Fashion Revolution Week began in 2014 as Fashion Revolution Day to commemorate the collapse of the Rana Plaza building in Dhaka, Bangladesh on April 24, 2013: more than 1,100 garment workers died; more than 2,500 were injured, some seriously.
It soon became clear that one day was not enough to highlight the grievances in the fashion industry: low wages, insecure jobs, piecework, small margins and more meant that clothing became cheaper and not more expensive over the years. Fast fashion and throwaway fashion has made us stop appreciating the clothes we wear. Fashion Revolution Day has been extended to a full week and asks: “Who made my clothes?”
Fashion Revolution Week 2023: April 22-29
Throughout Germany there are again many events, exhibitions, window displays, vigils, second-hand fashion shows, discussion groups and demonstrations, some of which started before April 22nd. FashionUnited has put together a few highlights.
Photo exhibition on production conditions
Photographer Thekla Ehling’s pictures can be seen in the eight fair fashion stores in Cologne: 2ndish, Iglu, Wertstoff, Polyestershock, Shipsheip, Fairfitters, Belinda Janke’s made-to-measure and cut atelier andclothing. These show real working conditions in the Global South, which Ehling photographed at a protest by textile workers in 2017 together with the Bengali activist and photographer Taslima Akhter. Further images were contributed by the women’s rights organization Femnet eV with images by partner photographers from the Global South.
Carpets made from old clothes
The hands-on campaign “Let’s remember – what is textile?” is taking place on Monday from 2 to 5 p.m. on the market square in Halle, where interested parties can produce new yarn from old clothes and then weave it into a giant carpet.
On Wednesday, April 26, 2023, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., the Ivorian artist Ange Arthur Koua will lead an encounter workshop at the Otto-Seeling Middle School in Fürth, where a tapestry will be created as a participatory work of art. The old clothes brought along are cut up, rearranged and connected to one another with the help of needle and thread and glue. The resulting tapestry will then be exhibited as a traveling exhibition at several locations in Fürth.
FRG x FRIran
Under the motto “ignite empowerment”, Fashion Revolution Germany is committed to the freedom of women in Iran. Iranian designers who want to promote female artisans will show sustainable products such as fashion design, accessories and homeware on the theme “Woman, Life, Freedom” at an exhibition from April 20 to 24, 2023 in the Platte in Berlin (Memhardstrasse 8).
living wages
In the Bremer Berufsinformationszentrum (BIZ) at Ostertorsteinweg 101 there is an exhibition on the subject of “living wages in the fashion industry” until Sunday, April 30th. The film “The True Cost” will also be shown there on Monday, April 24, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. This takes a critical look behind the scenes of the fast-moving fashion business and shows the negative consequences of fast fashion, but also that clothing can be manufactured at acceptable prices while complying with ecological and social standards. After the film screening, there will be an opportunity to exchange views with Bremen representatives of the Clean Clothes Campaign.
clothes swap
Exchange instead of buying new again and again – many people have real treasures in their wardrobes, but have forgotten them or they no longer like the color or style. So why not swap with someone and spruce up your wardrobe without spending any money? In many cities such as Berlin, Darmstadt and Nuremberg, exchange events for clothing will also take place this year.
These are just a few examples of exciting events taking place in Germany as part of Fashion Revolution Week this year until Saturday, April 29th. In order not to miss anything that is planned in your city, those interested can visit the event calendar of the Fashion Revolution Germany website (future.fashion/kalender-2).
Brands
Many brands and retailers are also participating again and attracting visitors with special promotions. The sustainable Cologne-based label Armedangels, for example, has carried out a fundraising campaign over the past five years and donated a total of over 69,000 euros to the National Garment Workers Federation in Bangladesh. This year, it has teamed up with artist and activist Steffen Kraft, who redesigned existing Fashion Revolution t-shirts from last year, commemorating workers.
“You don’t usually see a motif on t-shirts that has anything to do with the production of the t-shirt itself, let alone the seamstresses. This design makes a strong statement that a t-shirt is not just a piece of fabric, but a product made by human hands,” comments Kraft.
Similarly, the sustainable Cologne-based label Lanius provides insights into the production of the brand with its “Travel Journals” at the Fashion Revolution Week and shares impressions and photos of its clothing factories in and around Porto in Portugal.