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Penny sale penny labour

By Tyla Connor Nov 30, 2020

Online Fashion retailer Pretty Little Thing have been criticised on social media over their 99 per cent off Black Friday sale.

Pretty Little Thing, also known as PLT, is popular due to their low prices on clothing.

This Black Friday the company marked everything on the site down, with up to 99 per cent off on some items, marketing it as ‘Pink Friday.’

This begs the question how much are the people who make these clothes being paid when all the clothes are sold for pennies?

Graphic made by Tyla Connor

Pretty Little Thing’s parent company Boohoo Group Plc came under pressure from campaigners earlier this year after media reports of poor working conditions and low pay at garment factories in Leicester which supply the brands.

It’s been claimed that some Leicester factory workers were paid between £3.50 and £5 an hour.

Graphic on the reality of fast fashion: Image reads: Pretty Little Thing listed 3000 items of clothing as 99 per cent off, Although most of the clothes on sale were priced at less than 50p PLT still made a profit, Being able to sell these clothes at this price reveals the reality of how much fast fashion brands pay for materials, production and for garment workers labour,This masive sale also contributes to throw away culture as customers would use the cheap clothig as an excuse to get rid of previous clothing
Graphic by Tyla Connor

A number of retailers including Next and ASOS stopped selling Boohoo group brands including Pretty Little Thing, Nasty Gal and Boohoo following a report by The Sunday Times. A factory named in the article disputes the claims.

Despite this customers are still drawn by the low prices on clothes supplied by the online retailer.

Pretty Little Thing is also heavily endorsed by celebrities and influencers including Molly-Mae Hague, a former Love Island contestant, and rapper Doja Cat who have both released collections with the retailer.

But realistically, how is it possible to make clothes that cheap? It may not be the consumer, but someone somewhere is paying the price. Think before you buy.

By Tyla Connor

Transgender queer freelance journalist studying at Kingston University. I am passionate about feature writing and fashion journalism. Contact me directly for story ideas or if you have your own story to tell at tylaconnor98@gmail.com

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