Yesterday marked the one year anniversary of the Rana Plaza building collapse in Bangladesh that killed so many and left many others broken. In an effort to not only remember the human beings that were killed, maimed, and experienced incredible loss, but to shed further light on the conditions behind some of the biggest fast fashion brands in the world, a project was put together. Inside Out. Simply wear your clothing inside out and know where it came from...consider what that means, consider who that means, and share it!!! I didn't wear anything inside out until the very end of the day :( I also didn't really go anywhere yesterday. Sick boy at home all week. But I did snap a pic of the shirt I was wearing and shared it on Instagram, and sure enough, it was made in Bangladesh. I bought it second hand and refashioned it. Even so, it originated in a place very like the Rana Plaza building...
Who made your clothes?
Peace,
Andrea
It's hard to know what to do at the consumer level - garment factories provide jobs but the working conditions are unacceptable. There was a documentary on TV a couple of nights ago about the Rana Plaza tragedy and the overall conundrum of jobs vs safety; I was encouraged by one garment maker who built his own (safe) factory and worked alongside his employees to ensure things stayed safe. I think that's the level at which real change will occur, but it is good for us to be aware of the issues in order to put pressure on the retail industry. Sadly I think too many shoppers only look at the price tag.
ReplyDeleteAgreed Jenny... there is no easy or one right answer. Hopefully raising awareness will lead to more changes like the one you mentioned with the factory owner working alongside his employees.
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