FASHION REVOLUTION 2022
Fast fashion REMAINS the new normal. With a host of global chains selling cheap threads, you can dress in the latest and greatest and keep up with the catwalk in throwaway fashion pieces. However there is a price to pay for the fast and cheap fashion addiction we see in the western world.
On 24th April 2013, The Rana Plaza tragedy disrupted the trend of replaceable wear. 1,138 workers died when a clothing manufacturing complex in Bangladesh collapsed, and this devastation put the real cost of dirt-cheap clothes in the spotlight
The Human Cost
Being on trend has a ripple effect that extends to someone’s life and that someone is most likely a woman. Women make up the majority of workers in the textile industry. From 2000 the number of garments produced annually has doubled, exceeding 100 billion for the first time in 2014.
THE SAD FACT IS ONLY 4% OF WHAT IS SPENT ON THESE GARMENTS GOES TO THE WORKER.
Ethical Fashion Fosters Women
The facts and figures speak for themselves; of the whopping 75 million people who work in the fashion and textiles industry, 80% are women. That’s an astounding number of women who are exploited and controlled by verbal and physical abuse, working under abhorrent conditions, for terrible pay.Think about this – that t-shirt sporting a proud feminist slogan, has done nothing to empower the women who made it.
The industry is rife with inequality; from decision-makers to the factory floor. By raising awareness of the cost of fast-fashion, we can all contribute to ensuring the people who make our clothes are given the dignity they deserve, in a safe work environment, with fair pay.
The Garment Worker Diaries set out to document the details of the lives of 540 people working in the fashion industry in India, Cambodia and Bangladesh. And the results are appalling: 60% experienced gender-based discrimination, over 15% experienced threats and 5% experienced physical abuse. Unbelievably, 40% witnessed a fire at their workplace.
Women are putting their lives on the line for the sake of our on-point pants.
THE FASHION REVOLUTION
The younger generation is passionate about ethically produced clothes; driving a gender-balanced industry where policies are applied and upheld at all points of production. This revolution goes deeper than fashion’s visible elements; it seeks to promote change where we can’t see it, by advocating for transparency.
During Fashion Revolution Week, ask #WhoMadeMyClothes, so we can unify in valuing our environment, people, artistry and all profit equally. Empower women, and use your platform to connect with brands and retailers online; the more voices, the more brands will listen.
ISN'T IT TIME ALL BRANDS PUT PEOPLE AND PLANET BEFORE PROFIT?
DHARMA BUMS IS DOING IT
From day one, our vision was for each unique garment to empower both those who wear them and those that make them – and that means focusing as much on the people as the garments themselves. From origination to creation, Dharma Bums has an unwavering commitment to ethical supply chains and quality in every stitch. We have built relationships with small Australian factories that believe in what we do, people who are committed to quality and, importantly, are ethically certified. As we have grown, we have brought in new partners that share our values, all certified by internationally independent bodies who audit their operations and are all BSCI accredited.
The BSCI code of conduct has 11 principles aimed at creating a fair and safe workplace for the garment making industry. Transparency is important to us, and we think you should know and understand where your clothes are made.
The Dharma Bums brand is inspired by the world around us and we intend to take care of it. We are working to reduce our footprint with our business activity, from the energy used to run our offices to the dying and packaging of our garments.
We continue to work hard searching for fabrics that can tick both the ethical and sustainable boxes. Working with recycled nylon, organic cottons and biodegradable lenzing modal. We are committed to increasing our mix of sustainable and recycled fabrics.
100% of our collection is EITHER recycled or sustainably produced AND A 100% MADE ETHICALLY.
As a consumer the power is in your hands to create change. Vote with your $ for a better world!
This year, on the 9th anniversary of the Rana Plaza tragedy, create real change; transparency, sustainability and ethics in the fashion industry. When you’re next sifting through a rack of tops in your favourite shop, stop and think before you buy. ‘Will I wear it a minimum of 30 times?’ If it’s a ‘yes,’ buy it, if not, leave it on the rack.
