Fashion Revolution No One Should Die for Fashion

Posted by admin on Apr 25, 2020

Note: This letter from the editor was originally published in our weekly newsletter and is being republished here.

Hey guys,

One of the most important weeks in the ethical and sustainable fashion calendar is drawing to a close, Fashion Revolution Week, so if you haven’t participated in it yet there’s still time. Please read this article to learn how you can get involved from the comfort of your home this year.

Now for those of you who aren’t aware, Fashion Revolution was launched in response to the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Dhaka, Bangladesh on April 24, 2013 to remember the people who lost their lives, those impacted by the (preventable) industrial disaster and to push for a more transparent and ethical fashion industry.

*The Rana Plaza factory collapse in Dhaka, Bangladesh in 2013 ignited the Fashion Revolution movement. Photo: Sk Hasan Ali/Shutterstock.*

I will never forget the day I saw the reports about the building collapse on the news. I watched in horror as I saw people being pulled out of the rubble, so many injured, so many people grieving over the loss of loved ones. I was overcome with so much anger because of the injustice of it all and sadness for all the victims and their families. Up to that point, it was going on five years into my ethical fashion advocacy. The glamorous and fabulous depiction of fashion is often far from its reality and when you see it (like I did when I stepped foot in those garment factories in 2008), you can’t unsee it. It was this experience, amongst many others, that ultimately led me to launching EWP, to raise awareness about these issues and to rally behind fashion labels who socially and environmentally progressive and weren’t exploiting people and planet for profit.

So for Fashion Revolution this year I made it a point to get my partner Ben, my nephew Jackson (he’s the bloke with the full head of hair in the pic below) and his best mate Olly (bottom right) involved. Both have lost their livelihoods as the bars they worked in closed due to pandemic measures and they’ve been out of work for five weeks. They’ve come to the farm to isolate, to convene with nature and to learn self-sufficiency, food growing and homesteading skills. I chatted to them about the history of Fashion Revolution and some of the issues in the apparel and footwear industry and I hope they remember it the next time they go shopping. I have hope that my message will land since both are pretty conscious already; they’ve already moved their superannuation funds to Australian Ethical (the same super fund as me, yay!) and both are proud non-meat eaters (Olly has been vegetarian since he was a kid and Jack became vegan years ago).

Anyway, if you’ve participated in the Fashion Revolution movement by wearing your items inside out, have you heard back from the brands you tagged or did they just ignore you? If you’ve been advocating for ethical fashion, have you been able to influence family and friends to shop more consciously? Feel free to share your stories by leaving a comment on this post so we can share both the good and bad (especially if you need more help in extracting information from fashion labels ha!)

*A young worker lays out jeans in Bangladesh. Photo: Sk Hasan Ali/Shutterstock.*

Quote I’m Loving This Week:

“In nature’s economy the currency is not money, it is life.” — Vandana Shiva

Update:

The winner of the Pure Organic Certified Complex Haircare Giveaway is Leanne Flood. Congratulations! An email is sitting in your inbox awaiting reply 🙂