IELTS Writing Essay: Fashion

The number of people who are interested in and wearing fashionable clothes is increasing.

Is this a positive or negative development?

Analysis

1. More and more people today are interested in and have the disposable income to take greater care with their fashion choices. 2. In my opinion, though many fashion companies exploit their workers, this is a positive development overall.

1. Paraphrase the overall essay topic.
2. Clearly state your opinion.

1. Those who criticise the fashion industry often point out its treatment of workers. 2. The most famous fashion brands like Louis Vuitton and Chanel (as well as footwear makers such as Nike and Adidas) outsource their labour at reduced costs to East Asia. 3. Workers in their factories make subsistence wages and are notoriously mistreated, while the countries in question often have lax child labour laws as well. 4. Exploitive fashion companies then massively inflate prices for their products. 5. Their actions cannot be controlled directly by consumers but nonetheless undermine every innocent transaction at a shopping mall.

1. Write a topic sentence with your main idea at the end.
2. Begin to support your main idea with examples.
3. Continue to develop the same examples.
4. State the end result or draw conclusions from your examples.
5. Conclude the paragraph.

1. Regardless, fashion is an important aesthetic choice for ordinary people. 2. The exploitation of workers ought to be regulated by governments and corporations, not consumers. 3. Those who buy fashionable clothes are trying to express themselves through their attire and the end result of a more fashion-conscious public is greater beauty for onlookers. 4. No one would question the importance of beautiful buildings and public works of art but fashion is arguably more noticeable. 5. Fashion gives not only individuals but also towns, cities, and nations a distinctive flair, without which the world would be blander and less beautiful.

1. Write another topic sentence with your main idea at the end.
2. Here I start developing it by referring back to the argument from the last paragraph – this is good for cohesion/coherence.
3. Instead of an example, I use a logical argument.
4. Then I argue with an analogy.
5. Finally, I conclude the paragraph by summarising my argument.

1. In conclusion, the beauty fashion engenders outweighs any ethical considerations. 2. Governments ought to properly regulate labour so that their citizens can shop and flaunt with a clear conscience.

1. Repeat your opinion.
2. Include a final detail/thought.