Find out what Fashion Revolution is and the purpose of the movement9 min read

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Summary:

  • Fashion Revolution movement has been changing the way people look at the fashion industry by questioning and demanding companies regarding some relevant issues;
  • Questions made by the movement lead the industry to take actions that benefit the environment and employees;
  • Technology can be the best resource for those who want to harness the future as a tool for transformation. Get the free trial of the Audaces360 multi-solution now!
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Many workers in the fashion industry live in conditions similar to slavery around the world. Fashion Revolution came to question and figure out why this reality still exists.

People can’t change what they don’t know, or what they don’t see. This type of movement debates and analyzes the scenario surrounding so many world-renowned brands.

Much attention is needed so that the fashion industry can work more fairly with the employee and consider sustainability a priority.

More than questioning who makes the clothes we wear, the Fashion Revolution wants to scrutinize aspects such as the way pieces were made, under what conditions, where, and why.

If you want to learn more about this movement, how it works, and what is behind it, just read on! We are going to show you in detail next.

What is Fashion Revolution?

The image shows women holding signs with messages about the Fashion Revolution purposes

Fashion Revolution is a worldwide movement that seeks collective awareness of the processes that make clothes reach customers.

It started in April 2013 after more than 1,000 people lost their lives while working for the fashion industry in sewing labor.

The Rana Plaza building, located in the city of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, came to collapse. There, garment workers used to carry out their tasks in unsanitary conditions. More than 2,500 people were seriously injured, in addition to deaths that occurred in the period.

Among the debris, while searching for bodies or survivors, rescuers found labels from world-famous brands.

From that on, activists decided that fashion and its entire industry needed to be closely monitored.

In the beginning, the project was called Fashion Revolution Day. After 8 years of its creation, it became a whole week of events and actions, both physical and digital.

The movement’s mission is to make the fashion industry conserve and restore the environment, offer elementary work resources, and value people above profit.

The action has been bringing improvements to the industry since 2014. This year, more than 1,3 thousand factories got inspected in Bangladesh, and more than 2.5 million people worldwide started asking: “Who made my clothes?”.

Learn more: How does technology in fashion impact the textile industry?

What is the campaign “Who made my clothes?” and what’s the point?

After people understood that the way things were, they could not go on, the starting point was a simple question: “who made my clothes?”.

Whoever listens to it becomes curious and thoughtful and begins to reflect on which people are behind the clothing pieces that are part of our day-to-day. And we start wondering if Human Rights are protecting these workers.

All of that makes brands commit more to transparency in their clothing manufacturing process, in addition to helping people to be more aware when consuming fashion products.

Learn more: How digital fashion design works and what are the benefits for the clothing industry?

Fashion Revolution in Brazil and India

The image shows a woman working in a clothing company. In front of her, there's a sign with the message "I made your clothes", in Portuguese.

Fashion Revolution global community counts over 70 coordinators across the world and hundreds of team members.

Brazil was one of the first countries to join the movement right in the beginning and kept expanding the network constantly.

In 2014, Fernanda Simon took her experience from London, England, to Brazil. In the same year, she began to structure a team to create the first national actions, lectures, and activities of the Fashion Revolution.

Naturally, Fashion Revolution also worked as a wake-up call concerning the Indian fashion industry’s complex issues – bringing changes to prevent brands from operating in unsafe working conditions and environmentally damaging practices, as said in this Elle’s article.

“We run our annual campaign during Fashion Revolution Week to raise awareness amongst brands, consumers, retailers, students, and the media so that more people are aware that there is ethical versus unethical fashion,” mentioned Aliya Curmally, Co-founder & Head of Strategy Fashion Revolution India, in this interview.

Learn more: What is digital clothing and how does it impact the fashion industry?

Fashion Revolution Week 2022

Fashion Revolution Week 2022 took place between the 18th and 24th of April, the same week that the Rana Plaza factory collapsed in 2013. During the days, digital and physical actions happened in several cities around the globe with the support of partners and collaborators.

The theme was “Money, Fashion and Power”, based on the wealth and power concentrated in a small portion of the population.

During Fashion Revolution week, brands were encouraged to review their thoughts on endless growth and customers to understand the value of what they buy. The message was clear: transform the industry and alter our relationship with our clothes.

Throughout the week, people shared photos, videos, and stories dedicated to their beloved pieces, using the hashtag #LovedClothesLast – which represents the wish that the fashion supply chain becomes more sustainable.

Fashion Revolution around the world

Today, Fashion Revolution is present in more than 100 countries, developing actions and encouraging consumers to question their favorite brands through the campaign motto.

More than 500 partner organizations and 230 student ambassadors work to promote actions with politicians and activists. On their social networks, there are more than 750,000 followers.

The movement, which is very strong in Europe, is also successful in Latin America.

In addition to Brazil, the project is in eight other countries, all in South America: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay.

Beyond that, the word of the Fashion Revolution also has spread through Germany, Laos, Kenya, Croatia, Singapore, and many more!

Is it possible to participate in the campaign?

Cosy workshop of fashion designers to represent the  Fashion Revolution movement

It’s quite simple and easy to participate in the movement through social media!

Take a selfie with the label of the brand you are wearing. When captioning the image, tag the company responsible using the hashtag #WhoMadeMyClothes.

In addition to this hashtag, others can be used, such as #IMadeYourClothes, #IMadeYourFabric, #WhatsInMyClothes, and, of course, #FashionRevolution. If you want to become a volunteer, you can contact event organizers or your country coordinator directly using the contact form on the country page of the team closest to you.

How can technology help the Fashion Revolution project?

Your company can commit much more to sustainability, nature, and employees’ work conditions through technology.

Audaces360 takes the integration and automation of the fashion production chain to a higher level.

From the creative stage to the development of spec sheets, from cost and feasibility forecasts to the creation of patterns, your fashion collections will be visible and manageable in an easy, fast, and optimized way!

Fashion designers, managers, assistants, technicians, and pattern makers – all professions in the fashion industry find in Audaces360 the solution to overcome market challenges.

Learn more about the solutions you will find within Audaces360:

Audaces Fashion Studio  

An exclusive technology, Audaces Fashion Studio allows you to create garment models directly on a three-dimensional mannequin.

This tool optimizes the creative work of the stylist, who can test how the fabric fits on hyperrealistic avatars and modify prints, shapes, or patterns whenever it’s needed.

Everything is done in a digital environment, saving costs, time, and raw materials. It is even possible to have immediate and effective communication between stylists, pattern makers, and buyers – so the whole team stays on the same page.

Audaces Pattern

If you want to develop high-quality and precise patterns, regardless of the complexity, Audaces Pattern is the ideal tool!

This pattern-making software allows you to standardize, program, organize and control the entire manufacturing process.

Audaces Supera 

Those who look to the future see sustainability as an environmental and economic resource. Saving resources is a mandatory step to achieve the desired profitability.

With an automated system, it is possible to lay any piece in a few minutes.

For this reason, Audaces Marker, alongside the Audaces Supera function – already included in Audaces360 – allows the automatic creation of marking queues and maximizes savings thanks to the algorithms that process them and keep the workstation free.

Depending on production needs, the server schedules the cutting order, assigning priorities to markers.

Conclusion

Customers and activists noticed issues that urged to come to an end. For this reason, they began to claim the fashion industry to change its behavior toward workers and the environment.

After a tragedy in Bangladesh, a project called Fashion Revolution was created aiming to raise awareness among thousands of people worldwide.

There are several ways for your company to integrate the campaign, having technology as an ally. Audaces software is an example that can optimize the use of fabrics, paper, and other resources, bringing more comfort and agility in production.

Clothing businesses can (and must) reduce waste, increase their profits, and have a more sustainable production chain. Want to see how does it happen in practice? Download now our free e-book and learn more:

FAQ

What is Fashion Revolution?

Fashion Revolution is a global non-profit movement founded by Carry Somers and Orsola de Castro in 2013 in response to the Rana Plaza disaster in Bangladesh. Its main goal is to end human and environmental exploitation in the fashion industry.

What is the Fashion Revolution Week?

Fashion Revolution Week is an annual campaign that brings together fashion activism movement for seven days of action.

How to be a Fashion Revolutionary?

You can use your voice to transform the fashion industry as we know it, defending a global supply chain that works to conserve resources and regenerate ecosystems.

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