Digital Fashion Revolution

The revolution will be digitised

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20th-26th April marks Fashion Revolution Week, an annual remembrance of Rana Plaza disaster. The majority of events worldwide have been cancelled, but that doesn't mean that the momentum has stopped - thousands of events are switching to digital formats, including workshops, webinars, panels, podcasts, protests and loads more, because the fight for garment worker rights and environmental justice remains a vital effort now more than ever.

Over at Fashion Revolution Scotland we’re hosting a series of free events on Zoom, including a Wardrobe Audit Workshop, a Craftivism How-to, a Q&A with Godiva Boutique, a Virtual Stitch ‘n’ Bitch, a Scottish Sustainable Fashion Research Presentation, a Clothing Deconstruction Workshop, a panel on Graduating and Job Hunting amidst Covid-19, and loads more.

I’ll be hosting a panel discussion on the next steps for fashion supply chains, featuring CEO of Johnstons of Elgin Simon Cotton, author of Fashion Ethics Sue Thomas, Marybeth Graham from the Scottish Women’s Convention and Natasha Steddon from The Other Choice. Find out more and sign up here.

I’m also presenting a talk and Q&A on the Manifesto for Fashion Revolution - I’m excited to dive into what kind of fashion industry should emerge from this crisis. Details here.

Over at Ethical Brands for Fashion Revolution we have a MEGA lineup of virtual events, featuring the likes of Bel Jacobs, Sian Conway, Alice Wilby, Georgina Wilson-Powell, Natalie Bennett and more. Buy tickets here.

Finally, make sure you switch on to Fashion Revolution Question Time live on Youtube discussing the end of the mass consumption era with some amazing speakers. Also check out Fashion Revolution’s World Map of online events happening internationally and get signed up. The (fashion) revolution will be televised!

NEWSFLASH!

All the ethical fashion news and op-eds you need to read

• Guardian | Arcadia Group cancels over £100m of orders as garment industry faces ruin

• Marker | The Real Reason Every Fashion Company Is Now Making Face Masks

• Vogue Business | The Flawed Ways Brands Talk About Sustainability

• Buzzfeed | Fashion Nova Sent People Texts Asking Them To Spend Their Stimulus Checks On Fashion Nova

• The Business of Fashion | An Enlightened Post-Pandemic Consumer? Don’t Count on It

• Sourcing Journal | If Fashion Can’t Rewire Itself, Here’s What’s Going to Happen

• The Daily Star | Garment Workers Take to the Streets Demanding Wages in Savar

• The Business of Fashion | Protecting Workers' Rights Is Harder Than Ever in a Pandemic

• Eco Age | Founder of a Bangladesh Garment Factory Shares His Story During Covid-19

• The Guardian | Fast Fashion Speeding Toward Environmental Disaster, Report Warns

• Teen Vogue | The Coronavirus Is Exposing Holes in Our Current Fast Fashion Model

• Vogue Business | The Brands Helping Their Most Vulnerable Partners During Crisis

• Marker | The Recession’s Calling Bullshit on ‘Mission-Driven’ Companies Like Everlane

• Fashion United | 23 Sustainability Efforts of the Fashion Industry in March 2020

• WWD | Even for Sustainable Brands, It’s a Matter of Survival

• Eco Textile News | Home-based Garment Workers Miss Out on Aid

• i-D | What Happens When you Cancel Fashion Week?

• Forbes | The True Cost Of Brands Not Paying For Orders During The COVID-19 Crisis

• The Business of Fashion | In Crisis, Don’t Ditch Sustainability

• Dazed | Fast Fashion Workers Fearful to Work in Unsafe COVID-19 Conditions

• Vogue Business | Retailers Tell Suppliers They Won’t Cancel Orders. The Reality is More Complicated

• Eco Textile News | PETA Buys Brand Shares to Influence Material Bans

• Better Buying | Guidelines for “Better” Purchasing Practices Amidst the Coronavirus Crisis and Recovery

• Vogue Business | Circular Fashion’s Timely Opportunity

ARE YOU LISTENING?

New podcast episodes to fill your ears with conscious conversation

• Wardrobe Crisis | Ethical Fashion: How COVID-19 is Impacting Garment Workers

• Sustainably Influenced | Talking Ethical Influencing with Besma, Founder of Ethical Influencers

• Connecting People | Bringing Transparency to an Old-Fashioned Industry and Revolutionizing Sustainable Jewellery

• Pre-Loved Podcast | Lauren Bravo on How to Break up with Fast Fashion, a Year Long Shopping Ban, and How to Get Creative with your Closet

• The Business of Fashion | Riz Ahmed on a Watershed Moment for the Fashion Industry

BONUS READS

I’ve re-published & updated two articles I wrote for Not Just a Label over on my blog that dive deep into some meaty topics:

• Ethical Fashion: Transcending Hot-Button Issues

• United Nations SDGs: Why Fashion Matters

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April 4, 2020

Thanks for reading the 7th issue of The Ethical Fashion Roundup!

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