Today, 24th April 2014, is a year since the Rana Plaza factory collapsed in Bangladesh. This day will hence forth be marked as Fashion Revolution Day, calling out brands and asking: Who Made Your Clothes?
The manufacturing industry is a murky one. Whilst I do agree that totally boycotting foreign made fashion does not help the workers. I do believe that promoting slow fashion, investing in your clothes to last and (obviously) promoting the makers, doers and manufacturers based in the UK is very important to highlight.
Since I started consciously buying British fashion it has forced me to investigate the label. For everything in my wardrobe, I know exactly where it has been made and although not everything I have bought is MIB since I started, I do know exactly where something is made before I buy the garment. There seems to be a blind ignorance to where and how clothes, particularly fast-fashion, are made. Ironically, for most parts, the information is on the clothing label. Whilst even clothes labelling is a bit of a murky subject too, by becoming more aware, it shines a light on the major issues surrounding clothing manufacture.
Fashion and clothing should be enjoyed. We should be able to wear guilt-free fashion, knowing everyone is getting a fair deal and know what we're buying. What many regard as frivolous, is a livelihood for millions across the globe and what we need is more transparency, clearer laws and trading regulations and international standards to ensure we never see another disaster like Rana Plaza. The bottom line is that fast-fashion is wholly unsustainable. We do not have the environmental, human or ecological resources to sustain this type of consumerism. I hope that Fashion Revolution Day does grow, engage with more people on the subject and eventually, educates everyone on the issues of manufacture.
Today, Fashion Revolution have asked people to support the cause by wearing their clothes inside out, showcasing the labels and encouraging the conversation. You can follow the developments on Twitter and with #insideout. Why not ask who made your clothes?
Andrea x
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