at the AAFA, told WWD that Threads is meant as a “rubric” for policymaking and that work on it began, in earnest, in March 2022.
There are a number of pieces of legislation that the organization has put money behind. In 2022, the AAFA put up more than $725,000 into lobbying efforts. This include lobbying against legislation like the Fabric Act, and for legislation such as the Uyghur Forced Labor Disclosure Act, Shop Safe Act of 2021 and Inform Consumers Act, among others, per D.C.-based nonprofit OpenSecrets.
Gabriel claimed Threads is a “performative” gesture meant to “muddy the already chaotic waters of the fashion legislative conversation.” “It is meant to signal to the industry and the greater public that they are supportive of arguably urgently necessary environmental and social legislation but only if it fits these seemingly reasonable guidelines, while behind the scenes actively [do] the destructive work of using their considerable funds for lobbying efforts against legislation.