Who made my clothes?

"Who made my clothes," is a global campaign created by Fashion Revolution following the devastating collapse of the Rana Plaza Factory in Bangladesh in 2013. The campaign advocates for brands and retailers to share the face and information of the people who made the clothes you are purchasing.

The aim of the campaign is to promote transparency and hold brands accountable. It allows customers to see their purchases as more than just inanimate objects; rather, item made with human time, sweat, and energy.

 

What is a living wage?

 A living wage is a wage that covers the basic needs of workers and their families - including food, clothing, shelter, healthcare, education, transport to work and a little extra for unforeseen circumstances. 

A living wage is not the same as a minimum wage, which can fail to meet the basic needs of workers.

A living wage is a right, NOT a luxury. It is a basic element of decent work.

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has defined a living wage as a basic human right under their conventions. 

A living wage helps to achieve UN Sustainable Development Goal 8, which calls for decent work for all women and men, and equal pay for work of equal value.

The UN Global Compact encourages companies to promote and provide a living wage to ensure all workers, their families, and communities can live with dignity. 

 

Watch: 

The True Cost: Who Pays the Real Price for Your Clothes | Investigative Documentary from 2015

This is a story about clothing. It’s about the clothes we wear, the people who make them, and the impact the industry is having on our world. The price of clothing has been decreasing for decades, while the human and environmental costs have grown dramatically. The True Cost is a groundbreaking documentary film that pulls back the curtain on the untold story and asks us to consider, who really pays the price for our clothing? 

 

Listen:

Garment Worker Diaries Podcast by Fashion Revolution

The Garment Worker Diaries is a year-long research project focused on the lives and wages of 540 garment workers in Cambodia, Bangladesh and India. The series uncovers what the garment workers earn, buy, and how they go about their daily lives on their very low income. Discover just how much economic, workplace and home life stress the women who make your clothes face.

Read:

Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion

The book that ignited a global conscious fashion revolution!  Overdressed is a landmark investigation into the rise of fast, disposable fashion and its hidden toll on the environment, human rights, and consumer behaviour. Years before the rest of the world woke up to the impacts of fashion, Cline was reporting on the subject. Cline was among the first U.S. journalists to cover the fashion industry in Bangladesh, before the 2013 Rana Plaza disaster claimed the lives of 1,130 garment workers. The critically acclaimed title has helped to spur the global ethical fashion movement and has inspired the rise of many ethical fashion brands and startups.   

Order the book and support independent bookshops on:

https://bookshop.org/lists/fashion-revolution-22

Support:

Ethical brands - 

Discover who made your clothes on sande.eco and support ethical brands that provide decent work to the people making your products. Shop with peace of mind knowing that the workers who made your products are treated with dignity and respect.

Image Courtesy of Ahimsa: "I made your shoes"