The True Cost
Shima and her daughter Nadia. Image © The True Cost Movie
Hi Everyone,
Today marks the beginning of Fashion Revolution week. A movement that asks "who made my clothes?" as a response to the Rana Plaza complex disaster, which saw 1134 people lose their lives as garment factories collapsed on April 24th, 2013.
I want to share a documentary with you that opened my eyes a little wider to the issues that plague the fashion and textile industry recently. It is a film that truly helped me to understand the entire supply chain of garment production, from farming the fibres to managing the landfill. It is not comfortable to watch at times, particularly if you are (like me) heavily reliant on the high street for your clothes. But understanding the problems associated with the industry can only help us make more sustainable, informed choices.
I am never going to stop shopping for clothes - it's illegal not to wear them in most places in the UK and we certainly don't enjoy weather that renders them unnecessary most of the time - but I have definitely stopped shopping in a way that doesn't consider how useful and sustainable my purchases are for good, thanks to this film. If we all refuse to close our eyes and our hearts against projects like 'The True Cost', and create small shifts to our consumption habits, change for the better will surely come about.
Power in numbers.
Jessie
