Kourtney Kardashian has come under fire over her new collaboration with Boohoo, but she says she’s unsurprised she’s receiving backlash.
On Tuesday, “The Kardashians” star — who was named the fast-fashion brand’s first sustainability ambassador — took to Instagram to respond to critics who aren’t happy with her new partnership.
After Kourtney’s collab was announced earlier this month, the Poosh founder — and her new business venture — were ripped on social media as many expressed their frustration that a member of the Kardashian-Jenner family was the face of an eco-friendly clothing line, citing the family’s reportedly excessive private jet usage and violations for exceeding their monthly water budgets amid California’s drought.
In a lengthy Instagram post on Tuesday, Kourtney, 43, explained that she expected to be hit with criticism, also admitting that she was “hoping” her collaboration would “make some noise.”
“I went back and forth about doing this collection with @boohoo because the first thing I think about when I hear the words ‘fast fashion’ is that it’s bad for our planet,” began Kourtney, who shared a photo of herself modeling clothing for her line. “Boohoo approached me to be a sustainability ambassador, and though I knew it would get backlash because the two just don’t go hand in hand, I thought about the fact that fast fashion, or the fashion industry in general, isn’t going anywhere.”
The reality star noted that she thought about how the collaboration could raise awareness of how fast fashion has affected the planet “to people who may otherwise have no idea,” adding, “I thought about how pushing Boohoo to make some initial changes and then holding them accountable to larger change would be impactful.”
“It’s definitely making some noise which is exactly what I was hoping for,” she continued. “I certainly don’t have all the answers, but for someone who has done a fast fashion line collaboration in the past, which didn’t get backlash because I was not calling attention to trying to make better changes, I feel proud about doing it with intention and purpose.”
Kourtney ended her post by inviting “any experts who have ideas [or] suggestions” to “reach out” to her.
“I have already seen some of you and will absolutely be reaching out to talk and learn more,” she wrote, adding, “I want to help and from my experience so far working with the team I work with at Boohoo, they do too. I will be elaborating on their changes, how we’ve made this line more sustainable, and what I’ve learned we as consumers can do to help… all to come!!”
Kourtney’s partnership with Boohoo was announced on September 6. The collaboration will consist of two collections.
“When Boohoo first approached me to collaborate on a line, I was concerned about the effects of the fast-fashion industry on our planet,” she said in a statement, per WWD press release. “Boohoo responded with excitement and a desire to incorporate sustainable practices into our line. It’s been an enlightening experience speaking directly with industry experts.”
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to use my platform to drive conversations that lead to ongoing change and use my voice to share actionable tips with consumers on how we can play our own part,” she added. “There’s still lots of work to be done and improvements to be made, but I truly believe that any progress we can make when it comes to sustainability is a step in the right direction and will open up the conversation for future advancements.”
Kourtney’s first collection — which consists of 45 pieces, ranging from $6 to $100 — was released on Tuesday on Boohoo.com, and also debuted at New York Fashion Week.
According to the press release, the drop “includes 41 styles made with recycled polyester and recycled cotton, as well as two vintage biker jackets.”
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