Earth Heir CEO Sasibai Kimis and COO Wong Xiao Cheng discuss the realities of the ethical fashion movement in Malaysia and their aspirations for it
If you don't have integrity, you have nothing. You can't buy it. You can have all the money in the world, but if you are not a moral and ethical person, you really have nothing.
Henry Kravis, American businessman
Most of us aspire to be moral and ethical people and often, we practise that to a certain degree. But how many of us maintain our principles and values when it concerns our consumption of products and services?
The truth is, too few of us do although we love the idea of living ethically. Take for instance the popularity of social enterprises. "People like to talk about social enterprises. They are interested in the business model and by this group of people who are doing good by working with communities, even the media likes to write about it.
"But if you talk to the brands, many of them are still struggling. People are interested in the nice stories, but they don't necessarily put their money where their mouth is. That is the challenge," says Earth Heir founder and chief executive officer Sasibai Kimis.
Indeed, while most people may understand the concept of a social enterprise, they may not necessarily understand what an ethical fashion brand stands for and their role in consuming ethically-made clothes and accessories.
Consumers still price and brand-conscious
What's more, many Malaysians are still price-conscious and brand-focused. "People are willing to spend money on what they think is a brand, or something that is endorsed by a famous celebrity in Malaysia or globally."
She explains that there are few consumers who look at construction and quality, and that even those who can afford to buy more expensive things would rather buy popular brands. On the other hand, people who buy from Earth Heir are interested in unique things or want to be different and are also interested in Malaysian heritage.
Says Earth Heir chief operating officer Wong Xiao Cheng: "I think awareness [towards ethical fashion] is still at a very infant stage. When you think about any movement, it needs awareness. And when you get people joining the movement, that's when you provide the support they need."
She believes that things will grow organically. "It will arise naturally; for example if people need more training or government funding. I think right now people are still unaware of the value, so the value needs to be translated by fashion brands and aspiring fashion designers."
What brands and designers can do
Sasibai concurs. "Many local designers are already ethical when it comes to labour because they are paying the minimum wage. Most are already doing that and most workers are working in decent, safe environments in Malaysia."
The next step for them is raw materials, she says. "They need to be able to figure out if the raw materials are ethical and sustainable, for example is it a natural fibre or from recycled fibres? A lot of ethical fashion is about raw materials and the process of making."
Designers and brands also need to think about what happens to the product at the end of its life. "Can their clients return those clothes and shoes ad are they recycling or reusing the fibres? How much electricity and water are they using? Are they throwing dyes into the river? They need to think about how circular the product is," she emphasises.
Wong believes that every business should be responsible, so every fashion brand should be sustainable and that sustainability should be part of their business model. She hopes that one day social enterprises will no longer exist, because all businesses will be social enterprises.
With ethical fashion, she hopes that it will be the same; that all fashion brands will be ethical and sustainable. "Humans need to be responsible for what they do, for the sake of the environment and future generations."
Advice for new entrants to the field
I asked Sasibai if now is a good time for someone to start an ethical fashion brand in Malaysia. She replies that it is not easy to start a brand. "It is really tough because you're competing with fast fashion brands. We have a chat group of fewer than 20 ethical fashion brands in Malaysia and most of us are still small. It is not easy to gain sales and traction from an ethical and sustainable point of view."
"It's great to have design ideas and the processes, but are you going to be a successful business? That I don't know, it's challenging because you're competing with Zalora, Lazada and Fashion Valet, who are trying to make nice clothes as cheaply as possible."
However, it is not impossible. "There are many sustainable and ethical independent brands in the US that make small batches of beautiful things. So if you're an ethical and sustainable brand that can do that in Malaysia, and have a very unique signature...for instance, if you build up a reputation as a designer who only uses upcycled denim or off-cuts."
She emphasises that an ethical brand needs to have a unique signature. "It has to be something people cannot find on other platforms. That's the advice I would give. Don't make what looks the same and hope that people will pay for it," she advises.