Six years ago today, the Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh collapsed. 1,138 people died and another 2,500 were injured. Only five months earlier, at least 112 workers had lost their lives in another tragic accident, trapped inside the burning factory on the outskirts of Dhaka. These disasters are amongst the largest industrial disasters in recorded in history. Because of these tragedies, Fashion Revolution was born. This movement is so we can ask ourselves and fashion companies the question, who made my clothes?
kimono cardi: Canadian made, sustainable, woman run label Buttercream Clothing / necklace: Vancouver made by designer Karen Telio (have had it for years)
I will be the first to admit that I had never really given much thought as to who made my clothes. There are no machines or super cool robots manufacturing our garments. People are. Real life, flesh and bone, people. The part of sustainability that still doesn’t get that much attention is conversation around fair and liveable wages for the workers. As a majority of the workers are women (and often children), this is also a feminist movement and deserves our attention. This is why you may see, and hopefully do see, people holding up this “Who Made My Clothes” sign wanting to know more.
top: thrifted / bag: from Canadian made brand Brave Leather
My closet, which is an absolute work in progress. I can confidently say, however, I am wearing the clothes I have more times and caring for them better.
I am learning that there is a lot of grey and that it takes some work to make educated buying decisions. I want to do the work. This is exactly why I have started to share information about my journey to slow fashion. One thing I promise, is to never preach AT YOU but to speak WITH YOU. I am, by no means, an expert in this field nor am I perfect. I am in transition and wanting to do better when it comes to my wardrobe. I truly believe we all need to make changes, but change can only come from a place of kindness. No good can come from pointing a finger and making others feel shame or embarrassment. We can be in this together. I am constantly learning and drawing inspiration from others who have made the choice to do better. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned, so far, is that no one is perfect and there is no expectation to be perfect. Slip up’s will happen, desires will be stronger than your will at times, and in some cases, fast fashion might be the only option. It’s called being a human. I will be the first to recognize the budgets and accessibility based on where we live play a huge role in what we buy. Again, it’s about doing the best within your means.
jacket: upcycled item in my wardrobe
I didn’t like it as a pull over, so I had it made into a jacket.
swimwear photoshoot with sustainable, woman created and run, swimwear line Londre Bodywear
If you are interested in learning more about the Fashion Revolution week and how you can start making small changes to a more sustainable wardrobe, pop over to there website here to learn more about the wonderful work they are doing. I also urge you to watch the documentary The True Cost on Netflix to see first hand why I was inspired to move away from fast fashion. It is a complex and necessary movement to ensure better practices for our earth and for the workers making the garments. So today, ask the question and get the conversation going, “Who Made My Clothes’?
This post is NOT sponsored.
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