Monday 23 March 2015

Are You A Fashion Revolutionary?

The older I get, the more connections I see in the world around me. We live in a vast interconnected universe where seemingly disparate topics are in fact intimately linked on some level. Social justice, the multibillion dollar fashion industry, environmental conservation and animal welfare - all of these things come into play each time we decide to purchase an item of clothing. 

Source: Fairtrade Australia
It's kind of a scary thought isn't it? How we can unwittingly impact on the world around us without fully comprehending the consequences. 

When frightened, we have a tendency to bury our heads in the sand - an ancient survival mechanism perhaps? Creating a better, fairer world is hard. I can't tell you that if you do x y and z everything will be fine and all fashion supply chains will become transparent and equitable. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying we can't create positive change, which will lead to a socially and environmentally bright future. I know that we can do this! I just also know that it won't be easy and it won't be simple.  

Fashion Revolution Day is a great way to begin. It isn't about a quick fix, it's about starting the journey and sparking the hard yet vital conversations. 

On April 24 2013, 1133 garment workers were killed when the Rana Plaza complex collapsed in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Over 2500 were injured. Today, people all around the world are still suffering as a direct result of our fashion supply chain. This year you have the opportunity to join people in over 60 countries participating in Fashion Revolution Day as a way of saying enough is enough! 

On the 24th of April you're invited to:

1. Turn a garment inside out
2. Reveal the swing tag or label
3. Take a selfie
4. Upload to your social media of choice
5. Then tag the brand you're wearing & use the hashtags 

Be persistent! Keep asking until you receive a satisfactory answer. We want as many people as possible to question who made their clothes, to imagine the thread linking the garment to the machinists who sewed it, all the way down to the farmer who grew the cotton.  

Other ways to get involved include:
  • Downloading#FashRev graphics, images, quotes, photos and posters available from the Resources page
  • Rallying everyone in your company to turn an item of clothing inside out on the day- from the staff behind the tills to the CEO - and as much as possible share these images through social networks. Businesses around the world gearing up for their group selfies!
  • Are you in a book club? Why not incorporate an ‘ethical fashion’ book into your group's reading list? Here's some titles to get you started
  • Finding an ethical brand or designer and boost their profile with a feature on your blog! Celebrate the story of one of their pieces
Want to do more? Connect with your local Fashion Revolution Day team! I'm honoured to be on the Australia/New Zealand board and we would love to hear from local brands, retailers and bloggers.

8 comments:

  1. Hi there, I am running a virtual sustainable book club which you and your readers are very welcome to join if you are interested. The first book we are reading is Clothing Poverty and you can find all the details here: http://www.ecothriftyliving.com/2015/03/book-club.html

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    1. Hi Zoe - that's awesome! I'll definitely share your book club with my networks :)

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    2. What a great idea! I've not read the book but I'll look out for #susbc on twitter on April 29.

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  2. I had missed the reading list on the Fashion Revolution website! Thanks for sharing - a couple of books I have yet to read, now on my reading list. I did a blog post last month about Fashion Revolution day - http://ethicalexertions.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/who-made-my-clothes-join-fashion.html - at the request of a friend.

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  3. I have a lot of Sustainable Fashion books on my wish list, and I'm getting some outfit posts ready to be a part of this movement. I'm excited to see what's ahead and hope this event will inspire the change we need in the fashion industry!

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    1. That's FANTASTIC Brooke! :) I can't wait to see your outfit posts :)

      KBC x

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  4. This sounds like a really brilliant campaign, I've been hearing a lot about it recently! I think it's so easy to forget the ethical problems behind fast fashion, but maybe it is time we bought a few select pieces instead of spending all our money away on things that won't last and were made by people who haven't been paid properly!

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    1. Absolutely! It's about quality over quantity :) We need to reconnect with where our clothes are coming from and WHO is making them!

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