call out hypocrisy-draped greenwashing and broach conversations around a complex albeit profligate industry that — just as it cranks out mountains of shlock — supports countless livelihoods. These issues are addressed through articles on her platform and Made Better podcast engaging thought leaders and industry experts.
“I don’t think continually demonising fast fashion is helpful because it is the collective benchmark for everyone’s understanding of value. Instead, sharing content that makes people think differently about value can help them broaden their mindset,” she rationalises. In the same breath, she acknowledges that less affordable responsible fashion labels may be inaccessible to a wider audience.
The Briton came of age during the early e-commerce boom, where big players such as Asos inundated the market with on-trend pieces — on instant demand. “When Boohoo launched when I was 16, it was my dream to work at such a company. But I later realised that I was really fascinated by how clothes made you feel versus wanting to keep up with trends,” she recalls.
As a fashion and beauty editor, she didn’t view her consumption through the prism of sustainability but was “fascinated by how fast-paced Singapore’s retail market was in comparison to the UK.” For one, thrifting was virtually non-existent then.
Soon, the predictability of the media cycle — where requisite fluff pieces on prominent brands can be known to undermine editorial integrity — began to wear her down. “I felt like there had to be something more to say and I couldn’t really put my finger on it journalistically or even personally,” shares Jaffer. She derived greater joy from writing about independent local labels, many of which lacked the outsize marketing budgets or resources required to springboard into the mainstream.
Such was the impetus for Zerrin, which she describes as an incubator replete with sales, marketing and photography services. Jaffer is partial to brands that are producing in a “mindful” manner and intrinsically connected to their supply chain. On top of overarching parameters including design quality and craftmanship, brands are assessed based on criteria such as fair employment practices, use of eco-friendly materials plus packaging and waste management.
Though brands are asked to substantiate their certification claims, emerging brands without the financial heft to hit all the right notes aren’t necessarily precluded. “I would argue that smaller brands are making grander steps in sustainability than some of the world’s largest companies and that’s because they are more nimble and can produce that way from the start.”
But for all the conspicuous consumption that the fast fashion industry has been excoriated for promoting, any business — regardless of scale — is premised on growth. Is sustainable fashion then a myth? The pensive millennial argues that while the concept of sustainability has become warped by industry narrative, she’d nonetheless put her weight behind “regenerative fashion” that improves the lives of its producers.
“Conscious fashion is shifting our definition of what luxury is. Isn’t it luxurious to know that your products reflect quality in not just their material and design choices but also the way they are handled throughout various stages of the supply chain?”
Videography: Belle Chew
Photography: Mun Kong
Producer: Cara Yap
Styling: Chia Wei Choong
Hair & Makeup: Rick Yang/Artistry, Rick Yang/Artistry, assisted by Nikki Loh, using Shiseido and Keune
