It’s that Fashion Revolution time of year again! What are you doing for it? Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past couple of years (aka no Twitter) I’m sure you’ll have come across the hashtag #WhoMadeMyClothes? But do you know what it’s all about?
[Tweet “Did You Make Your Clothes? – @OffsetWarehouse @Fash_Rev”]
What’s Does It Have To Do With Me?
Today, slavery and exploitation is about commerce. In today’s society, the goods that people produce have value, but the people are disposable. Unethical practices like slave labour exist everywhere – although it is illegal everywhere. When I first started my career in fashion design, my eyes were opened to the hideous, unethical practices that take place. Western companies hold their suppliers over a barrel who are consequently forced to cut corners, enforcing slave labour and deadly working conditions, just to squeeze every ounce of profit out of something that we can buy to “look good”. Even now, I feel sick to my stomach thinking about our attitude towards consumerism, and the lack of awareness – I simply didn’t think that anyone could and would be doing such things to other human beings. I was naive. I felt ashamed at my own lack of knowledge of this atrocity in my own lifetime. So I decided to do something about it, and my ethical textile company Offset Warehouse was born. Since then, I’ve been educating designers and makers to understand where their fabrics come from, and helping them to source responsible textiles. Through Offset Warehouse, designers can purchase fabrics that they know have not harmed the environment or the people who made them. I am thrilled with the work that we do, but it’s just a pinprick of what is happening out there. And there is so much more to be done.
What Is Fashion Revolution Day?
To me, Fashion Revolution is a significant, historic day. Fashion Revolution occurs every year on the 24th April coinciding with the anniversary of the tragic collapse of the Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh in 2013, where 1,133 people died and another 2,500 were injured. The collapse was due to Many of those people were making clothes for western markets and Fashion Revolution was started to ensure a disaster like that never happens again.
“Fashion Revolution is a global movement that brings people from all over the world have come together to use the power of fashion to change the world.”
This year it has been expanded to a whole week and there is so much happening for it I don’t know where to start.
Get involved!
The first thing you can do is take a photo of yourself showing your label. Ask the brand who sold it “#whomademyclothes?” link to @Fash_Rev and share on Twitter / Instagram and EVERYWHERE to get audiences thinking and talking about the people who pick the cotton, weave and dye the fabric, right to those who make the garments.
[Tweet “HEY YOU #whomademyclothes? “]
Events
There are hundreds of events happening around the globe – last year over 70 different countries took part. An incredible turnout! Head to the Fashion Revolution website and you can search by country for all the things going on near you, from clothing swaps, protests, film screenings – there’s something for everyone.
We’re super excited about these:
Kate Fletcher’s Book Launch: Craft of Use: Post-Growth Fashion
19 Apr, 2016 @ 18:00 The Winemakers Club, London
One of the big names in sustainable fashion pulling together her research project Craft of Use into a book! Can’t wait to see what’s in it. I’ll be there – so grab me to have a chat!
“Craft of Use presents a changed social narrative for fashion, born out of ideas of satisfaction and interdependence, of action, knowledge and human agency, that glimpses fashion post-growth.“
The Upcycle Project
April 22 @ 10:00 am – April 23 @ 5:00 pm Building Bloqs.
We’re absolutely thrilled to be sponsoring this amazing two-day upcycling workshop for London’s most innovative fashion students. They’ll be creating a showcase of the best in sustainable design – which is what we at Offset Warehouse are all about. And if that wasn’t already awesome – there’s the most incredible lineup of tutors!! The amazing selection of tutors include: Orsola de Castro, one of the founders of Fashion Revolution Day and brand From Somewhere, Alex Noble from Traid Remade, Katie Jones of Katie Jones Knitwear, JJ Hudson of Dr Noki and designer Brandy Nicole Easter.
I absolutely can’t wait to see what the designers come up with, and couldn’t be more pleased to have been asked to sponsor such a great event.
Pedal-Powered Screening of True Cost and Pop Up Future Fashion Market
21st April – Market 6 – 7pm. Film 7- 8.30pm. Panel discussion 8.30pm – 9pm. Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Innovation.
The True Cost is a revolutionary documentary that pulls back the curtain on the untold story of the fashion industry and asks us to consider, who really pays the price for our clothing? And what better way to watch it than generating the power.
Did You Make Your Clothes? Competition Time!
Now we know many of our regular readers don’t need to ask “Who Made My Clothes?” Because you make them yourselves! So we’d love to celebrate your incredible Offset Warehouse fabric creations – and reward you with a little treat;
Take a picture of you in your homemade garment & share it. Use the hashtag #imademyclothes and tag @Fash_Rev and @OffsetWarehouse on Twitter or @offset_warehouse on Instagram.
On Monday we will pick a post at random to win a £10 Offset Warehouse Voucher so you can buy more eco fabric to make yourself even more lovely clothes!!
Now go and be revolutionary! Make sure you’re signed up to our monthly newsletter to receive more amazing blogposts from us. Tweet this article with the links below.
[Tweet “Show us what you’ve made! @OffsetWarehouse @Fash_Rev”]
[Tweet “[Tweet “I make my clothes!” @OffsetWarehouse @Fash_Rev”]”]
