Who Made Your Clothes?
Image by Claudia Altamimi
It's Fashion Revolution Week, a time when we remember the 1,100 lives that were lost and the 2,500 garment workers injured by the Rana Plaza factory collapse on April 24, 2013. If you aren't already curious about who makes your clothes and how they are produced, then there's all the more reason to start asking yourself these questions today. Your wardrobe might make you feel good, but it shouldn't come at the expense of others' lives.
As someone who was once clueless about fast fashion and the dangers mass production poses to others, I used to purchase from these fashion giants on a monthly basis. To be honest, most of us never really think about what all goes into the pretty little package that shows up on our doorsteps. It's okay to love fashion and being stylish, but looking great comes at a cost. The pressure and desire to stay on trend jeopardizes the environment, worker's rights, and fair trade－all of which were put into perspective in documentaries like The True Cost and Clothes to Die For.
This jacket, for example, was made in China for one of the biggest online fashion retailers, ASOS. Started in 2000 by Nick Robertson and Quentin Griffiths, the online fashion giant set out to complete its corporate responsibility mission by the end of this March. With demands for more clarity, ASOS now discloses their supply chains, factory standards and evaluations, ethical trade partnerships, and plans to reduce their carbon footprint.
Earlier this year, the company was found to be 30-40% transparent in the Fashion Transparency Index, a review conducted by the Fashion Revolution to determine how forthright brands are about their social and environmental goals, supply policies, production practices, and industry impact.
This is not to say that their model of fast fashion is right, but they are trying. If brands like ASOS can make headway with their ethical standards and practices, then who says other fashion giants can't or won't follow suit?
So, how can you get involved and be a part of the solution? This week, I challenge you to join the fashion revolution! Participate in the social movement by showing your clothing labels and asking brands #WhoMadeMyClothes? Call out major fashion giants for their lack of transparency! Hold them — and the fashion industry — accountable because with transparency comes change.