Beth Ditto vs. Topshop

Sara at Dressr Blog draws TFFF's attention to the latest high street hypocrisy. UK uber-chain Topshop approached The Gossip to do a series of in-store gigs, presumably to capitalise on singer Beth Ditto's current status as It chick: ever since music mag NME voted Ditto the coolest person in rock, she's been the go-to gal for a dose of insta-cool.

The idea, as with most Topshop non-fashion collaborations, would presumably have seen posters and images of Beth Ditto scattered around the London flagship store, lending a little punk cool cachet to the increasingly mainstream store.



The move has backfired, with Ditto pointing out the hypocrisy of Topshop wanting to capitalise on The Gossip's cool factor...without expanding their brand to provide clothes that the singer could ever wear. Since the chain is not averse to design collaborations with non-designers - hello, Kate Moss! - there's no reason the store could not have asked for a Gossip gig or two together with a design collaboration or consultation on a plus-size line.

Ditto's response:

Give me the job. I want to design, I want you to make clothes for big girls, big boys, I want you to make big sizes. I don't want just your money or the cred of hanging out with Kate Moss, which is fine, but it's not want I want in life. I want more. I want what she gets.

I don't think it's fair to put my face somewhere where they would never let me in there to wear their clothes. If they want our music they've got to actually do something to earn it. I can get money anywhere, I don't need your money unless you're going to do it my way.

They don't want to dress people that look like me, that have a normal body, a bigger body, whatever. I mean I don't really know why they want The Gossip to do things for them, I don't understand because if they saw me in the street they'd never give me the time of day.

One of the major reasons Beth Ditto has been so hailed as "cool" (whatever THAT means) has been her non-conformity: much of her press cites her weight and size, focussing on her success and sexiness as a fat girl. That Topshop wanted to purchase some positive PR without taking the whole package -- 'hey, we'll have the music, the fans with purchasing power, the face and name...but, wait? Provide clothes bigger than a size 16? Ew.' -- is both hilarious and tragic. Hilarious that Philip Green thought he could get away with it and Ditto would sign up, tragic that he thought he could get away with it...and you know he's not going to be introducing a plus-size line any time soon.

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In response to comments about my Giles Deacon for New Look piece, I'm happy to issue a correction: New Look do have a plus-size line, Inspire, in UK sizes 16-26. I still stand by my main point, that special collaborations like the Gold by Giles line, should be available in plus sizes too, in keeping with the concept of increasing accessibility to designer pieces.

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In other random news: food products are soon set to carry their carbon footprint on packaging. A packet of crisps will show a 75g carbon stamp, indicating the total carbon footprint from every level of production. Great news in the food industry: onw what about fashion? I can't wait for the day this is extended to the clothing and accessories industry.

Cotton is one of the biggest producers of carbon, and with clothes often manufactured in several different countries - a label here, a button there, a pattern cut here and flown elsewhere to be finished, before flown to yet another country to be sold - fashion is one of the most important industries in environmental terms. Whilst we're campaigning for more ethical values viz. sizing in the industry, let's extend those ethics to all areas. Being able to buy a size 22 in Topshop would be great - even greater if it carried its carbon footprint (and even better if that footprint was as low as possible).