10 years after the Rana Plaza collapse, fashion has yet to slow down
This week marks at once the annual campaign of the Fashion Revolution and the 10th anniversary of the tragic collapse of the Rana Plaza garment factory building.
- This week marks at once the annual campaign of the Fashion Revolution and the 10th anniversary of the tragic collapse of the Rana Plaza garment factory building.
- The event, which killed over 1,100 garment workers and injured two thousand more, sparked a global debate at the time about the true cost of the fast fashion industry.
The fashion industry, ten years on from the disaster
- In fact, it would appear the pace in the fashion industry has accelerated.
- In this regard, no one can deny it is important we have a public conversation about the toll fast fashion is taking on people and the environment.
- Started in early 2022, our ongoing research on slow fashion shows that there is a more beneficial way to move away from fast fashion.
A closer look at consumers’ perspective
- Consumers are held responsible for issues that they are not the architect of.
- Rather, we argue they are the victims of a system that glorifies outfit variety and makes exposure to fast fashion items unavoidable.
- Aggressive social media advertising keeps consumers addicted and influencer-generated content of #sheinhauls further normalizes enormous volumes of disposable fashion.
- Even when consumers try to step out of this treadmill, they often struggle to orientate themselves toward ethical options.
Slow fashion tips from experts
- Our aim is to better understand how slow fashion practices empower individuals and help them gain a sense of control by decelerating the pace of their fashion consumption.
- To explore this, we are currently following 14 slow fashion consumers and observing their practices, from carefully picking fabrics and threads to patch their clothes to patiently rummaging clothing racks at thrift stores.
- Slow fashion is about mindfulness and attentiveness and can help consumers “get out of the frenzy in which [they] are in,” as one of our interviewees puts it.
- This week represents a great opportunity to explore slow fashion practices and do something for individual, collective, and planetary well-being.