Scotland Takes on the Fashion Revolution

Did you know that fashion is the second most polluting industry in the world, second only to oil? Or that clothing is also the second most at-risk product category for modern slavery, with garment workers often paid less than half of the living wage for gruelling factory work?

You may not think that these statistics don’t apply to you, and you may feel detached from the glamorous world of catwalks and designer clothes, but if you got dressed this morning, whether in Primark or Prada, you are part of the fashion industry, and you should be aware of its impact on both people and the planet.

This is where Fashion Revolution comes in - the global movement towards a fairer, safer and cleaner fashion industry, Fashion Revolution campaigns tirelessly to get fast fashion to slow down, leading with the simple question ‘Who made my clothes?’ to encourage brands to have more transparency within their supply chains so consumers know what their clothes are made form and how the people who made them were treated.

Fashion Revolution began in the aftermath of the Rana Plaza disaster in 2013 - a factory collapse in Dhaka, Bangladesh that killed 1,138 garment workers due to a lack of health and safety regulations in the building. To commemorate this tragedy, every year volunteers from over the world take part in Fashion Revolution Week (22nd-28th April 2019), an enthusiastic celebration of all things ethical and sustainable fashion to make sure something like that never happens again.

The first Scottish Fashion Revolution event happened in Glasgow in 2014 and Edinburgh has progressively hosted more and more events since 2015 with over a dozen happening in the city this year.  All events are run by volunteers who want to raise awareness of how fashion can still happen without costing the world. From clothes swaps to workshops, fashion shows to panel discussions, ‘fashion revolutionaries’ are coming out in full force to bring a fairer, cleaner and safer fashion future to the masses.

I’m thrilled to be volunteering for the Fashion Revolution Scotland team for the third year running, this time doing social media and press. Fancy joining me at this year’s events across the country? Here’s a list of all the events we are co-hosting >>

If you can’t make it to these events (or any of the other events happening all over the world listed here), the best way to get involved in Fashion Revolution Week is to use your voice on social media to tag the brand(s) you love, asking them to show us their supply chain and answer the question, #WhoMadeMyClothes? Remember that consumer demand matters in the fight for Transparency, Accountability, and Change in the fashion industry, of people and the planet.

Find out more

Website: www.fashionrevolution.org (loads of amazing free resources to download!)
Hashtags: #FashionRevolutionWeek #WhoMadeMyClothes
Instagram: @fash_rev_scotland
Twitter: @fash_rev_scot
Facebook: @fashionrevolutionscotland