And just like that, Fashion Revolution Week 2020 has come and gone! It was the first time that Fashion Revolution week was entirely online, which meant that while we all stayed at home, we were able to (virtually) travel to studios, workshops, panels, and talks around the world.
Fashion Revolution began 7 years ago, with the collapse of the Rana Plaza Garment Factory in Bangladesh. This fatal collapse was a heart-breaking event that highlighted the unethical practices of the fast fashion industry and so, the Revolution began. Each year, around the date of the Rana Plaza collapse, Fashion Revolution Week takes place. It is a week for coming together to campaign for systemic change in the fashion industry and to highlight the importance of working towards a more ethical, sustainable, and inclusive fashion industry that is kind to the planet and people.
This year, as national lockdowns were implemented to curb the pandemic, the need for urgent change in the fast fashion industry became shockingly obvious, all over again, as multiple global fashion brands cancelled or postponed millions of dollars’ worth of orders from their factories (often in third world countries). These hard to stomach realities strengthened the need for a Revolution.
During a time of global crisis, Fashion Revolution Week left me feeling excited and actually kinda hopeful. Being able to watch talks from all over the world, and directly engage with the movers and shakers that are working together to change the industry is pretty incredible. It feels like the world is changing so rapidly, right now, and it’s more important than ever that we come together and re-imagine the future of fashion.
A few highlights of Fashion Revolution Week 2020:
- Fashion Open Studio hosted SO many online talks, workshops, and studio tours this year. I really enjoyed a talk with Moshin Sajid, a UK based denim designer, who walked the audience through the history of denim. And, good news – a lot of the online events were recorded and can be found on the Fashion Revolution Youtube channel. Go and have a watch!
- I found a @brumeanddaisy Instagram live with Ayesha Barenblat (founder of Remake) super insightful, because Ayesha spoke about the #PayUp campaign and the way the fast fashion production cycle works. The live was recorded and you can still watch it here.
- The Lagos Fashion Week YouTube channel is a wealth of information and features so many talks with African designers who spoke about sustainability in an African context. I was fascinated by a talk between Sarah Diouf (founder of Tongoro, a 100% made in Africa ready to wear label) and Omoyemi Akerele (founder of Lagos Fashion Week) about building a direct to consumer brand. There are so many great conversations to listen to on their channel!
- Bringing it home to South Africa, I really enjoyed a live chat between, Jackie May (founder of Twyg), Sindiso Khumalo, Lukhanyo Mdingi, and Antoinette Degens, which was all about sustainable fashion in a South African context. The live chat was recorded and you can still find it on the @fash_rev_southafrica Instagram page.
- Then, Fashion Revolution released their 2020 Transparency Index, and I was once again reminded of the insane greenwashing that brands use to mislead their consumers. When H&M found out that they were the top of the Transparency Index, they took to social media to celebrate their sustainability milestone. But, this could not be further from the truth! Aja Barber did a post that details exactly why “transparency is not sustainability!” As @fash_rev_southafrica pointed out, the Transparency Index only measures who is the most transparent among 250 of the world’s largest brands and retailers – “transparency isn’t about which brand does the best, but about who discloses the most.”
A few things we can do to continue the Revolution:
- Sign the Remake petition to demand that brands #PayUp for the millions of dollars of cancelled orders that form the livelihoods of thousands of garments workers. This money will keep these workers off the streets and allow them to provide for their families. The choices of fashion billionaires should not be the burden of garment workers.
- Email exploitative brands and place pressure on them to take responsibility by expressing your concern for the workers in their supply chain. Fashion Revolution made an email template that you can use, so all you have to do is enter the brand’s email address. Or, you use your voice on social media by tagging the brand and asking them #WhoMadeMyClothes?
- Wear your values and do a haulternative of your own. A haulternative is a way of refreshing your wardrobe, without buying any new clothes.
- Decide on something new that you want to learn, so that you can deepen your knowledge and continue your sustainable fashion journey. For me, this means learning more about textiles. So, I’m going to start by making my way through the CFDA A-Z Materials Index. Also, Sustainable Brooklyn just launched a 3-part online event series on the fashion, agriculture, and well-being industries in light of COVID-19 and the impact on BIPOC communities and systems at large. The first panel discussion (‘Wtf is going on with fashion?’) just happened, but keep an eye on their Instagram for when the next discussion on agriculture will be.
If this was your first Fashion Revolution Week, here are a few small steps you can take to deepen your understanding and advocacy:
- Head over to the Fashion Revolution website and familiarise yourself with what they stand for and what the movement is all about. Their digital zines are also really fun and informative, so download one of those and add it to your reading list.
- Educating yourself on the realities of what is happening in the industry is really important, because once you understand the issues better, you can be a part of the change. Watching The True Cost – a documentary about the people who make the clothes we wear – is a good starting point.
- Read over our ’10 terms to start your cnscs_ vocab’ to familiarise yourself with the terminology and basic definitions that are used in many sustainability discussions.
- Make sure you are following good people so that you continue the learning process and deepen your understanding of the issues. But, please make sure you respect their online spaces. Here are a few to get you started: @fash_rev, @remakeourworld, @theslowfactory, @theorispresent, @ajabarber, @celinecelines, @dominquedrakeford, @whitneyrmaguire, and @mrspress
- Do a closet audit and you can use the thredUP Fashion Footprint Calculator to find out how “dirty” your closet is.
On the last day of Fashion Revolution Week, I read this speech by Naomi Klein that touched my heart and almost brought me to tears. It reminded me of the importance and power of collective action. Individual lifestyle changes are so important, but we must also not forget that changing oppressive systems requires us to come together as a collective.
A lot of progress has been made since the Rana Plaza collapse (which is amazing!), but there is still a long way to go. Whether you have just started your sustainable and ethical fashion journey, or if you have been part of the Revolution for years, it’s so important that we keep the spirit of Fashion Revolution Week alive and wear our values every week of the year.
With love,
Stella x
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