I absolutely hate clothes shopping. Hate it. In store, I often find myself reduced to furious tears and panic-buying something I don’t really like. And online, I fall in love with dresses and jumpsuits and tell myself they will fit just perfectly, before the inevitable disappointment and predictable popping to the Post Office with a returns label.

Throw in the added confusion of wanting to make ethical purchases, to protect the environment and shop slavery free, and buying clothes becomes a complete nightmare.

Over the last ten years, I have been working on a book about human trafficking and modern slavery here in the UK. Many of us are aware that millions of people around the world are in slavery (an estimated 40 million, according to the International Labour Organisation) but I wonder how many of us can make the link between the nameless, faceless people on the other side of the world and our purchases? And how many of us are aware that the slavery we may associate with nations a world away, could actually be on our doorstep?

According to the Global Slavery Index, in data released in 2018, there were 136,000 modern day slaves in the UK “on any given day in 2016”. This is the number which has been accepted as the clearest indicator we have on the amount of people in slavery in Britain, a number which is hugely challenging to accurately determine due to the fact victims are hidden away and rarely self present as victims. In 2020, a study from think tank The Centre for Social Justice and charity Justice and Care, estimated the number at closer to 100,000.

And how does modern slavery present itself on our streets and our communities? Well, it could be anywhere. Pop up brothels, recycling centres, the hospitality industry, nail bars, cannabis farms and car washes are all places experts say people can be exploited in the UK.

Plus of course, factories. We know the horror of sweat shops globally, but an expose of working conditions in garment factories in Leicester during the Covid pandemic drew attention to the crime on our doorstep.

Practical ways to make ethical choices when shopping for clothes