Fashion Revolution has just launched its Manifesto for A Fashion Revolution in Parliament at Fashion Revolution’s annual Fashion Question Time event. This was the start of Fashion Revolution Week, a global movement to commemorate lives lost in the name of fashion, while promoting a conversation around supply chain transparency.
It lays out a vision with 10 action points for a cleaner safer fashion industry. These cover dignified work, freedom of association, celebrating craftsmanship, solidarity, protecting the environment, circularity, transparency and accountability and a celebration of life.
Orsola de Castro, Founder and Creative Director of Fashion Revolution said: “We’re delighted to be able to set out our credo, our vision of the future. We want millions of people to sign our Manifesto. We want your signature to be a part of a global legacy so that every time something is unjust, or people are exploited and the environment is degraded, you can reach back to it and reiterate that you can’t stand for abuse, you signed the manifesto, you are ready for change. You are ready to stand up and be counted, and the more citizens that are willing to put their signature to these principles, the more we will be able to quantify the demand for a better industry.”
April 2018 will be the 5th year anniversary of the Rana Plaza factory collapse and 5 years since Fashion Revolution was born. During that time, millions of people have joined Fashion Revolution to demand a fairer, more transparent industry.
Five years on, Fashion Revolution has seen the effect of its #whomademyclothes campaign. It has seen how the industry can and will respond to pressure from the people who buy their clothes and how transparency has become fundamental for building trust.
The organization will take the Manifesto to policymakers, and brands. They will ask designers and producers to hang it in their workplace, we will use it in colleges and at events. They will share it widely on our social media and you can definitely get involved in different ways.
About the organisation
Fashion Revolution is a global movement that works for a more sustainable fashion industry, campaigning for systemic reform of the industry with a special focus on the need for greater transparency in the fashion supply chain. Fashion Revolution is a non-profit organisation with a presence in over 100 countries around the world.
Their vision is a fashion industry that values people, the environment, profit and creativity in equal measure. Fashion Revolution works all year round to raise awareness of the fashion industry’s most pressing issues, advocate for positive change, and celebrate those who are on a journey to create a more ethical and sustainable future for fashion.
Despite some steps forward since the Rana Plaza garment factory collapsed in 2013 killing 1138 people, not enough has changed. About 75 million people work directly in the fashion and textiles industry, and about 80% of them are women. Many are subject to exploitation, verbal and physical abuse, working in unsafe conditions, with very little pay. This is why the ‘who made my clothes’ question is still hugely important.
How to take part
Take a selfie showing your clothing label, tag the brand on social media and ask them #whomademyclothes;
Sign the Manifesto and share our vision for a safer, fairer and cleaner fashion industry;
Write to a fashion brandto ask them to be more transparent and to commit to paying living wages;
Write to your local politiciansand tell them you want better conditions for workers and the reduction of environmental impacts in the fashion industry everywhere in the world;
Try a #Haulternative: mend, reuse, recycle, customise or swap your clothing with a friend
Check out the Fashion Transparency Index, which will cover 150 brands from April 2018
Write a love story about an item of clothing that means a lot to you.
Organise or attend a Fashion Revolution event in your community.