In Conversation With Alden Wicker, Author Of 'To Dye For'
by Meg Pirie
Source: Alden Wicker
Fashion is cited as one of the most environmentally damaging sectors, with the majority of current fashion practices, from education to manufacturing, dominated by the ‘fast-fashion’ business model. This practice is not only destroying vital elements of the world’s finite resources, creating vast amounts of waste, but has also resulted in worker exploitation globally. Many of us are aware of this ethical minefield, but might not have stopped to consider the effects the clothes we wear might have on our own health.
In 2019, Alden Wicker was asked to comment on a lawsuit that was being filed by a Delta flight attendant against Lands’ End, because the newly introduced uniform had caused a myriad of health issues. At the time, the Guardian covered the story, stating that shortly after wearing the new uniform some female flight attendants started getting sick, reporting skin rashes, shortness of breath, and hair loss. According to the Guardian, the health concerns were so extreme that some doctors instructed the flight attendants to bring EpiPens to work.
In her book, ‘To Dye For’, award-winning journalist and sustainability expert, Alden Wicker, decided to break the story of unregulated toxic chemicals in fashion and their impacts on health and wellbeing. What follows is a candid conversation, with clear advice on what we can do now.
Q. I understand that you were called by a radio show to comment on the myriad of health issues which Delta flight attendants were experiencing after their new uniform was introduced. Was this the catalyst that made you want to tell this particular story of unregulated toxic chemicals in fashion and their impacts?
I had been writing about fashion sustainability since 2012, and had seen some specious claims about cotton clothing having pesticides on them. (No proof of that so far.) But I hadn't heard a word about fashion being so toxic it could make you acutely sick. When I read about the reactions that Delta flight attendants were having (and also attendants from Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, and Southwest), I was shocked at the severity. Some of them became disabled just by being around the uniforms, not to mention being taken to the ER with breathing problems and having severe skin reactions. So I dug deeper and found an entire world lurking underneath the shiny surface of fashion: the complex and sloppy chemistry that has been hidden from us.
Q. What can we expect to learn from your book?
The book is very comprehensive! I go through the experience of Alaska Airlines attendants from 2011 onward, when this was still very new and mysterious. I go through the history of toxic fashion to provide context for what is happening today. I explain the latest research on sensitizing chemicals and their connection to eczema and autoimmune disease. I also explain endocrine disruptors in fashion, and their relation to thyroid disease and infertility, as well as the process behind multiple chemical sensitivity and mast cell activation syndrome. Finally, I provide strategies for avoiding hazardous chemicals in clothing.
Q. From the people you interviewed, that had experienced issues to their health from this unregulated toxicity in their clothes, can you tell us how this impacted them?
There was such a huge range of health impacts. Some people suffered rashes, skin burns, hair loss, thyroid disease, asthma, extreme fatigue and brain fog. Other developed more long-term illnesses such as multiple chemical sensitivity/mast cell activation syndrome, and autoimmune diseases including Crohn's, eczema, and lupus. One person passed away fairly young, and their surviving partner attributes it to the toxic uniform he was forced to wear.
Q. Did the controversial nature of this topic provide an added challenge to the writing process, for example, were brands open to discussions with you?
Brands were not open to discussing this with me, but they usually don't want to talk to me in general! I focus on investigations, so if I'm asking a brand for comment, it's usually not a good sign. More importantly, this is not a popular area of research for serious scientists. There's sexism at play, in which fashion is dismissed as unserious (even though we all wear it.) And while it's largely women who are impacted by this issue – they're more likely to develop autoimmune diseases, have to care for family members impacted by toxic textiles, and also are the ones who have to go through invasive fertility treatments – almost all the experts in the field of textile chemistry are men, who tended to dismiss my concerns.
Q. Is this a stand-alone book or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?
I am thinking about doing something around hazardous chemistry in home goods and residential construction materials. There is a lot of overlap and an article I recently did about the risks of polyurethane spray foam insulation really hit a nerve with consumers who have had their experiences dismissed and ignored.
Q. What regulations would you like to see within the fashion supply chain? Do you think that this is a brand issue, or should governments be looking at urgent policy change?
A lot of progress has been made by leader brands, but if we leave this as a voluntary commitment, then consumers will continue to be put in danger by unscrupulous, hyper-cheap brands. I would like to see full ingredient lists on fashion products to start, plus the most toxic chemicals banned for use in fashion. I would also like to see the Consumer Product Safety Commission much more well-funded so it can do a better job at testing and recalling hazardous products. There has been some progress made in California, New York, Maine, and Washington, but we need to close some huge loopholes.
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Source: Alden Wicker
“There’s sexism at play, in which fashion is dismissed as unserious (even though we all wear it.) [...] almost all the experts in the field of textile chemistry are men, who tended to dismiss my concerns. ”