Who Made My Clothes?
On 24 April 2013, the Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh collapsed. 1,133 people died and another 2,500 were injured, making it the fourth largest industrial disaster in history. That’s when Fashion Revolution was born. There were five garment factories in Rana Plaza all manufacturing clothing for the western market. The victims were mostly young women. We believe that 1,133 is too many people to lose from the planet in one building, on one terrible day to not stand up and demand change. Since then, people from all over the world have come together to use the power of fashion to change the world. Fashion Revolution is now a global movement of people like you.
‘Who Made My Clothes?’
This simple question encourages people to think differently about what they wear. It challenges us to consider the people and processes involved in the production of our clothes — something that isn’t often taken into account by the average shopper whose primary concerns typically involve style, price, fit and quality. Many of us simply do not understand how clothing is made today. The truth is that nearly all of your clothes are made by human hands.
When we ask the brands we wear this question, we believe it compels the industry to be more transparent. If brands and retailers are encouraged to answer this question, they must have more visibility into their complex chains of manufacturing. This forces them to take a closer look at what is happening in their supply chains and who is involved, in order to tackle any problems and ultimately help improve conditions for garment workers.
We believe this transparency will help to better uncover human and environmental abuses, and that exploitative practices will diminish as a result of asking this simple question. However, we do recognise that transparency is not enough on its own to totally transform the industry. Transparency is the beginning of the process of revolutionising fashion.