Like something out of a Black Mirror episode, Kourtney Kardashian has now been named a sustainability advisor of fast fashion brand Boohoo. The company’s attempt to greenwash its shady environmental reputation for shoddily made throw-away clothing comes just weeks after a Los Angeles Times report found that Kardashian used 101,000 gallons more than her monthly water allotment in drought-stricken California. With her flights on private jets, opulent lifestyle, and partnerships with brands like Boohoo, she’s quite the pioneer of sustainable living.
Boohoo is likely trying to clean up its image after its share prices plummeted following the revelation that the company’s market-based carbon emissions recently rose by 29 percent. Why the brand would choose Kardashian is a mystery. She has tried to exude some kind of Coachella-flavored climate awareness on social media, but it’s backed up by nothing. She prompted eyerolls after posting a CO2 tracker to her Instagram story recently, and shared the caption “love her and take care of her every day” on a series of photos from Hawaii, where locals are begging people to stop visiting since inhabitants’ water has been turned off to accommodate tourists.
Boohoo, which is ever popular in the UK and beginning to tap the US market, infamously pays workers in their Pakistani factories 33 cents an hour to work in unsafe conditions making the company’s chemical-smelling clothing. So how does the brand plan on shifting its image? By making more clothes for its customers to wear once before posting on Instagram and discarding, of course. According to Boohoo, their “sustainability journey” with Kardashian will include a collection of 46 limited-edition pieces of clothing made from “recycled fibers, traceable cotton, recycled sequins, and recycled polyester” as well as “transparent practices for shoppers who want to learn more about the apparel.” The capsule collection — part of the 700 items that Boohoo uploads to their site weekly — will debut at New York Fashion Week. What’s unlikely to be at the show is any self-awareness by Kourtney Kardashian.
