The true meaning of #whomademyclothes and the #fashionrevolution
On Wednesday, 24th April 2013, an eight-storey commercial building collapsed in Dhaka (Bangladesh). This is known as the Rana Plaza garment factory collapse. The accident killed over 1,100 garment workers and an additional 2,500 were injured – this is the deadliest garment factory disaster.
Former fashion designers and founders of the 'Fashion Revolution' Orsala de Castro and Carry Somers started the movement to shine a light on the fashion industry’s supply chain and urge people to hold the industry accountable. The hashtag #whomademyclothes was launched as they wanted consumers to be aware of the brands that they purchased from did not enslave or endanger workers, but rather ensure all workers have fair pay and working conditions.
The campaign's aim is to raise awareness of working conditions, and unfair distribution of profits, and educate consumers to look at how they can be more socially aware of clothing manufacturing.
#whomademyclothes has no political affiliation – however, in Bangladesh, the issue of cheap labour for the garment workers and the lack of safety regulations in the industry is highly political because the cheap labour accounts for the majority of the country’s economy.
#whomademyclothes and #fashionrevolution dovetail into the current focus on fast fashion that adds to the environmental impact of the fashion manufacturing industries.
With the current pace of society today, we are (well, most are) looking at how quickly everything can be made - fast food, fast furniture, and fast fashion!
Consumers want to be in the latest fashion (no matter how short-lived you truly know some fashions will be!) and have no understanding of the true impact of their purchases. Did you know that 10% of all greenhouse gas emissions are caused by fast fashion and that fast fashion consumes 20% of the world’s water use?
Once this latest “must-have” clothing item is no longer in fashion, it is discarded, and 85% of textiles each year become landfill.
Cream Collection Pro is very proud of our organic and caring production methods. By producing garments using organic cotton and linen we reduce the turnover of items by only using fabrics with longevity and durability. Cream Collection Pro has warm, human relationships with all of our manufacturers in producing our garments. Before we start a business relationship with a manufacturer or producer, we work with them to ensure that workers' conditions are fair and that wages are fair. We visit all our manufacturers to ensure workplace conditions are safe, clean and considerate. While we are not in the 'fashion' industry, we are in the 'clothing' industry and it is exactly the same for any item of clothing made, whether it be a fashionable item, a protective clothing item, or hospitality uniforms, every item of clothing is made by a real person who deserves to be fairly paid and respected.
Please think about "whomademyclothes" the next time you purchase any item of clothing.
If you'd like to ask us any questions about our manufacturing teams, feel free to call us on Australia 1300 85 62 63