How To Take Part in Fashion Revolution Week 2017

On April 24th 2013, the Rana Plaza complex collapsed in Dhaka, Bangladesh. 1,138 people were killed and many more were injured. Fashion Revolution is a campaign devoted to demanding change in the fashion industry. It encourages you to ask, 'Who made my clothes?' to demand greater transparency in the fashion supply chain. On 24th April every year, Fashion Revolution Day brings people from all over the world together to use the power of fashion to change the story for the people who make the world's clothes.

I love fashion. I love how clothes can make us feel, and how they can represent how we feel about ourselves. They’re our message to the world about who we are. But right now, manufacturing clothes uses up massive amounts of water, energy and land. And sadly, so much of our clothing ends up in landfill. In fact, in the USA, about 11 million tonnes of it ends up in landfill. And about 95% of that could have been recycled or up cycled. We need to find new ways to make the clothes we love, without it costing the earth.

A great way to get involved is by tweeting a brand and asking who made your clothes! Send a picture or selfie of your clothes, inside out, with the label showing. Don't be afraid to persist if they don't reply straight away. Any brand should be able to answer this question. You can write your own or use this example tweet (it's also a link, so just click on it to tweet!).

I’m [name] and I want to thank the people who made my [clothes] Hi @ [brand] #whomademyclothes? @Fash_Rev

It doesn't have to be Twitter - it can be Instagram, Facebook etc, but you're more likely to get a reply on Twitter! The Fashion Revolution website has some really cool posters you can include in the picture, too. Everyone wears clothes, so why doesn't everyone know where they come from? Our clothes say a lot about us, but we don’t know all that much about our clothes. It takes a lot to make a garment. Not just the bits we hear about – the designers, the brands, the shops, the catwalk shows and the parties – but also the cotton farmers, the ginners, spinners, weavers, dyers, sewers and other factory workers who make the clothes we love. But the people who make our clothes are hidden. And if we don’t know know who makes our clothes, we can’t be sure that they were made in a fair, clean and safe way. That’s why asking brands #whomademyclothes is so fundamental. You have a right to know that the clothes you buy don’t come at the cost of people or the planet.

Educate yourself and others! Spread the word! Organise talks and give presentations! Talk about the subject and recommend resources to your friends and family. The Fashion Revolution website have free downloadable posters you can print out and put around school if you're at school. You can share ethical purchases with people to inspire them!

I know I've talked about it so much, but I cannot recommend watching The True Cost enough. Please give it a watch and let me know what you thought! Some amazing books I've read on the subject include, To Die For by Lucy Siegle, Stitched Up by Tansy E Hoskins (which I reviewed here), Clothing Poverty by Andrew Brooks, Threadbare by Anne Elizabeth Moore, and Slow Fashion by Safia Minney.

If you do decide to get involved, please let me know how - I'd also love to know if any brands respond to you! It would be really amazing if you could get involved in some way, even just telling people. We can do this!