To feel so guilty about shopping in primark

[Arkk]

I feel so guilty after shopping in fast fashion shops like primark. I haven’t bought pjs for well over a year so really needed some and ended up in primark as my friend wanted to go in there. I got some lovely pjs really cheap and a few other bits. I start to feel guilty thinking I should have spent a few quid more and bought more ethically. AIBU?

My mum sewed for Marksies in the 60s 70s and 80s. She was treated like shit which included rats and mice running over her feet. She went in one day to be told that was it she was finished factory closed sod all redundancy. Least people are developing a conscience... finally...

@malificent7

As long as you dont discard it ....I have lots of things from Primark that i have had for years...not falling apart.

And me.

As others have said, Primark are no worse ethically than many other brands. Part of the reason they are cheap is also the sheer volume, zero money spent on advertising, and no online business, not just poorly-paid workers.

Maybe for other clothes, but from charity shops?

I've worked in ethical fashion for years and also consulted for Primark, and Primark is definitely one of the better high st retailers. They have a large ethical team working on improving working standards, and as someone else has already mentioned, Primark signed up for the Bangladesh Accord almost immediately, and paid compensation, whereas other retailers (Zara, United Cols of Benetton, GAP) didn't.

Thank you for this, my Dad was a textile consultant in the 80s/90s and worked abroad. He said all companies look to cut costs wherever they can and usually at the labour end of things.

But can everyone please remember that while places like Next spend £35 million in advertising, Primark don't spend anything. No fancy website, no online stuff. They don't store their clothing for months on end either which would cost a lot, they respond to market trends, make it, ship it and sell it. This is why it is a much cheaper place to shop.

I love primark.

I buy new clothing regular depending on what’s in at the time.

Cheap for kids clothing to.

Shop where you want. Most shops are doing the same thing anyway.

Look at where your fruit and veg no doubt comes from. Even if it's the UK, in the past they have treated workers badly and given them poor pay, hence why no one here will do it. I doubt the workers in other countries are treated well. So unless you want to stop eating or grow your own food, you're gonna have to get over the guilt.

Fast fashion is bad for the environment too. Making stuff last is a good idea.

KeepingPlain but guilt is a really good indicator that we could perhaps, if personal circumstances allow, do something different.
Another good thing about buying second hand is that you are avoiding the environmental impact of the clothing manufacturing process. I buy everything for myself and DC (apart from a pack of knickers and socks each per year) from FBsites, eBay and charity shops.
Oldest DC is very particular about what they wear and pays close attention to fashion, but it is easy to pick up pre-worn items in great used condition from the brands they like, both for school and leisure. They'd much rather wear second hand than new for environmental reasons. Lots of even quite young teens have this awareness thanks to paying attention to media coverage, and the issue being highlighted in schools, over the last few years.

Our fMily has recently started shopping at Rapanui, after looking in to the issues around fast fashion. This company is just what we were looking for. They have a circular supply chain, so you just freepost items back to them to be made in to other items. They use an eco factory, solar powered. They use only organic cotton and are in the Uk and manufacture in the UK. Hope this helps someone’s search, as we were beginning to think it was I possible to find normal Uk made ethical clothes!

rapanuiclothing.com/

i have bought a few things in Everything £5, all a bit polyester though,but i go for the viscose or cotton. they come up small and i am not sure how ethical they are

google tells me they get last season from Zara and others.

the problem with charity shopping now is you cannot try them on and despite assurance you can get a refund it feels awkward asking for one.

directory.goodonyou.eco/brand/primark

I don' think Primark is "worse" than anyone else in terms of labour welfare or ethics.

Where it falls down is the cheapness and the fact that so many people look on Primark (and H&M, New Look etc) as disposable fashion. Wear it once or twice, chuck it. That's the problem.

I have Primark pyjamas too and wear them until they literally fall to bits.

directory.goodonyou.eco/brand/primark

@DarrellMakepeace
here here!

the link i posted was meant to show Top Shop and Zara were also not good enough.
but it does Marks and Spencers as good but there is no rating for sainsburys, they have never heard of it.

I never think about it. I shop to suit my pocket.

*For those who say we should shop differently do you have recommendations?

Maybe not for pyjamas, but second hand all the way in this house. If I have a tenner to spend on a new dress, I'd MUCH rather have second hand Hobbs/Reiss/Planet than brand new Primark/H&M.

oxfamapps.org/secondhandseptember/

13 million items of clothing EVERY WEEK end up in landfill in the UK - that's appalling.

I buy t-shirts in Primark as they make long line tshirts- which if your taller, means that a t-shirt goes to your bum instead of your navel. With regular wear, they last a couple of years.
The only garment I've ever only worn once was my wedding dress.

I have some Primark clothes I wear regularly and are over five years old. The stuff you bought should last, I dont know about shoes and some accessories though as never bought those from there.

I understand you feel guilty. I did last time I bought in there. My budget doesnt stretch to expensive makes, unless I get them in the half price or less sale or second hand. Both of which I do.

My old ones were maternity pjs so don’t fit

I’m no expert but I think Primark is ok and the likes of Fat Face are bad.

Could have changed though!

@ThunderSkies not quite true.
Interesting fact on great British sewing bee this year was that there are currently enough clothes on the planet to clothe the next 6 generations!

Try H&M. Much better credentials and a full ‘eco/organic’ range called Conscious.
Rapanui.
Patagonia
Green People
Community Clothing.
Even Asos now do an eco range.

For kids:
Polarn O Pyret (sells amazingly secondhand too on eBay - their aim is for 3 or 4 children to wear their clothes).
H&M conscious.

I agree with pp who say MOST of the high street is unethical. I refuse to buy anything that a little child may have made.