Fashion Revolution Week and why it’s important every day

It’s Fashion Revolution Week and, in fact, the anniversary of the massive industrial accident (the collapse of the Rana Plaza) that made the world sit up and take notice of the way our clothes are made.

Fashion Revolution Week is important because hopefully it is a time during which more people begin to understand why they need to embrace ethically made fashion and reject fast fashion. I wish we didn’t need to continually discuss this but we do. We shouldn’t expect people to live, work and die in sub-standard conditions so that brands can make clothing as cheaply as possible for us - particularly when it’s clothing we don’t need - when it’s only to feed our fashion addiction.

I don’t have a big campaign for Fashion Revolution Week, although I support the movement wholeheartedly. Instead, I try to enlighten people on the reality of the mainstream fashion industry every day. Whether it’s working with clients one on one, talking to people I meet on our Fashion by Foot tours, writing about it on Instagram, Facebook or Linked In, or in my book ‘Colour: the secret to creating a Sustainable Wardrobe’, trying to arouse more interest in ethical clothing and tempt them away from fast fashion is what I do every day.

Am I obsessed? Maybe! But my passion for social justice and conservation is as strong as my love of expressing ourselves through clothing. I’m just not the kind of person who could enjoy clothes if I knew someone was injured or at serious risk of injury simply so I could have a new piece of clothing that I may want but don’t actually need.

Handmade beaded tie by Angela Clark and upcycled top by Ana Fernanda Covarrubias