Princess Eugenie has condemned the web of exploitation and harm that ‘fake fashion’ utilises to thrive.

The royal, who is the co-founder of the Anti Slavery Collective, has warned that the fake fashion industry uses forced labour, such as child exploitation and human trafficking.

The collective hosted an event in New York City this week to spread awareness of the harm supporting fake fashion causes.

Princess Eugenie said: “A fake handbag or football shirt may look harmless, but it often carries with it the fingerprints of exploitation.

Princess Eugenie

Princess Eugenie has condemned the web of exploitation and harm that ‘fake fashion’ utilises to thrive.| GETTY

“The Anti-Slavery Collective is determined to make sure consumers understand the true cost of these items, and to call for greater accountability across supply chains.”

The princess also shared a post from the Anti Slavery Collective on her Instagram post and encouraged her followers to share a video highlighting the issue on Instagram.

Alongside the video was a statement from the Anti Slavery Collective which read: “Did you know that Fake fashion is a booming industry worth hundreds of billions driving a hidden web of exploitation and harm to people and planet?

“From forced labour and child exploitation to human trafficking, fake fashion – the kind you can buy online, on the streets, or on holiday – is rife with harm.

Princess Eugenie

The collective hosted an event in New York City this week to spread awareness of the harm supporting fake fashion causes.| GETTY

“This week, we hosted an event in NYC with fashion insiders, behavioural change experts, brands, and specialists to shine a light on this overlooked human rights scandal.

“Our campaign, Hidden Threads: Fake Fashion – A Human Rights Scandal, calls on governments to collect and share data on illicit trade and counterfeiting and implement and enforce forced labour bans.

“We also urge everyone to consider whether buying a fake handbag, football shirt or trainers is worth the cost of people around the world being exploited.”

In June, Princess Eugenie visited a safe house for survivors of human trafficking.

Princess Eugenie

The Princess of York founded the Anti Slavery Collective in 2017.| GETTY

The 35-year-old royal visited the institution run by The Salvation Army where she met with staff and took part in a crafting workshop with those staying in the building and receiving support.

Eugenie said regarding the engagement: “I went on a wonderful tour of this wonderful safe house.”

She continued: “The staff are just incredible at what they do, they’re so dedicated.”

A video documenting the visit, shared by Eugenie and The Salvation Army on social media, showed her poring over photos from events and hearing about the work being done.

Eugenie also celebrated the work of The Salvation Army in running the safehouse.

The royal said: “The survivors I’ve met, their lives are changed because of the Salvation Army’s intervention.”

She concluded: “It’s so important that charities like the Salvation Army and my charity, the Anti-Slavery Collective, work together to support and make a difference and make a change.”