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Fashion Revolution Week 2021 – Rights, Relationships and Revolution

Fashion Revolution Week (FRW) happens every year in the week of the 24th April. The 24th April is the date of the Rana Plaza collapse in 2013; one of the biggest industrial disasters in history.

The Rana Plaza was a building in Bangladesh which housed some major garment factories for some of the biggest fashion brands. It employed around 5000 people and more than 1100 people died when the factory collapsed and an additional 2500 people were injured. Many of the victims were young women.

Every year FRW has a different theme to highlight how problematic and damaging the fast fashion industry is. 2021’s theme is Rights, Relationships and Revolution.

Who are Traidcraft Exchange?

Traidcraft Exchange’s mission is to use the power of trade to create lasting solutions to poverty.

In theory, trade should be beneficial for everyone involved. As goods and money are exchanged everyone should benefit. However, in global trade this doesn’t happen. In a lot of cases global trade feeds the rich and exploits the poor and therefore traps people in poverty.

Everyone should be paid fairly for their work no matter which country you live in. When trade is done right, no one will live in poverty.

Thought’s AW20 Inspiration

Thought’s mission is to ‘live more thoughtfully’. They are committed to offering more considered choices and exist to show that there are more sustainable ways to live, dress and be. Thought continue to be leaders in slow fashion by producing classic, timeless pieces that have been designed to last.

Their AW20 collection is made up of timeless pieces that are modern, high quality and seasonless. Thought want their collections to form the foundations of any person’s wardrobe in a beautiful, yet functional way.

For this collection, they have delved into the hidden corners of women’s history for inspiration and shaped their collection around women who celebrated nature and created a legacy that can be viewed and admired today.

Brand Story: FLUX

FLUX was founded in 2017 by Paige Fashoni. FLUX’s mission is to allow women to ‘re-think their periods’ by making functional underwear for periods, leaks and stains.

Every pair of FLUX looks and feels like normal underwear. Their underwear is reusable, washable and has been designed to completely replace disposable tampons and pads.

FLUX underwear is designed in the UK and made ethically all over the world. Their underwear is made by two family run manufacturers with over 50 years’ experience. In total, 70% of Flux’s underwear is made in China and the remaining 30% is produced in the UK. The factories that FLUX works and partners with undergo extensive audits, they are also ISO (International Organisation and Standardisation) and BSCI (Business Social Compliance Initiative) approved.

The Fashion Industry’s Response to COVID-19

The world is currently facing a pandemic, and this is having a huge effect on the people who make our clothes.

Retailers have had to close their doors and encourage their customer base to order online. None the less, the desire to buy new clothes appears to have decreased due to the Coronavirus making us focus on other aspects in our lives.

It is worth noting that there is potentially a positive amidst this crisis that we are learning to care for the clothes we already own better, more and more people are opting to mend and make clothes and also adopt a mindset of longevity when it comes to our wardrobes; suggesting an encouraging step to end overconsumption.

However, the halt in manufacturing has meant that the most vulnerable, lowest paid people in the fashion supply chain are feeling the worst effects. IndustriALL, the global trade union has reported that millions of garment workers have lost their jobs as a result of the virus and have no access to social or financial safety nets.

Fashion Revolution Week 2020 – Our Brand Spotlight

2020 marks the seven-year anniversary of the Rana Plaza disaster. The Rana Plaza factory was a five-story building that housed garment factories for big global brands. In 2013, the factory collapsed killing 1,138 people and injured 2,500 more people; many of the victims were mostly young women.

From this the Fashion Revolution movement was born. The people behind the Fashion Revolution movement have called for an overhaul of the fashion industry and strive to make sure exploitation of people comes to an end and ensure that production methods respect our environment.

Taking place from the 20th – 26th April, this year’s Fashion Revolution Week will once again encourage millions of people to come together to campaign for systemic change within the fashion industry.

How to Create a Sustainable Wardrobe

The choices we make day to day impact our planet. There are a limited number of resources available and the Earth is only able to put up with a particular amount of greenhouse gases in order to stay healthy. It can sometimes be hard to identify ways in which you can be sustainable, so it’s better to focus on one area at a time. Follow these tips on how to create sustainable wardrobe to get you started.

Men’s Ethical Winter Fashion

Last week you may have seen our blog post featuring some of our favourite winter fashion pieces for women (if not you can take a look here!) This week we want to focus on our men’s fashion range because we think we have a really great selection this year, perfect for any ethical winter wardrobe.

You can take a look at all of our men’s clothing here, but for now take a look at some key pieces from Patagonia and Thought below.

Patagonia

Patagonia Dark Ash Isthmus Jacket – £169.95
Patagonia Carbon Green Better Sweater – £79.95
Patagonia Mojave Khaki Migration Plaid Fjord Flannel Shirt – £74.95

Patagonia Glass Blue ‘Can’t Eat Money’ Responsibili-Tee – £29.95
Patagonia Dark Ruby Live Simply Responsibili-Tee – £29.95
Patagonia Gravel Heath Eat Local Upstream Cotton T-Shirt – £29.95

Thought

Thought Devan Shirt – £49.90 (available in Rust & Sky Blue)
Thought Sky Blue Louis Grandpa Shirt – £49.90
Thought Domon Shirt – £49.90
Thought Thistle Shirt – £49.90

Thought Edvard Jumper – £69.90 (available in Rust & Navy)
Thought Ivan Jacket – ~~£109.95~~ £87.95
Thought Karl Stripe Tee – £49.90
Thought Charcoal Marcus Jeans – £59.90

Women’s Ethical Winter Fashion

Have you had the chance to browse our gorgeous winter fashion pieces yet? If not then surely you’ll have seen our collections in our new Christmas catalogue! No? Well here are some of our favourite pieces from the range (let’s be honest, the whole range is full of our favourite items, but here’s a select few.)

Whether you need a new winter coat, a Christmas party dress or some luxuriously cosy pyjamas, you’ll find what you need in our Women’s Fashion section.

Knitted Poncho – Moss – £62.95
Fitted Velvet Teardrop Coat – Pewter – £199.95
Organic Cotton Long Sleeve Top – Moss – £34.95
Popper Front Cord Pinafore – Pewter – £54.95

Embroidered Velvet Coat – Petrol – £249.95

Jeanette Top – Kingfisher – £49.90
Clement Slacks – £49.90
Hepworth Dress – £59.90
Matisse Dress – £69.90

People Tree Nightwear – £19.95 – £47.95

Our Fabrics – Hemp

Carrying on with our ‘Our Fashion’ series of blog posts, today I’m going to talk about Hemp. The word ‘hemp’ conjures up images of so called ‘hippies’ from the 60s and 70s, wearing mis-matched clothing, not focussing on the fashion aspect of clothing and rather the practical, earth-friendly elements. Of course there is absolutely nothing wrong with this outlook, but there are those of us who do care deeply about how stylish our clothes are as well as how environmentally friendly they are. Continue reading Our Fabrics – Hemp