Fashion Revolution Week 2025: Think Globally, Act Locally.
I have a summery striped button down shirt bought in 2013 and wearing it till today, I always received compliments like: Where did you get this? This shirt is nice!
Then it made me wonder, asking myself should I feel proud that I made a good choice or should I be grateful to the people who made this, designed this and put it on the shop floor?
Here’s my message to wrap up fashion revolution week and I would like to share the awareness of this movement.
This movement is advocating for a clean, safe, fair, transparent and accountable fashion industry. The fashion industry is now the second most polluting industry after the oil and gas sector. The negative impact is huge. Do you know what drives this impact?
It’s our consumption behaviour. Overconsumption.
We are consumers and we hold a strong vote with our money. Every garment we buy, we should have the right and intention to demand transparency. Are the supply chain workers paid fairly, working in a safe environment to make this shirt? Are the materials responsibly sourced and produced?
The deadly incident related to the fashion industry that’s been highlighted globally was the Rana Plaza disaster that happened in 2013. Since then, the awareness of a safe working environment is being prioritised but there are still lots of other deadly incidents happening around the world such as Egypt, Pakistan, China, India, Turkey and many more.
In today’s world, the fashion industry is built on top of the fossil fuel industry. A fashionable garment of yours and mine, might come from a business without a clean, responsible and fair system which also threatens the environment, our home.
By not supporting big fashion businesses that do not care about transparency. You are not threatening millions of jobs because what is threatening all our lives right now?
It is the deteriorating environmental health.
Synthetic materials polluting our waters, deforestation, and loss of biodiversity threatens our food security. Severe weather events can’t even allow us to travel safely to work. Don’t you think it’s time to act?
I am not encouraging these businesses to shut down immediately but what we want is a systemic change in the fashion industry.
Small actions create a big impact.
When you buy another piece of garment next time. Ask yourself if you are supporting an ethical fashion business? Do you really need it? Do you already own a similar item? or can you opt for a secondhand choice?
I wasn’t proud of how I shopped back then, I might have 3 or 4 striped shirts in my wardrobe now. But I kept my clothes well and have changed my consumption behaviour. If I can do it, so can you!
Therefore, are you ready to drive this change with me, raise awareness, make conscious choices and vote with our money?
Let’s think globally and act locally.
References:
Fashion Revolution Week 2025 Theme, https://www.fashionrevolution.org/frw-25/
What Fuels Fashion, Fashion Revolution, 2024
Fast Fashion and it’s Impacts, https://www.geneco.uk.com/news/fast-fashion-and-its-impacts
Deaths and Injuries in the global garment industry, https://cleanclothes.org/campaigns/the-accord/deaths-and-injuries-in-the-global-garment-industry
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