Greenpeace UK has fired shots at Love Island runner-up Gemma Owen for signing a deal with fast fashion brand Pretty Little Thing.
Pretty Little Thing, commonly known as PLT, posted about their new partnership with the reality star on their official Twitter page yesterday.
“IT’S OFFICIAL 😍💕 Welcome to the PLT family @gemowen_1 ✨ We can’t wait to show everyone what we’re working on…👀,” they wrote.
Shortly after the announcement, Greenpeace called Gemma out for partnering with the brand.
“So much for those reusable @LoveIsland water bottles… 👏 to another Love Island runner-up for becoming the newest 👸 of ☠️ plastic pollution. Read on to see why. @OfficialPLT is a major contributor to the climate crisis.” They wrote.
So much for those reusable @LoveIsland water bottles…
👏 to another Love Island runner-up for becoming the newestof ☠️ plastic pollution.
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Read on to see why @OfficialPLT is a major contributor to the climate crisis 🧵 #BigPlasticCount #plasticpollution https://t.co/Xe0GHyMUaE
— Greenpeace UK (@GreenpeaceUK) August 22, 2022
The Greenpeace UK account posted a follow up post just hours later, again tagging Gemma in it.
“Watch this @Greenpeace investigation from earlier this year into how fast fashion brands like @OfficialPLT are using the Global South as a dumping ground for textile waste. 👀 @gemowen_1 this is what being a face of Pretty Little Thing’s ☠️ plastic pollution represents.”
Watch this @Greenpeace investigation from earlier this year into how fast fashion brands like @OfficialPLT are using the Global South as a dumping ground for textile waste.
👀 @gemowen_1 this is what being a face of Pretty Little Thing’s ☠️ plastic pollution represents. https://t.co/zW87VygnW0
— Greenpeace UK (@GreenpeaceUK) August 22, 2022
The brand deal will reportedly earn Gemma close to a million pounds (approximately $1.7 million AUD). However, contestants have a clause in their contract stating that they cannot announce sponsored deals until a month after the show wraps. The Love Island finale aired just over three weeks ago.
“So desperate to speak to you all about my very exciting news but at the moment I’m not allowed due to previous contractual obligations. Keep your eyes peeled,” Gemma wrote on her IG story today, presumably referencing her contract with Love Island.
PLT is a clothing brand that hails from the UK and ships internationally. It is considered one of the fastest fashion brands in the world, which is generally defined as low-priced, trend-driven clothing that’s produced in very high quantities and is only worn a few times. Its negative association is connected to its harmful environmental impact during production, and the amount of waste it creates when the clothes are “disposed” of. Interestingly, Love Island UK partnered with eBay to dress the islanders this year in a bid to shake off its negative fast fashion image.
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