YSL is a luxury fashion brand that was founded in 1962, this means that this fashion brand has been operating for 60 years.
In this article, we are gonna answer some of the queries you might have about the ethics, morals, and policies of YSL.
We have tried to answer some of the questions like is YSL a Fast Fashion brand? Is Saint Laurent sustainable? Where does YSL get its clothes from?
Does YSL use sweatshops to make its clothes? Lastly, is YSL an ethical brand? Keep on reading to find the answers!
About YSL
YSL is a luxury fashion brand that was started in 1962. YSL stands for Yves Saint Laurent, which is also the name of the founder of this brand. YSL is also called Saint Laurent.
YSL was founded by Yves Saint Laurent and his friend, Pierre Bergé. YSL is headquartered in Paris, France.
Initially, the brand became popular for its ready-to-wear outfits. YSL launched its cosmetic line in 1978 and in the 1980s YSL launched its perfume collection.
Saint Laurent is owned by Kering which also owns other luxury brands such as Gucci, Balenciaga, etc.
YSL sells different fashion items for both men and women. For women, YSL sells ready-to-wear apparel, shoes, bags, leather goods, sunglasses, jewelry, accessories, etc.
For men, Saint Laurent has ready-to-wear apparel, shoes, bags, belts, sunglasses, accessories, etc.
YSL also has a beauty line which is owned by L’Oréal.
Is YSL Fast Fashion?
No, YSL is not a Fast Fashion brand.
Before digging deep into YSl’s policies, let’s understand what Fast Fashion means.
According to a dictionary, YSL is defined as;
“an approach to the design, creation, and marketing of clothing fashions that emphasizes making fashion trends quickly and cheaply available to consumers.”
Fast Fashion has three main elements; fast, trendy, and cheap clothing. Because of these three elements, people are buying more and more clothes, and as a result, the Fast Fashion industry is growing rapidly.
According to Statista, the global market value of the Fast Fashion industry is expected to reach 133 billion US dollars by 2026.
Many brands are adopting the model of Fast Fashion as the trendy plus cheap clothes are easily bought by the public.
There are many harms that the Fast Fashion industry has caused. The Fast Fashion industry has negatively impacted the environment, workers’ ethics, and society in general.
To manufacture one piece of clothing, a manufacturer requires tons of carbon emissions and thousands of litres of water. Fast Fashion brands release a lot of clothes every single day so a lot of water is wasted and tons of carbon are emitted.
It was found that the fashion industry is the second biggest consumer of water and 8-10% of global carbon emission is caused by the fashion industry.
The garment workers are mostly underpaid. They are not even given the minimum wages. Other than that, they are forced to work for several hours a day in inhumane conditions.
Coming back to YSL, it doesn’t have any of the three elements of the Fast Fashion brand.
We mentioned above that the Fast Fashion industry has three elements; fast, trendy, and cheap clothing.
YSL is a luxury brand so it doesn’t follow trends and has expensive clothes and accessories. That is why it can not be considered a Fast Fashion brand.
Is YSL A Sustainable Brand?
Yes, YSL is a sustainable brand.
On their website, YSL mentions that;
“As part of Kering, Saint Laurent is engaged in a multifaceted strategy to achieve a more sustainable and responsible definition of luxury.”
YSL has set some sustainability standards. YSL plans on using 100% organic cotton soon. They used 60% organic cotton in 2020 and by the end of 2021, YSL used 80% organic cotton.
They have also taken many other steps to be more sustainable and eco-friendly. So it is safe to say that YSL is a sustainable brand.
Where does YSL Get Its Clothes From?
Most of the products of YSL are made in Italy.
YSL manufactures its products in different manufacturing sites in Italy. However, they also manufacture their products in different countries of the world such as Hong Kong, India, etc.
Does YSL Use Sweatshops?
YSL has been accused of using sweatshops.
In 2020, New York Times found that different luxury brands (which also included YSL) were underpaying the Indian factory workers.
In Italy, authorities raided a sweatshop where clothes were being made for different luxury brands including YSL. However, Saint Laurent denied these accusations and said that it has no connection with the sweatshop.
Is YSL Ethical?
YSL stands in the grey line when it comes to its ethics.
YSL has taken some excellent steps to reduce its environmental impacts. They are also planning to use 100% sustainable raw materials while manufacturing in the near future.
YSL has been accused of underpaying its labourers and using sweatshops to manufacture its expensive clothes and other products.
Conclusion
YSL is a French luxury brand that has shops in different countries of the world.
YSL is a luxury brand and has expensive products such as clothing, leather goods, shoes, etc. So YSL is not considered a Fast Fashion brand.
YSL has taken steps to reduce its environmental impacts. YSL has also been accused of underpaying its workers and using sweatshops.
