Kids are the future, and they’re a sassy bunch too. In light of Emma Watson’s collaboration with People Tree we decided to ask some 12-18 year olds what they thought about Fair Trade fashion.

Q. When you buy clothes do you ever think about the environmental impact of how it has been made? Does this affect what you buy and where it’s from?

Sisi: I usually buy my clothes from vintage shops or my sister makes some for me! I think this is quite environmentally friendly because it’s a bit like recycling. When I don’t do that I usually make sure my clothes are from Fair Trade shops. I also try to buy clothes that have been made in the UK.

Andrea: I like to buy good quality clothes, but not too expensive. A lot of the people who make clothes aren’t treated well. I would prefer to buy clothes that have been made by people who have been paid well and treated better.

Sam: I don’t really shop for clothes, the majority of my clothes are just things that I see in markets that look interesting and I don’t really know where they come from.

Laurie: I don’t know where my clothes are made, so I haven’t really thought about it.

Lucy: I have thought about this recently and I try not to go to shops like Primark but in other shops it tends not to affect what I buy. I have heard about this from assemblies at school and I have thought about the children but I haven’t done as much as I can to help yet.

 

Q. Do you think about the people who make the clothes you buy? (Do you worry that kids your age are making clothes 12-14 hours a day?)

Jerome: Yes, and I try to boycott it as much as possible.

Andrea: Yes, that’s why I like to get good quality clothes, not from Primark for example. I worry that the kids aren’t getting any education too.

Sam: I’ve heard that Primark are particularly bad with child labour and sweat shops and stuff but I shop pretty much anywhere else.

Bibi: Yes I do worry, but I feel like there is only so much a 14 year old can do. I try to do as much as possible.

Sisi: I find it scary that if I was living in another country I could be working all day, every day. I always think about who makes the clothes I buy because I would not want to buy something made in a sweatshop.

Immy: I make myself imagine I’ve been sent to a sweatshop because my family doesn’t earn enough money to send my other two siblings to school, then I feel terrible.

Rob: It makes me feel bad, I’d like to help and I think that modelling for People Tree will help.

Laurie:Yes, because they wouldn’t be able to hang around with their friends or just have a normal life.

Aisha: Yes, I have seen documentaries about it.

Tom M: I didn’t really know who made the clothes before I first modelled for People Tree. I buy things from quite big brands, but when I get the chance I will buy Fair Trade clothes. I think about it quite a lot, like how 9 year olds will get paid less than a dollar a day in South America to make trainers.

Beau: It does worry me that kids my age are making clothes for 12-14 hours a day; I think it should stop, it’s really unfair.

Imran: Yes, I worry that the people who make the clothes for hours are too young and don’t get paid enough.

Elliott: Sometimes.

Natalie: I really hate child labour! But even if they didn’t have any work then they and their families would starve. This is why I buy Fair Trade and recycled clothes that employ the parents so the kids can go to school.

Nile: Yes I do but unfortunately when buying things I like forget about where they might have been made and who by.

 

Q. How do you decide what you wear? How would you describe your style? Do you buy recycled clothes? Swap clothes with friends? Who is your style icon – if you have one?
Andrea: I like to swap clothes with friends, I just wear what I think is nice. I like clothes which are stylish and unique.
Sam: I don’t have a particular style, nor do I have a very good fashion sense. Because I don’t buy a lot of clothes at once they often look odd together!
Tom P: I still have some clothes from Oxfam that I bought a long time ago.

Jerome: I don’t think much on the day, just whatever seems to catch my eye. Half my clothes are charity shop bought, the other half are Fair Trade and organic.

Bibi: I don’t have a set style. I just go to random shops and see if I like the clothes. I also go to charity shops and sometimes find good stuff and I swap clothes with my friends too.

Sisi: I usually just look around shops and markets and pick up bits of fabric and I LOVE vintage clothing so I love shops like Beyond Retro and Rokit! I swap and borrow clothes with my 16 year old sister because I am almost as tall as her. Some of my style icons are; Agness Deyne, Lucy (my sister), Lily Allen and Sarah Jessica Parker. I think I would describe my style as alternative and wacky.

Immy: I don’t really have a style icon, sometimes I feel messy, so my style is messy. What I wear is normally effected by my mood or a film.

Imo: I decide on what I wear by the price, how often I would wear it, the quality and where I am buying it. A way to describe my style is different and crazy.

Natalie: I normally think about the impact of buying clothes has on people and the environment which is why I don’t shop at Primark, Peacock or New Look, unless I really have to.

Elliott: My style is casual. I sometimes buy clothes from Charity shops but don’t really swap clothes with my friends. I don’t have a style icon.

Natalie: I normally swap clothes with my friends so that we have more variety. I also buy recycled clothes. My friends also help me style my clothes. I buy from charity shops, Fair Trade and organic cotton and swap with friends to get more variety.

Nile: I have a casual style but I do really like styles from the 60’s and 80’s and try to use them as inspiration.

Luca: Yes I buy clothes from Oxfam, there is no better place to buy old clothes. I also go to markets like Portobello and Brick Lane. I wouldn’t say I had a style exactly, I just kind of ride any wave that passes by.

Aliyah: I like to wear urban style clothes which are different because I want to stand out from the crowd. I don’t have a style icon, I just wear what I want. I liked the top I wore in the photoshoot.

Laurie: I like to look a little unique.

Aisha: Sometimes, I never wear clothes made of real fur.

Tom M: I buy clothes from charity shops sometimes and I occasionally swap things with my friends.

Beau: I describe my style as ‘Beau’s style’ which is a lot of different styles, I like individual things.

Soraya: I like the clothes that anime/manga characters wear – even though they are cartoon characters!

Oscar: I don’t really know, I just throw stuff on. I sometimes buy recycled clothes.

George: I decide what I wear by what the weather is like. I wore this t-shirt because I love polar bears and I think they have the right to live. Then we can do our bit for the environment and help polar bears live.

Josh: I don’t buy clothes at all. I don’t have a style icon.

 

Q. When you buy clothes do you ever think about the environmental impact of how they have been made? Does this affect what you buy and where it’s from?

Tom P: No, a lot of what I wear is probably affecting people and the environment.

Immy: Yes, normally and with food too. I get really annoyed if I’m on holiday and I know the food is from a far away destination.

Rob: I think about it but because I’m quite excited, I only think about it afterwards.