This Fashion Revolution Week, The Question We Should Be Asking Is #WhoMadeMyFabric?

Don't miss the jam-packed roster of events on Fashion Open Studio.

The slogan for this year's Fashion Revolution Week, #WhoMadeMyFabric

by Natalie Hammond |
Updated on

The question made famous by Fashion Revolution, the activism movement founded as a response to the Rana Plaza disaster, which killed 1,100 people when the factory collapsed in 2013, is 'Who Made My Clothes?' But this year, the founders, Orsola de Castro and Carry Somers, are taking it a step further.

#WhoMadeMyFabric is the call to arms for 2021's Fashion Revolution Week, which involves a jam-packed roster of events from now until April 25, with a theme that focuses on human rights and the rights of nature, both how connected and how dependant each is on the other. What they're hoping to encourage is greater transparency beyond the first tier of the supply chain, because that is where millions of people around the world are working, often in poor conditions, to make the fabrics we wear and often take for granted every day.

To join the movement, Fashion Revolution is encouraging us, as consumers, to take up the mantle of activism by calling upon more than 60 major brands and retailers to publicly disclose the processing facilities and textile mills in their global supply chains. (When Fashion Revolution conducted research to understand the scope of supply chain transparency among 62 major brands - in support of goal 1 of the Tamil Nadu Declaration - it found that only one brand disclosed a list of all their textile production units.) You can do this one of three ways: 1) by emailing brands directly; 2) by tagging brands on social media to ask #WhoMadeMyFabric; 3) by leaving a review on a brand's product pages.

The reason transparency is so important is obvious; how else are we supposed to ensure that workers' rights are protected, and unsafe working conditions and harmful environment practices aren't allowed to thrive, if we only have half (or in reality far less than half) the real picture?

Another way to get involved is by joining the exciting line-up on Fashion Open Studio, Fashion Revolution Week's showcasing and mentoring platform which this year plays host to more than 60 designers from more than 20 countries, with workshops, panel talks, classes and videos that centre around the theme, 'Rights, Relationships & Revolution'.

'Fashion Open Studio is a microcosm of brilliance, courage and resilience, bringing together committed individuals, creative souls and relentless changemakers all who use their creativity for the good of many,' says Fashion Revolution's global creative director, De Castro. 'We challenge the mainstream and champion the radicals.'

Gallery

SHOP: The Most Mindful Buys For World Earth Day 2021

Baum Und Pferdgarten, Asayo Dress, £1991 of 20

Baum Und Pferdgarten, Asayo Dress, £199

Baum Und Pferdgarten's 'Und Earth' collection is made using more mindful materials, including organic cotton and recycled plastic bottles, and €4 of each purchase will go towards Green Transition Denmark, a member of the umbrella organisation Clear Air Europe.

Whering2 of 20

Whering

Whering, the app that helps you digitise your wardrobe for 'a lifetime of zen', has a whole host of fun partnerships for World Earth Day. Collaborating with companies such as Ecologi, CoGo, Guppyfriend and Re-Fashion to address issues like reforestation, carbon emissions, water pollution and waste, it will get you thinking about sustainable fashion like you never have before.

DeMellier, The Earth Tote, £1853 of 20

DeMellier, The Earth Tote, £185

DeMellier's pleasingly smart tote bag is the fruit of its charitable initiative 7 Women, 7 Causes. Each of these women has partnered with Mireia Llusia-Lindh, DeMellier's founder, to co-design a tote bag where 100% of profits will support a cause that is close to their hearts. 'The Earth Tote' is a collaboration with creative director Angela Fink, with 100% of the profits going towards No More Plastic, a non-profit foundation that generates awareness about plastic pollution.

Mother Of Pearl x Onloan4 of 20

Mother of Pearl x Onloan

Proving its position as an industry front-runner when it comes to sustainability, Mother of Pearl is making its first foray into the world of renting with Onloan. Together they've created The Full Circle, and it's a partnership that allows customers to both rent garments - prices start from £69 to rent two garments and sizes go up to 16 - and buy them if the road test turns out to be particularly successful. Speaking about this two-step approach to shopping, which they've called 'Try Before You Buy', Onloan's creative director, Natalie Hasseck, says: 'This is super cool because it means we're switching impulse purchase behaviour to something that is more considered and slower.' Amy Powney, Mother of Pearl's creative director, agrees, adding: 'By renting you are able to enjoy items that signify a moment in your life or mood but may not have a place in your forever wardrobe.'

Rotaro5 of 20

Rotaro

Rotaro, the fashion rental platform, has a long-standing partnership with Ecologi, the tree-planting organisation that works to fund the world's best carbon-offsetting solutions, but this time it's going a step further. For World Earth Day 2021, Rotaro is partnering with them to plant an entire forest. 'We are passionate about reforesting over-harvested farmlands and rewilding the UK. This year has really emphasised how essential thriving local ecosystems and outdoor spaces are and we want to protect that for generations going forward,' said Georgie Hyatt, co-founder of Rotaro.

Frame, Le Oversized Denim Jacket, £3856 of 20

Frame, Le Oversized Denim Jacket, £385

Available as of World Earth Day, Frame is launching a pocket-sized denim collection, comprising of two pairs of jeans and one jacket, that have been made using the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's Jeans Redesign. What this means is the pieces have been designed with circularity in mind (i.e. the idea of a garment that can be made, broken down and remade into something new in a closed loop system where nothing is wasted) with 100% cotton, post-consumer recycled materials and easy-to-remove raw metal hardware.

Eastpak, Resist Waste Padded Pak'r, £457 of 20

Eastpak, Resist Waste Padded Pak'r, £45

Eastpak's new collection for World Earth Day, Resist Waste, takes the brand's made-to-last credentials and pushes them even further by using repurposed, recycled and responsibly-sourced materials.

Kitty Joyas, Solid Stacked Ring in Gold Vermeil, £2498 of 20

Kitty Joyas, Solid Stacked Ring in Gold Vermeil, £249

Kitty Joyas's new ring collection, launching on Thursday, is founded on two sustainable principles: it's entirely made-to-order and uses recycled metals. 10% of all sales from the collection will also be going to the Woodland Trust, the UK's largest woodland conservation charity.

Aspinal Of London, Bee Keyring, £459 of 20

Aspinal Of London, Bee Keyring, £45

Aspinal of London has made impressive strides towards a more mindful approach to manufacturing in the build up to World Earth Day 2021. The hero product from its new collection, the limited-edition London Tote, is made from upcycled canvas, responsibly-sourced (and metal-free) leather, and recycled thread, while this sweet keyring celebrates its new charity partner, the South Downs National Trust, with £4.50 from each sold going towards the planting of a local wildflower meadow, within the grounds of Aspinal HQ, to help support the livelihood of local bees and butterflies.

BITE Studios, 5-6 Boyfriend Shirt Crinkled, £33010 of 20

BITE Studios, 5-6 Boyfriend Shirt Crinkled, £330

BITE, the luxury sustainable brand from Sweden, prides itself on the fact that 95% of the materials it uses are either organic, recycled or low impact. Celebrating World Earth Day, the brand will be donating 20% of all online sales this week to Cool Earth, an organisation that works with rainforest communities to stop deforestation.

Tomorrow, Flowers Tee By Elena Cremona, £3511 of 20

Tomorrow, Flowers Tee By Elena Cremona, £35

Tomorrow believes in thoughtful design as a tool for advocacy and activism, collaborating with artists and non-profit organisations to support ongoing social and environmental issues by giving each a 50% share of the profits. For Earth Day, it has a new collection designed with The Earth Issue's head of photography Elena Cremona, Stand For Trees, that will be supporting the organisation of the same name, working to help forest communities around the world keep their forests standing and individuals to offset their own emissions.

Rails, The Classic Crew Love Your Planet, £8112 of 20

Rails, The Classic Crew Love Your Planet, £81

To celebrate Earth Month, Rails is partnering with the Surfrider Foundation, which campaigns against fossil fuel extraction in Los Angeles, on a 100% recycled cotton T-shirt, with 25% of proceeds going straight to the organisation.

Allbirds, Women's Wool Runners, £9513 of 20

Allbirds, Women's Wool Runners, £95

Last year, Allbirds became the first fashion brand to label all its products with a carbon output. To celebrate Earth Day, it's open-sourcing a version of its Carbon Footprint Calculator - for other brands to use entirely free of charge - to help drive the fashion industry towards transparency and, ultimately, a greener future.

Choose Earth, T-shirt Natural, £2514 of 20

Choose Earth, T-shirt Natural, £25

Putting a twist on Choose Love, the refugee charity's name and famous slogan, the organisation has partnered with Earthrise, a climate crisis media company, to launch a new campaign for Earth Day, Choose Earth, to support the indigenous communities of Brazil. Its range of organic cotton tees and totes, stamped with the iconic slogan, will be giving 100% of its profits to the cause.

ESSu0112N THE LABEL, The Foundation Flat, £28615 of 20

ESSĒN THE LABEL, The Foundation Flat, £286

For World Earth Day, ESSĒN THE LABEL has partnered with another pre-order brand, Linden Cook, to make a pair of leather flats with a difference. Not only can you choose whether or not to add a gold ankle chain, but customers can also share details about their feet (such as width, arch and height) so that the shoe can be customised perfectly. What both brands are choosing to celebrate is that made-to-order and pre-order fashion are some of the most sustainable ways to shop, reducing waste and highlighting the fashion industry's problem with overproduction.

Baukjen, Linde Dress, Rent For £2516 of 20

Baukjen, Linde Dress, Rent For £25

Renting instead of buying is a brilliant way to be more mindful about your clothing consumption. Baukjen has just jumped on the rental bandwagon, allowing customers to borrow its clothes in two-week slots for as little as £15 for a blouse and £25 for a dress. The brand has also partnered with Eden Reforestation Projects, planting one tree for every order placed online today.

Depop17 of 20

Depop

For the third episode of Let's Talk, Depop's video series on YouTube, Bimini Bom Boulash, María Isabel, Arlo Parks and Lime Cordiale tackled the question, "What does Earth Day even mean?' Tune in to hear them share their personal sustainability practices and their relationships to fashion in 2021.

Lee Jeans, Breese In Dark Joni, £7518 of 20

Lee Jeans, Breese In Dark Joni, £75

For World Earth 2021, Lee Jeans has renewed its commitment to growing the number of low-impact pieces and processes in its range. By 2025, it will use renewable energy to power 100% of all owned and operated facilities, will utilise 50% sustainable synthetics, will source 100% sustainably-grown or recycled cotton, and increased dyed product from Indigood, its patented foam-dyeing method that reduces the water, energy and chemicals required in traditional denim dyeing methods, every year.

Wires Glasses, Half Moon, £16519 of 20

Wires Glasses, Half Moon, £165

Wires Glasses makes opticals and sunglasses using mindful materials - the lenses are 60% nylon and 40% bio polyamide made from the castor oil plant, for example - and for every pair bought this week, a tree will be planted.

UGG, Neumel Natural Boot, £14520 of 20

UGG, Neumel Natural Boot, £145

In honour of World Earth Day, UGG has announced four key commitments focused on restoring the planet, including land regeneration (200,000 acres in 2021; 1,000,000 acres by 2025); its first-ever repair programme that will restore customers' favourite shoes to like-new condition; sourcing 100% wood-based products from responsible forests by partnering with Canopy; and, finally, joining the Transparency Pledge.

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