On April 24 every year, the organization Fashion Revolution memorializes the deaths of 1138 people after the collapse of the Rana Plaza factory by kicking off a week dedicated to making an ethical difference in the fashion community. Fashion Revolution Week runs from April 24th-3oth. The primary objective is to encourage consumers to ask their beloved brands for more transparency on their labour practices. It is a fabulous way to humanize labour workers whose rights have often been forgotten and to shine light on the labour practices of the world’s major fashion brands.
The Rana Plaza Factory was located in Bangladesh: a country that is commonly used for outsourcing by Western companies in order to cut costs on the production of commodities, such as clothing. The tragic deaths remembered on this week were mostly female garment workers who worked in deplorable conditions for unliveable wages in the eight-story commercial building. Many were aware of the conditions of the building, but it continued to be used until April 24, 2013, the day of the collapse. In fact, the day before the building was temporarily evacuated because of cracks that were found in the walls, but the workers were later told to return to work by their employers.
One of the ways you can get involved in the fashion revolution is by posting pictures of the labels on garments on your various social media platforms with the hashtag #whomademyclothes and directly tag the brands themselves in your post in hopes to incite a transparent and honest response. There are also many events happening around the world during this week. You can find out about events in your locality by visiting Fashion Revolution’s event tab and searching events by country.
Fashion Revolution also released a Fashion Transparency Index for 2017, which you can download on their website. In the index this non-profit ranks the levels of transparency on labour practices by the top 100 international fashion brands, including brands like H&M and Marks & Spencer, who scored relatively high and Urban Outfitters and Forever 21, who scored relatively low.
The objective of Fashion Revolution, and every person who advocates for change in labour practices, is not to make the average consumer feel guilty or attacked. But rather non-profits like Fashion Revolution aim to inspire the general public to be curious and conscious about where their clothes are being produced and the implications these findings have. It should never be out of sight out of mind when it comes to human rights and the environment.
