Fashion victim: the impact of fair trade concerns on clothing choice

Fair trade is concerned with ensuring a fair price and fair working conditions for producers and suppliers, promoting equitable trading agreements. Throughout recent years fair trade has experienced considerable growth in the food sector. This growth has been significantly aided by labelling certification through the Fairtrade Foundation mark and availability in the mainstream. Consumer concern in other product sectors, notably fashion and clothing where child labour and worker's rights are pertinent issues, is exerting pressure for similar action. However, this market remains under-developed, restricting choice in this area. Despite recent media attention and increased levels of consumer concern, fair trade concerns in the clothing market have been neglected in marketing research. In order to address this, this paper considers fair trade concerns in the context of sweatshop clothing. The article examines consumers' ethical intentions to avoid purchasing sweatshop-produced clothing and their actual purchase behaviour, as well as the constraints impacting consumer behaviour in this context