Join the Fashion Revolution
By Alex Berryman
This week (April 19-24, 2021) is Fashion Revolution week! Each year, during this week, companies and individuals all around the world take a stand for more equitable treatment for garment manufacturing workers and more environmentally sustainable practices by the industry. Fashion Revolution is a movement advocating "for a clean, safe, fair, transparent and accountable fashion industry". This year, Fashion Revolution is focusing especially focusing on the relationship of the fashion industry and its impact on the environment, especially emphasizing the impact of making and dyeing textiles by using the hashtag #whomademyfabric.
Now more than ever is the time to recognize our power in changing the industry. Join us in becoming a Fashion Revolutionary!
Its Origin
Fashion Revolution started after the Rana Plaza complex collapsed in Bangladesh in 2013, killing over 1,100 people. This elevated the conversation around the need for transparency in supply chains and how consumers can affect change. We believe that with increased transparency, brands and consumers can identify whether or not people are being exploited in the supply chain or if the environment is being harmed. Fashion Revolution aims to restructure the fashion industry to value people and the environment.
How Purnaa has Joined the Revolution
We are Transparent
We are proud of our impact and want to tell our story! While still following strict COVID-19 safety policies, our facility is open for tours to anyone that wants to come. Come see the healthy work environment we maintain. If you are a brand or even just curious, we will be happy to show you around
We also love to tell the story of who made your clothes. We feature individual stories and interviews of our staff, knowing they each have their own story to tell. Check out our interviews to know more.
We Care for our Environment
We know firsthand how connected we all are to the environment. Therefore we conserve resources and produce ethically so that we can continue enjoying its natural beauty well into the future. We use environmentally friendly fabrics in our products, such as organic cotton, bamboo, and vegetable dyed leather. We also up-cycle overstock fabric. Whenever possible we use leftover fabric from a project to make a whole new product. In the past year, we have partnered with Doko to recycle our waste.
We Practice What We Preach
Even with our own line of Custom Print Gear, we list the details of our supply chain, the composition of materials, and explain sustainable processes used in production. Plus, when products are made by Purnaa, you can know they are made ethically.
Information is power, both for brands and consumers. By advocating for more transparency, we all can make decisions that align with our values. We love that we can offer an ethical and sustainable option for custom print merchandise.
4 Ways You Can Get Involved in the Revolution
We would like to see everyone become involved in the Fashion Revolution, whether you are a producer, retailer, or consumer. We encourage you to ask the question, “Who made my clothes?” and "Who Made my Fabric?" Change starts to happen when people become aware of an issue and seek to find more information about it.
Step 1: Take to Social Media!
Take a picture showing the label of your clothes, tag the brand that made them and use social media or email to ask the brand #WhoMadeMyFabric?
Step 2: Contact a Brand
Check out the resources at Fashion Revolution's Homepage page for some templates you can use to e-mail a brand or write a review of a product on their website to encourage them to operate with transparency.
Step 3: Do Some Digging
Research and find out more about how to change the fashion industry. Fashion Revolution provides many resources, including How To Be A Fashion Revolutionary.
Step 4: Apply What You Learned
The next step after becoming informed is to change shopping habits. Use the information you have gathered to only shop from brands that you know are creating transparency in their supply chain. If you are not able to afford to buy from ethical brands, there is always the option to buy second hand. This helps to eliminate some of the waste produced by the fast fashion industry.
Bonus Tip:
If you are a producer or a retailer, let the public know who the people are who made the clothes. Be open and transparent about where and how your items are produced. Show consumers that you are a company that they can trust is treating people and the environment properly.
It all starts with you
Raising awareness is a huge step in bringing about change in the fashion industry. If people know what is going on, then they will be able to find ways to help prevent the negative side effects from happening. At Purnaa, we are doing our part in making the world around us a little bit better. Join us and Fashion Revolution by raising awareness, creating transparency, and bettering the fashion industry.
For more ways in which you can become involved, check out the Fashion Revolution page for a list of events and resources. For more information about how Purnaa is putting these principles into practice, check out the blog posts below.
1. Purnaa's Commitment to Staff During COVID-19