Fashion Revolution Belper

Do you wear clothes? In that case please read the rest of this article. Our Member’s of Parliament say the Fashion Industry is a major source of the greenhouse gases that are overheating our planet. Discarded clothes are piling up in landfill sites and fibre fragments are flowing into the sea when clothes are washed. Find out more HERE.

On 24 April 2013, the Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh collapsed. 1,138 people died and another 2,500 were injured, making it the fourth largest industrial disaster in history. That’s when Fashion Revolution was born. The idea for Fashion Revolution Day came from Carrie Somers whose Ashbourne shop Pachacuti sells Fair Trade hats.

Pachacuti Shop in Ashbourne Derbyshire.

Here is what Carrie says about the start of Fashion Revolution,

After the Rana Plaza disaster, everywhere I looked, there were newspaper articles calling for a more ethical fashion industry. All of us within ethical fashion circles wondered how we could channel the energy and momentum. The Rana Plaza catastrophe was a metaphorical call to arms. The idea for Fashion Revolution Day literally dropped into my head in the bath a few days after the 24th April. I could so easily have stayed soaking in my hot bath and ignored the idea, but it seemed like a good enough idea to act on.’

Fashion Revolution Day has now become Fashion Revolution Week and this year it is from April 22nd until April 28th. There are events happening all over the world with the aim of encouraging all of us to think about the clothes we buy and wear. Everyone wears clothes even if we don’t think of fashion as something that interests us on a daily basis and the clothes we wear are MADE by someone. People like a bargain but is our bargain at the expense of someone else’s well being.

I was horrified to discover the amount of water that it takes to make a cotton T-Shirt and also the pollution and environmental damage done by the growing of cotton. Is it better to buy one expensive organic cotton t-shirt rather than 6 cheap t-shirts?  Water needed for one T-Shirt

We are planning out first Fashion Revolution event in St Peter’s Church, Belper this year. The address is Church Lane, Belper, DE56 1EZ. This will take place on Friday April 26th from 7.00-9.00 pm.

There will be different activities to join in with including some Craft Activism. If you have not heard of this more information can be found here https://craftivist-collective.com  Craft can be a tool for gentle activism, while making something it gives you time to think about issues and changes that you can make. There will also be an opportunity to bring along clothes that you no longer love or wear to swop with others and a fabric swop. At the last clothes swop I went to organised by Shena at Creartii, Green Lane, Belper. I found a plain denim skirt that fitted me nicely. I enjoyed myself adding some embroidery to the front of the skirt.

Don’t worry if you are not into craft there will be a cafe and information about changes we can all make. Please come along and support because however much interest you take in clothes you do wear them.

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