What is Fashion Revolution? Just 2 days after the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Dhaka, Bangladesh 24th of April 2013 Fashion Revolution was born. This was one of the many disasters of factory working conditions that left 1,130 people killed and over 2,500 injured and this most definitely was the final straw. Disasters like this keep happening on the Eastern side of the world every week in the work place with girls as young as 10 have to working in despicable conditions. Fashion Revolution are giving people the chance in the Western world to see what’s happening across the pond and take a step up in our responsibilities towards this problem. Fashion Revolution is finally asking the question #WhoMadeOurClothes and the story behind the making. Surely the whole thought of delicate fabrics being spun, sewn and stitched into beautiful garments should be a romantic and emotive narrative, not a miserable and frankly ghastly horror story? Fashion Revolution’s hash tag is the most powerful tool they own, it not only allows people to ask who made the clothes, but it enables the women of the factories to answer with #IMadeYourClothes.
instagram.com/fash_rev
Being able to cut the tension with a knife is a phrase that comes instantly to mind when walking into the sewing room. With deadlines approaching, heads focused and sweaty brows the stress levels were hitting the roof with only a couple of days to go before everything needed to be handed over. Frantically tacking a frayed and fringed piece of recycled sack material over the neckline of a dress, this is where I greet Becky which she later tells me she found this piece of material in a skip earlier in the week. It’s clear as soon as I see her working on this project that her passion lies with ethical fashion. When I ask about what she knows about ethical fashion her answer resembles some kind of dictionary definition as she knows an awful lot about sustainability emphasising “it’s something I care about a lot, and I believe it’s what fashion should all be about” so quite obviously she believes promoting this change in fashion is a must to make society change for the better. Although she cares deeply about ethical fashion she isn’t aware of the Fashion Revolution company and after a brief summary from me of what they’re all about she already loved the concept and planned on researching it right away. With a great interest in ethical clothing she told me she’s already planned her idea for her dissertation, which involves the issue of factory workers wages and conditions (two of fashion revolutions main problems). She believes these are the two most important issues as this is the starting problem of the process and all families need a living wage to provide food and safety for their families, which is a basic human need.
“Such a bargain” Although Becky is unsure #WhoMadeHerClothes she was wearing today, she does tell me however they’re all second hand vintage and from Pop Boutique, one of her favourite shops. Second hand shopping is something Becky loves and is almost turning into a hobby, she especially loves the charity shops near Blackpool “you can get clothes for like a £1 it’s great and such a bargain”. Giving to charity shops is her process of getting rid of clothes but she confessed she’s the Queen hoarder, and who can blame her with bargain as
Clow as £1 who could leave them on the rail? Charity shops keep close to her heart when she’s designing her garments as last semester she managed to get hold of full rag bags (aka bin bags of unsellable tat) for £4 each from the charity shop “I had to get a taxi back home I took that many bags with me! Using recycled materials is something she loves to do as she’s wove materials using recycled wrappers and plastic and even simply cut up and reused old denim jeans to create a patchwork design. Ethical fashion? Becky’s got it covered. With work scattered all over the table and sketches dotted around everywhere Melissa is hard at work polishing up her work for the deadline. Although Melissa doesn’t live and breathe ethical clothing, she does believe it has an importance and needs to be promoted further so that consumers start to realise the terms of the issue. Fashion Revolution is a new company to her however she knows of the problems in factory conditions, low wages and landfills “I think they’re both just as important as each other as a major problem and should be tackled equally as affecting the environment is one thing, but affecting human right is another”. Using recycled materials in her projects has never really served purpose for her work even though she’s thought about it. Even though the thought of ethical clothing is always in her mind it’s usually not practical to produce the most refined piece of clothing as unless it’s expensively made Melissa’s shopping habits take her to shops such as Topshop and Urban Outfitters. Yes, Urban Outfitters has the vintage feeling of buying something that’s retro but it doesn’t serve the purpose of actually buying a piece of vintage clothing which is something Melissa believes she should look into more. In terms of charity shops she donates there but like many of the public, fears for some reason that the clothes will be absolutely unwearable and confesses it “freaks me out a little”. This is why Fashion Revolution need to change the attitudes of the consumers as well as the brand companies to make a change. Melissa knows she needs to make a change and I told her charity shops aren’t as bad as they seem, just take an air freshener and go for it. Lindsay, like Melissa, has work scattered all over the table ready to finish the deadline. As soon as I mention Fashion Revolution she’s already aware of the company and the issues they wish to solve, as well as telling me her dissertation topic is all about the effect fashion retailing has on the environment.
When I ask why specifically the environment issue she states it’s her passion within fashion and would love to work and design for a company one day who targets the issue of this, or else she’d try to set up a company who would try and help part of this issue. “I believe companies shift the blame to others often and need to start taking the blame so that we can move forward and stop hiding it from the consumer”. Bigger companies with money are one thing trying ethical clothing but a student making a collection herself is totally unaffordable to do all the time. Lindsay says making an ethical produced collection is far too expensive if you want to buy better quality and smoother materials.
“You’re picking the best of a bad bunch” When I ask her #WhoMadeYourClothes she admits she doesn’t know but tells me she doesn’t tend to shop for new clothes often as she makes her own a lot or generally rewears a lot of her wardrobe, hmm I think we’ll let her off with that. If she does happen to go over to the high street for a shop she’ll shop with H&M as she knows they get involved with World Recycle Week and has a whole collection on their website that’s been fairly made. “With H&M though, you’re picking the best of a bad bunch” knowing they’re still far away from Fashion Revolution standard. Seeing as saving the environment is one of her passions, she donates all her clothes to the charity shop, even the ones that will only be put into rags, as she knows they’ll either be resold or recycled into reusable fabrics like underlay for housing. Second hand shopping is also a trait of hers as she said before she doesn’t tend to shop on the high street. Online shopping is an alien topic to her however, she is aware of sites like Etsy and Depop which focus on re-selling, swapping clothing or selling handmade clothing. She’s never tried this herself but is craving to try and start an account as her friends do this and they love it.
Words
by
Rachel
Hutchings
Acknowledgements We would like to thank Morning Gloryville Liverpool for collaborating with us here at LJMU. Also the following people for their generous support and help - without you it would not be possible; Samantha Moyo and Anna Maloney of Morning Gloryville, Abby Boak, Constellations, Lush Mini Spa Liverpool, Give Kitchen, Liverpool Yoga Studios, Bear Growls, Jed Clark, Spry Bry, Christine McGovern, Jessica Richardson, Ngunan Adamu and Rex: The concept store. Thanks to our Tutors Jacqui McCassey, Adam Murray and Kira Courtney. Events: Rachel Worsley, Ellie Meskell, Chloe Oldham, Kate Martin, Alice Butler, Georgia Hoban. Justyna Kajma, Francesca Dyke, Perri Hunt. Promotion: Bethany Stebbens, Hayley Waugh, Jade Owen, Sophie Eyres, Katie Gill, Kayleigh Hargreaves, Alex Earley, Gabrielle Palmer, Sarah Graham, Jessica Sharpe, Olivia McKenzie, Lauren Welch, Alice McGreevy, Yolanda Edwards, Charlotte Hull, Shariyah Richards, Ellis Docherty. Publication: Lauren Keir, Rachel Hutchings, Kate George, Anna Hodgson, Eilish Argument, Rosie Leggett, Katie Hughes, Karin Laird, Emma Fox