Fashion Revolution Week 2020
Fashion Revolution is a global movement calling for greater transparency, sustainability and ethics in the fashion industry. On the 24th April 2013 a clothing factory complex in the Dhaka District of Bangladesh collapsed. The devastating collapse left 1138 dead and over 2500 injured. The collapse was a catalyst for brands, suppliers, producer groups and consumers all over the world to come together, take a stand and make a positive change in the industry.
Fashion Revolution Week 2020 falls on the 7th anniversary of the Rana Plaza collapse and is a time where we as consumers are encouraged to ask brands ‘who made my clothes?’ to encourage transparency within the industry.
Why is it even more important to be supporting the Fashion Revolution movement this year?
While the world faces this pandemic in unified isolation, clothing retailers are being forced to shut their doors. Although they are encouraging customers to shop online, financial burdens means buying new clothing has been pushed down many people’s list of priorities.
In response to the pandemic many retailers are cancelling orders with their suppliers and stopping payments for orders already placed. Retailers typically pay their suppliers weeks, if not months, after delivery rather than upon order. This means suppliers have fronted costs of raw materials and fibres which they are no longer expecting payment for. Factories are being forced to burn or hold stock and lay off staff. As Fashion Revolution say, ‘It is the most vulnerable, lowest paid people in the fashion supply chain that feel the worst effects.’ From farmers to factory tailors, workers will be going without pay and no prospect of work.
Approximately 1089 garment factories in Bangladesh have had orders with $1.5 billion cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Fashion Revolution
What can you do to help?
Join in the campaign to ask brands and retailers ‘Who made my clothes?’. We’ve made a card you can download, take a picture and post online tagging your favourite brands. You can also ask brands to honour the orders they have already placed with their suppliers, supporting the most vulnerable in the supply chain.
At Babipur we have not cancelled any of our orders. We know the clothing we buy is amazing quality and the collections, whenever they were released look great and continue to look great for years. We know lots of Babipurians agree!
Shop organic, Fairtrade clothing here
