Easy Ways To Be a Remote Sustainable Fashion Activist
In April 24th, 2013, Rana Plaza in Bangladesh’s Dhaka District collapsed. However, the day beforehand, workers had reported cracks in the wall of the multi-story building. But the workers were told to return to work the next day. Unfortunately, the plaza crumbled with the workers inside. It was home of clothing factories, apartments, stores and a bank. It is the deadliest garment factory disaster ever, with 1,100 people dead and thousands more injured.
This is related to fast fashion because many Western companies source labor from Bangladesh. Companies that have produced apparel in the Rana Plaza factories include Zara, Walmart, Benetton, The Children’s Place, Mango and many more. After the collapse, more than 200 apparel companies from 20 countries signed the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh. This has improved working conditions, but wages stay stagnant, while overtime remains unpaid because of the rigid demand on meeting tight production deadlines.
However, Fashion Revolution was born from this horrific event. Fashion Revolution is a nonprofit, global movement that has created more awareness on sustainability, transparency, and the need for ethics in the fashion industry. One of the founders, Orsola de Castro, explained that people ought to know where their clothing is coming from “we have the right to know that what we put on our bodies is made in dignity and not in misery” (Newsweek, 2018).
What can we do?
After reading about the Rana Plaza tragedy, you are probably thinking how you can become more involved in knowing where our clothing is coming from and what further actions we can take as consumers. But even if you weren't, these following ideas can still help you get a clearer idea on the importance of activism in the fashion industry. Obviously, the way we practice social justice in the fashion industry can look different for each of us, but nonetheless we can all contribute in creating the change we want to see in the world. The following tips are practical and easy ways in how you can become a remote sustainable fashion activist, even if you're from the most remote town in the world!
1. Join Fashion Revolution:
This nonprofit strives to unite organizations and people together to change the way we see the sourcing of our clothing, how its produced and the way its consumed so it can be made in a cleaner, safer, and fairer way. Their mission is to unite everyone to transform the fashion industry.
Every April, they have their Fashion Revolution Week. This is a campaign that falls on the anniversary of the Rana Plaza factory collapse, which encourages consumers to ask #whomademyclothes to their favorite fashion brands.
Participate by:
Step 1: Post a picture of yourself on all your social media platforms wearing your clothing inside out and hold a poster asking: Who made my clothes?. Make sure to include the hashtag #whomademyclothes.
Step 2: Tag the brand you are targeting on social media, or you can even reach out to them via email or take the time to make a phone call to get in contact with the company more directly. In this manner, you’re vocalizing that you care about knowing the truth of where your clothing was made and by whom it was made. It creates dialogue online that otherwise wouldn’t have happened and takes us forward in illustrating that we want more information and transparency within our favorite brands supply chain.
2. Join Remake:
This is a nonprofit that fosters a community of believers that fashion can be a force for good through our purchasing power, voice and creativity. You can be involved with this organization by applying to be a remake ambassador. This allows you to connect with sustainable fashion learners from around the world via social media and online communication tools, such as email and texting apps.
Participate by:
Step 1: Apply on Remake’s website by sharing why you are interested in sustainable fashion and your willingness to upload posts on social media with the hashtag #wearmyvalues.
Step 2: Decide to host clothing swaps and remake film showings in your local community. Guides are found on Remake’s website in how to make those events happen in order to spread awareness around sustainable fashion and to create a stronger community of sustainable fashion lovers.
3. Join XR Boycott Fashion (#boycottfashion)
This is a part of Extinction Rebellion, an international movement that uses non-violent civil disobedience to reduce the risk of social collapse and halt mass extinction. Since the world is facing ecological collapse because of climate change and because fashion is a polluting industry, #BOYCOTTFASHION was created as part of their #XR52 weeks of direct action.
Participate by:
Step 1: Pledge 52 weeks of not buying new clothing or textiles on XR Boycott Fashion’s website. This indicates acknowledging there is a climate emergency and the ecological breakdowns around the world. In addition, it encourages making do with what we already own and learning how to repair, relove and rewear our clothing. This pledge challenges our relationship with shopping in order to disrupt an unethical system of rapid garment production.
Step 2: Share photos of your participation on social media platforms to encourage followers, friends and family to collaboratively act together to help mitigate fashion’s impact on people, planet and animals.
4. Join CAUSEGEAR:
This is a L3C social enterprise based in Chicago that sells quality products as a manner for consumers to help create sustainable, social reform.
Participate by:
Step 1: Apply to be a brand ambassador for CAUSEGEAR on their website. This will allow you to promote their company and increase awareness of human justice.
Step 2: Once accepted, you will receive a personalized discount on their products and a discount code for friends and family. Thereon, you can create fun and creative photos of products that meet brand standards to post on your personal social media platforms, twice a month. You will also have the opportunity to work with all the brand ambassadors remotely.