Being named the sustainability ambassador for fast-fashion retailer Boohoo has drawn criticism for Kourtney Kardashian.


Before accepting the position of sustainability ambassador for Boohoo, a fast-fashion company in the UK, Kourtney Kardashian Barker was criticized for not conducting enough research on the company.

The 46-piece sustainable collection, which will premiere on September 13 at New York Fashion Week, was revealed by WWD and Boohoo on Tuesday. According to a statement sent to the publication by Kardashian Barker, Boohoo “responded with enthusiasm and a willingness to include sustainable techniques” into the collection after she originally voiced worry “about the consequences of the fast-fashion industry on our world.”

However, not everyone is persuaded. Kardashian Barker was criticized by fashion watchdog account Diet Prada in a post published on Tuesday for supporting “one of the least sustainable fashion businesses,” which was the focus of a Sunday Times investigation in 2019. According to the article, employees at a UK facility that produced Boohoo clothing were paid as low as £3.50, or about $4.37, per hour.

Boohoo, which owns several other fast-fashion companies like PrettyLittleThing, Nasty Gal, and Miss Pap, responded to the findings at the time by stating that it had conducted its own investigation into the organization in charge of the disputed UK factory and was moving to have its suppliers sever ties with it.

“We are absolutely committed to eradicating any instance of non-compliance and to ensuring that the actions of a few do not continue to undermine the excellent work of many of our suppliers in the area, who work tirelessly to provide good jobs and good working conditions,” the statement concluded.

Boohoo’s new “sustainable” collection will debut at New York Fashion Week.
JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images

However, Diet Prada’s post, which has 80,000 likes as of Wednesday, also pointed to recent investigations into the brand’s ethical practices.

It referenced a 2021 follow-up investigation led by the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, Labour Behind The Label, and ShareAction, which concluded that the brand had not “adequately addressed” how its purchasing practices “drive labour rights abuses and illegal non-payment of minimum wage.”

“Using massive celebrity influence to sell more stuff will never be the solution,” Diet Prada wrote toward the end of its post. “No matter how much recycled material is used.” Diet Prada, which The Guardian reported is run by two freelance designers, Tony Liu and Lindsey Schuyler, did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.

The collaboration with Kardashian Barker has also been accused of being a “greenwashing” tactic, according to the Daily Mail. “Greenwashing” refers to companies that market themselves as more sustainably-minded than they are.

Representatives for Kardashian Barker and Boohoo did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment on the criticism over the collaboration.

In July, Boohoo was among several companies investigated for greenwashing by The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), according to The Guardian. At the time, a representative for the CMA told the outlet if it found evidence Boohoo was using “misleading eco claims,” they wouldn’t “hesitate to take enforcement action — through the courts if necessary.”

Boohoo said it was “committed to providing its customers with accurate information on the products they buy” in response, the outlet added.

Items in the upcoming collection — which is priced between $6 and $100 — are made from materials including recycled fibers, traceable cotton, recycled polyester, and faux leather, according to a statement Boohoo provided to WWD.

Alongside the collection, Kardashian Barker is hosting a short-video series with Boohoo where she said she will be speaking to fashion industry experts about sustainability, worker welfare, and textile waste.

Some of the experts briefly shown in the episode include Steven Bethell, co-founder of Beyond Retro, and Patrick Duffy, founder of Global Fashion Exchange. Neither immediately responded to Insider’s request for comment.

“I hope this is a place where I can use my platform to really get people to be thinking about the same thing, and learn the same things that I am learning along the way,” Kardashian Barker said in the first six-minute episode.


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