The True Cost Of Fashion

The fundamental discriminating factor which separates truth from untruth is perspective; the way in which we see the picture. That being said, it is crucial that we concede the inevitable when it comes to documentary viewing: the complete picture is obscured. However, what is often disregarded, is the fact that it is an inherent feature of the human condition to pursue truth. We become drawn to the most compelling and jaw-dropping of assertions, even if it’s outright sickening and atrocious.

So I ask you, why do we choose to search for the truth?

It is human nature to be inquisitive about the unknown; we naturally explore the unthinkable and chase the unfathomable. It is this paradox of life which relentlessly drives us in this pursuit. Admittedly,

Morgan turns the tide through his use of statistical evidence, interviews and actuality footage in a manner which is not overpowering. Furthermore, he does also employ cinematography, foregrounding, mise-en-scene and marginalisation elements to appeal to a wider, less critical, selection of viewers.

It begged a serious question which has since now been largely overlooked by masses of the western world: what is the true cost of the fashion industry?

The True Cost is simply – as Morgan would so regularly declare – “a story about clothing”. But is this glamorised fashion industry just a story about clothing?

But instead of being like other guilt-trips of its genre, The True Cost aims to foreground fact over fiction. Morgan explicitly says that everything in our fashion industry has an “intrinsic” connection. To illustrate this, he bombards audiences with facts and statistics.

But the intentions of all these techniques are made pretty obvious. There are real people making our clothes, not machines. There are real repercussions which devastate the poor and vulnerable. There are real breeches of social justice as a product of a fashion industry which remains overshadowed by