Last week saw the release of last quarters retail figures for 2009, with Primark coming out top, with the success story of 2009. The brand managed to lure in shoppers throughout the year and over Christmas period with cheap fashion choices.

Sales at Primark rose by 19 per cent at its 196 stores in the 16 weeks to January 2. ABF (Associated British Foods) claim the success was boosted by women buying new dresses, bags and accessories for Christmas parties, as-well as an increase in selling space.

The high street chains success in 2009 poses the question, do people cut back on their morals and ethics to cut back on spending?

It was only in 2008 that the BBC broadcast Blood Sweat and T-shirts which focused upon the unethical acts of high street chains such as Primark, following revelations of their illegal labour practices and poor working conditions in its supply chain. To cement their reputation of bad work practice Primark was voted the UK’s most unethical clothes shop, seemingly bringing much dismay to both public and press, with hoards of shoppers claiming they would never shop in store again.

Two years on and it seems as though the recession that has forced consumers to cut back on their morals and flock back to the reasonably priced fashion store for bargain basement prices.

Unfortunately money is tight in a recession (unless you’re the CEO or Executive Manager of a bank), which has resulted in shoppers spending less on clothes and accessories for that credit crunch style. The recession though, does not mean reverting back to an attitude of ignorance towards barely legal manufacturing conditions of garments; and spending less on a poorly made dress than you do on dinner. It means mending, altering recycling and going for more ethical low to mid-range pieces which embody a bit more staying power than three delicate cycles in your washing machine.

Even with Primark attempting to clean up their act by canceling orders from three factories in Southern India for failing to meet their ethical standards and withdrawing the garments from sale; when you have hypnotised shoppers fighting their way around the store to get their hands on the first bargain, high on the assurance of 10 t-shirts for a tenner and people campaigning on facebook for hometowns stores, there will always be a continued lack of ethics.

In a recession the only language we seem to speak in is money, and as long we don’t have any and they’re making it, things will unfortunately remain the same.