4.24.13
Four years ago, the collapse of garment factories in Bangladesh shook up the fashion industry. Production of cheap "fast fashion" had long been exploitative, but this tragedy was of such a scale that the abuse could no longer be dismissed.
In the days after the eight-story building collapsed, killing over a thousand garment workers and affecting countless others, people sorted through the rubble. They were looking for loved ones, for survivors, and looking for answers. Five different factories were housed inside that shoddily-constructed building, each doing production for several global brands, none of which would initially fess up to being a part of the problem.
"There was barely any publicly available information about the apparel brands that were using the Rana Plaza factories," stated Human Rights Watch, "For decades, such secrecy has been the norm in the garment industry."
On this day we want to honor the workers who were killed and wounded, because of the deadly demand for cheap clothes. We also want to be a part of the solution. We call this the Fashion Revolution.
Global fashion production can be a force for economic empowerment, or deadly human rights abuses, and it is the consumer that ultimately makes that choice. Calling for greater transparency, researching the labor practices of your favorite brands, and making shopping decisions based on your values, is the demand that effects the supply chain for the better. Purchase power is one of an individuals most effective tools to enact change.
FashionRevoltion.org has spearheaded a consumer movement to demand transparency in the production practices in your favorite brands.
We've taken to social media to ask, "Who Made My Clothes?" And you can too!
Check out some rad examples of like-minded humans the world over doing so:
And in case you were wondering ...
We are proud to work with such a talented team of weavers and share their artistry with the world, while bringing economic empowerment to their village. Pictured above is our core design and production team, although we work with a network of over a hundred weavers in Teotitlan del Valle, all in line with fair trade standards, in accordance with the Fair Trade Federation.
Fashion can (and should!) be a power for good. Thanks for being a force for positive change!