Fashion Revolution Week ed. 2022 has just ended. A week dedicated to raising awareness of ethical and responsible fashion. This year’s theme is “money fashion power“, a solid provocation to the value of money in the fashion industry. The exploitation of labor and natural resources are the themes most conveyed by communication to inform and raise awareness among consumers. And it is thanks to communication, on the web and beyond, today we can boast the first results on a path towards sustainability in the sector.
Fashion Revolution Week: A Bit of History
While having a contemporary and positive aspect that materializes in the urgency for sustainability, Fashion Revolution Week has a challenging history. It was established about a year after the Rana Plaza tragedy in Dhaka, Bangladesh. On April 23, 2013, thousands of people died and many more were injured when the building they worked in collapsed. A place of labor exploitation and the symbol of a system that burdens people and the environment. The pandora’s fashion box, broke showing the tragedy and bringing out the need for change. Each year, an event is created on April 23, the centerpiece of Sustainable Week, to commemorate the tragic event.
The first viral campaign that showed the world the dark side of fashion took its first steps thanks to an image on the net: a person holding a paper with “Who made my clothes?“. This question has become the viral slogan dedicated to this week, collecting shares every year from all over the world. Each edition has added more questions, to stimulate consumer curiosity and invite reflection. The question was followed by the answer: “I made your clothes”! Indelible writing is supported by the faces of artisans, embroiderers, and producers from worldwide. Men and women who were able to answer the call because they are the bearers of the actual Fashion Revolution: companies and brands of values and respect.
This year Fashion Revolution Week is nine years old. Today it takes place in 89 countries around the world and each edition is communicated more and more, expanding the timing of the campaign and involving everyone.
Paris, London, New York and also Italy. Fashion Revolution Week is able to bring together associations, NGOs, economists, researchers and professionals with workshops, insights and meetings open to the public. It mixes more and more in-person activities with online campaigns and seminars. Today more than ever, it is the point of reference to growing the sector’s sustainability.
It is no coincidence that during Fashion Revolution Week everyone has a voice and a power: communicate the (r)evolution!
Fashion Revolution, The Movement
The collapse of the Rana Plaza is considered one of the greatest tragedies of modern history. Fashion Revolution was born in the aftermath of the tragic event thanks to fashion designers, Orsola de Castro and Carry Somers. The pioneers of ethical and sustainable fashion did not remain alone for long: every year, more and more people join the collective intending to protect fashion and people. The association plans to make information and education about ethical and sustainable fashion. Understanding how clothes are created, in what way and the production chain, become functional elements to re-establish the value of the clothes we buy. A value that is not only the price of sale and purchase but goes far beyond. It includes the work of skilled artisans and the cultivation of organic raw materials. Also, the preservation and care of the garments throughout the supply chain and much more. All this, without neglecting transparency, is a complex value to put a price on.
Fashion Revolution today is a global movement formed by activists who believe in changing the fashion system. They communicate and act in a fashion that respects human rights and the environment at different levels.
The group’s mission is as simple as it is bold: to create responsible fashion. The Fashion Revolution community is the world: consumers and producers, united to communicate the urgency of new responsibility, demonstrating that change is possible.
Fashion (R)evolution 2022
Fashion Revolution Week ed. 2022 highlights the theme of money in the fashion system. From the dreamed luxury of some brands to the cheap slavery of the labor employed to produce. Higher and higher earnings, even at low costs. An overproduction that involves all of us leads to an overwhelming debasement of the importance of people. From Fast Fashion to Luxury Brands, the fast logic is a civil denunciation that hides, in this case, behind the glossy covers of fashion.
In recent years, much has been done in researching and developing innovative materials and solutions. There is still a lot to do for the ethical aspect of work. The campaign in the network and the dedicated seminars have explained this problem showing the next steps of the revolution.
A revolution in communication.
Thanks to movements, associations, organizations, and groups of people, telling the truth, especially on the net, creates much faster and more viral feedback. Building teams that work at different levels to protect industry sustainability with institutions support this change. Becoming seriously aware of the value of people and things is critical to operating in sustainability.
The question now is whether we will be ready for evolution.
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