Fashion Revolution Week: 6 Ways You Can Get Involved

 

Ever wondered where your clothes were made? Want to make a difference to the fashion industry?

This week is Fashion Revolution Week, marking the fifth anniversary of the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh, which killed 1138 sweatshop workers and injured many more. Since the tragedy people have woken up to the horrors that happen behind the scenes of the industry, but there is still a long way to go.

Fashion Revolution have launched a campaign to ensure that your clothes are sourced, produced and consumed in a clean, safe and fair way.

Here’s how you can make a difference:

 

  1. Take a selfie – Take a selfie showing the label from a piece of clothing and add #WhoMadeMyClothes. Companies are taking the issue of transparency more and more seriously, so make them take notice.

 

  1. Look after your clothes – Take care of your clothes, sew buttons back on, stitch up any holes and try to avoid throwing them away. Buy less, waste less.

 

  1. Sign the manifesto – Fashion Revolution launched its manifesto earlier this week during Fashion Question Time at the Houses of Parliament. It covers everything from fair and equal pay to freedom of association for all workers, to cultural diversity and transparency and accountability across the entire production chain.

 

  1. Make something – As part of Fashion Revolution Week, various organizations are putting on events and workshops to teach people how to make their own clothes.

 

  1. Find brands you trust and enjoy wearing – Some brands use more ethical suppliers than others and the majority don’t know where all their products are made. The Fashion Transparency Index has revealed which brands have the best social and environmental transparency.

 

  1. Avoid clothes made from synthetic materials – When you wash clothes made synthetic materials, minuscule shreds of plastic break off. These often get into the water system and can be very harmful to fish. You should try to buy better quality clothes which are less synthetic and avoid washing unnecessarily.