Fashion Revolution Day Revisited

On April 24th 2013, 1133 people were killed when the Rana Plaza factory complex collapsed in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Many more were injured. To remember the catastrophe and call for a significant change in the fashion industry, a global “fashion revolution day” was organized. The Fashion Revolution Day was organized in over 50 countries. The campaign concentrated around the question “who made your clothes?”, and asked people all over the world to wear their clothes #insideout and share this through social media.

I was part of the Fashion Revolution Day campaign group in Austria, and this is my impression:

* It was the first time ever that the sustainable fashion movement joined forces globally – something to build on!

* The campaign was a success in terms of mobilization of an enthusiast group of sustainable fashion activists and entrepreneurs.

* While the topic is relevant to all consumers, and the campaign reached out to many of them through conventional and social media, it is still hard to reach the majority of them in a way that they will really change their consuming behavior or actively question the companies where they go shopping.


Fashion Revolution Day action in Vienna

What I would recommend for the fashion revolution day to come:

* Build a campaign that mobilizes more people outside the sustainable fashion scenes.

* Get more celebrities and political figures to endorse the campaign in an early stage.

* Keep the campaign organized by independents, but get relevant NGO’s and organizations on board as partners (i.ex. Ethical Fashion Forum, Clean Clothes Campaign, Greenpeace Detox, Friends of the Earth, workers unions, etc.).

* Use the global factor more to build up momentum. Global social media channels of the fashion revolution day campaign could share more local activities around the world, also the press could be fed more with worldwide activities and stories.

* Build up a strategy how to work together as a global fashion revolution network all year.

* Start preparations for 2015 now.