Leicester’s Slow Fashion

In the summer of 2020, multiple reports emerged revealing a scandal at the heart of Leicester’s garment district. Reports of exploited workers in factories estimated that thousands were being paid just £3.50 an hour to supply garments to some of the biggest names in fashion.

The garment trade in Leicester sits at the heart of England, using space that boomed during the industrial age. Working within shells of old factory buildings, many in the city were able to cling on to business working with market traders and wholesalers who continued to source clothing there. In more recent years, high street names working on a USP of speed and quick turnover of designs have found a haven in the ability to source cheap, fast designs at mass quantities. Of course there is blame at corporate level, but the general public’s behaviour is a big reason for the feeding of such industries with each person in the UK buying an estimated 26.7kg of clothing every year. Meanwhile a whopping estimated £140 million of clothing makes its way into landfill each year.