#WhoMadeMyClothes? A seemingly simple question, but it speaks to the negative aspects of the fashion industry that garment workers in developing countries suffer. Even many popular brands cannot answer this simple question. So what is the #WhoMadeMyClothes campaign that is gaining more and more global attention? Can it even influence fashion brands?
From Rana Plaza event and the birth of Fashion Revolution
In 2013, the complex of an 8-story garment factory in Rana Plaza in Bangladesh collapsed. This catastrophic event caused the deaths of 1134 people with more than 2,500 injured, exposing the unjust working conditions suffered by garment workers in developing countries. This is regarded as the most catastrophic event in the fashion industry.
This is also the reason Carry Somers and Orsola De Castro founded the Fashion Revolution. With the Fashion Revolution Week, the mission of the Fashion Revolution is to raise awareness for fashion workers as well as consumers.
The organization also wants to eliminate unfair wages and unsafe, uninsured conditions for garment workers.
Fashion Revolution creates a network that helps designers, retailers, consumers and activists connect and fight for transparency in the fashion production chain. The core of the Fashion Revolution is to use the voice of consumers because they believe that is the biggest source of power to make the change. Only consumer awareness can establish equal rights for the fashion industry.
To #WhoMadeMyClothes campaign …
#WhoMadeMyClothes is a Fashion Revolution Week fashion campaign in 2014, calling on fashion brands to publicly share their workshops and production workers. Immediately, the hashtag was responded to by the online community and quickly reached the top of the global trend on Twitter. The purpose of the campaign is to raise consumers’ awareness of humanitarian issues in the fast fashion industry.
In response to the hashtag, #WhoMadeYourClothes is that #IMadeYourClothes is shared by a number of brands and manufacturers. By June 2018, there were 172 brands in 68 countries willing to make their suppliers publicly available.
… And 7 years of struggling for the fashion industry
Every year on April 24, Fashion Revolution Week takes place in commemoration of the Rana Plaza event, with the participation of more than 100 countries. This week includes activities to propagandize, educate, mobilize, research, and find action plans for consumers and fashion businesses in the supply chain of the fashion industry.
Fashion Revolution has organized useful activities such as an education project to raise awareness about current issues in the fashion industry, and Fashion Question Time to share solutions about environmental and supply chain issues. For example, simple sewing techniques workshops can use to help recycle old clothes.
The organization also approaches and supports planning for the fashion industry in developing countries such as Kenya and Laos, helping these countries develop their fashion in a more sustainable, ethical, and transparent manner.
Fashion Revolution also encourages retailers and brands to share tailor’s stories to help the fashion industry develop more humanely.
What can we do?
The struggle of the past seven years has shown us a great improvement in the fashion industry. At present, with the COVID-19 epidemic still raging around the world, Fashion Revolution offers options to call fashion brands or retailers to take measures to support workers affected by the epidemic.
The fashion revolution has never stopped. Regardless of business or consumer, your voice is influential. Therefore, do not be afraid to speak up because you will contribute to improving the life and working environment for workers, creating a more humanistic fashion industry picture.