The Titian Thread
The month in fashion, condensed.
Hi Hey there!,
This month, two exciting success stories came out of the sustainable fashion world. In a sector that is fraught with a seemingly insurmountable list of problems, it's pretty rare to have two wins in one month.
The first was the renewal of the Bangladesh Accord, a fire safety agreement that was first established after the Rana Plaza Factory collapse in 2013, which created a set of safeguards and brand commitments to ensure that safety standards in Bangladesh factories improved.
I wrote about it back in August, the same month it was set to expire, which would have left millions of garment worker's lives at risk. By the start of September, it had been renewed, with plans to expand it into other garment-producing countries. This new amendment to the Accord will be game-changing for garment workers not just in Bangladesh, but around the globe.
The second was the Garment Worker Protection Act, written into law in the state of California, which effectively bans brands from paying garment workers a piece-rate – i.e a few cents for every hem they sew or sleeve they attach. This means that LA's garment workers can finally be paid a minimum wage. You can read more on SB62 below.
It goes to show that collective action works. So often I see a sense of hopelessness and apathy over the multitude of distressing and overwhelming problems that the world is facing. People ask "What power do I have to make a difference?" But these successes didn't come about because brands chose to do the right thing unprompted, or governments decided to start legislating out of their moral duty to do so.
They came about because ordinary people got together and wrote emails, held protests, wrote stories and shared information on social media, putting pressure on business owners and political leaders until something changed. If that's not empowering, I don't know what is.
Until next time, hit the reply button to share your thoughts or feedback!
Meg X
Stories I Wrote
Four Fashion Materials Harming the Amazon for EcoCult
According to the Brazilian research institute Imazon, an area 13 times the size of New York City was deforested between August 2020 and July this year. Alongside cattle and crops like soy, the Amazon is being cleared for the production of various fashion commodities, including leather, cotton, man-made cellulosic fibers (like rayon), and to a lesser extent, rubber. I investigated how fashion is linked to the Amazon, and what one brand, DaCosta Verde, is doing to help.
What is the Garment Worker Protection Act and Why Do We Need It? for Remake
Resurfacing this story I wrote for Remake last year. This week, the Garment Worker Protection Act, which will ensure that LA's 45,000 garment workers earn a living wage, has been signed into law by California's governor. This is an incredibly important cause that Remake (and lots of sustainable fashion activists) have been fighting for, and it's exciting to see that their work has paid off. If you want to learn more about the law, and why it's so important, check out my piece from last year.
Stories I didn’t write
There's No Such Thing As Sustainable Fashion by Elizabeth Segran for Fast Company. As more and more brands release their sustainability pledges, Segran reminds us that all of fashion's biggest businesses are still failing to make any meaningful attempts to lower their carbon footprint.
Sustainable Fashion Wants Brands To Redefine Business Growth by Olivia Pinnock for Forbes. Redefining growth and success is a big challenge for any business operates in our profit-driven, growth obsessed economy. What are the alternatives?
The Fabulous Side of Sustainable Fashion by Andrea Whittle for W Magazine. This piece is worth a read, if only for the amazing editorial that accompanies it. The sustainability bubble is so often focused on the negative, so it's refreshing to see a more playful and optimistic take.
The Shady Labor Practices Underpinning Shein's Global Fashion Empire by Wu Peiyue for Sixth Tone. I've said it before, I'll say it again (and again): Shein is the worst of the worst. So little is known about this business, especially when it comes to where and who made their clothes. This investigation gives a glimpse into the dodgy AF fashion brand that we should all boycott immediately.
How Fast Fashion Factories Trap Women and Girls in Poverty (And How We Can Help) by Hannah Lang for Good On You. "Millions of women are stuck in unsafe jobs and many of them are forced to bring in their daughters as fast fashion workers as well to provide more than one salary for the family. Hence the cycle of oppression and exploitation comes full circle—and the fast fashion industry ensures it goes on and on."
What the New Greenwashing Guidelines Could Mean for Fashion Brands by Sophie Benson for the Independent. The new Green Claims Code will punish businesses that greenwash consumers without having the data to back up their claims. Benson investigates how these laws could impact fashion.
Why Robots Can’t Sew Your T-Shirt by Harris Quinn for Wired. I occasionally meet people who think that all our clothes are sewed by robots and I take very little pleasure in popping their utopian bubble. This Wired piece is a great explainer in why robots can't make our clothes (yet) and the companies working to change that.
The To-Do List
Do you know where your clothing donations go, after you pop it in the charity bin? This Fashionscapes documentary by EcoAge speaks to the people on the ground in countries like Ghana where much of the world's clothing donations end up. The reality is bleak, and hopefully, it'll make us rethink how we donate clothing.
Aja Barber is a writer and ethical fashion consultant who has just released her first book: “Consumed: The need for Collective Change; Colonialism, Climate Change & Consumerism”. She speaks with Venetia La Manna about her relationship with fashion, consumption, and toxic fashion systems that need to go. This is a really interesting conversation to tune into!