How To Be A Fashion Revolutionary
April is Fashion Month which means fashion shows featuring the newest collections from major designers... and the perfect opportunity to revolutionize the fashion industry!
People all over the planet are waking up to see that every decision they make - including their clothing choices - can change the world. They’re using their power to ask significant questions.
Questions like: Who made the clothes I’m wearing right now? Where and how were the fabrics grown and processed? Does the brand I bought this clothing from even know?
Whose responsibility is it to ask and answer these questions? According to Fashion Revolution it’s all of our responsibility to ask these important and sometimes uncomfortable questions. Read on to learn how to be a fashion revolutionary and change the world fashionista-style.
What is Fashion Revolution?
A UK based not for profit organisation, Fashion Revolution mobilizes the global community to raise awareness about the impacts of ‘fast fashion.’ Every year on the 24th of April Fashion Revolution starts conversations about how to improve conditions for all the people who are involved in the fashion industry - from growers of cotton crops to garment makers.
Consumers and companies alike share accountability for the social and environmental impacts of the garments we all wear. Global Groove Life participated in Fashion Revolution Thailand for the past few years and will continue this year with the exciting addition of a meeting with the fabulous Walk. Sew. Good gals who are literally WALKING through Southeast Asia for stories on ethical fashion, so stay tuned for more great information about our upcoming visit soon!
Here are 4 steps you can take to join the fashion revolution:
1) Inform yourself
Did you know that the apparel industry is the second most polluting industry in the world behind oil? And that over 30% of garment workers are medically underweight? The true costs of fashion are paid by the people who create the clothes we love and by the Earth.
That point was made heartbreakingly clear on April 24, 2013, when the Rana Plaza factory complex collapsed in Dhaka, Bangladesh killing 1133 people and injuring 2500. Cracks in the building’s foundation had been examined just the day before the horrific accident but no repairs were made or called for and workers were told to go back to work.
Fashion Revolution was created in response to the Rana Plaza tragedy and they’ve been building a global movement to transform the fashion industry for the better ever since. It’s a movement that Global Groove Life is proud to be a part of! We know that a brighter future is possible.
2) Call for transparency
Be a voice for good! Consumers who speak up to call for transparency from fashion companies hold them accountable for their impacts on the environment and on human rights in communities around the world.
We deserve to know and have a responsibility to ask who makes our clothes, what conditions they are working under, and how our clothes are being produced.
Brands also have a responsibility to understand and work to improve their supply chain. Without knowing where their products are made, companies cannot be held liable for the working conditions of clothing producers or for adverse environmental impacts of clothing production.
3) Join the conversation
Our voices and our shopping habits can have the power to help change the industry for the better. Brands are responding to the consumer pressure created by requests for more information to be shared with the public.
In 2016 over 1,000 brands responded to the question #whomademyclothes and over 2,600 producers, garment workers and makers used social media to tell the world #imadeyourclothes. On 24 April, share a photo with the tag of a fashion brand and the hashtag #whomademyclothes to add your voice to the global chorus.
4) Buy from responsible brands
One of the great things about shopping fair trade is knowing that your garments and adornments were made by people who are being treated with respect and compensated fairly for their work.
Fair trade companies tend to be significantly more transparent than other types of companies are. For example, right here on the GGL website you can meet the artisans who craft the goods we sell.
Moving forward
Your decisions are powerful and together we can change the world - and the fashion industry - for the better! So what are you waiting for, join the Fashion Revolution today!
Where was your favorite article of clothing made?
About the Author:
Amara Evans is a vibrational healer, collective consciousness-raiser, and devotee of the Goddess. She loves to connect with her global community through writing about important topics like the environment, spirituality, and fair trade.