April 20th - 28th, 2020 marks a significant event for us: Fashion Revolution Week!
This week is arguably the most important time of the year for the nonprofit organization Fashion Revolution, which was formed after the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh on April 24th, 2013. This devastating event resulted in the death and injury of thousands of garment workers, which sparked an overdue examination of where the clothes we purchase come from. In remembrance, fashion lovers worldwide gather this week to express the love they have for fashion, as well as the concerns we continue to have about the negative impact the fashion industry has on people of color, it’s primary manufacturing workforce. This is therefore an amazing movement to rethink where our clothes come from and we want you to join us by finding a virtual event or participating in another form of activism!
One way? Question where your clothes are from and rethink how you shop.
When you see a piece of clothing that catches your eye and inspires you to throw it in your cart, pause to consider who made it. Every piece of clothing you buy goes through an incredibly long process of makers, each that contributes something. They grow fibers typically coated in pesticides, use water & harsh chemicals to create fabrics, and then work long hours with little pay to cut & sew what we have shipped to our homes. As a customer, you have the right to ask retailers to be transparent and answer questions about what that process looks like.
At Grant Blvd, transparency and sustainability are very important to us. All of our garments are produced using reclaimed fabrics. We source fabrics from garments in excellent condition through thrift stores and local consignment shops, and re-imagine them into new ones. Secondly, all of our production is done in Philadelphia, PA which allows our Director of Design to ensure that all of our pieces meet our high quality standards before they ever reach our customers. By utilizing reclaimed fabric, we are able to keep clothes out of the landfill and create beautiful pieces without any extra chemical processes or water usage, and by keeping production done locally, we can assure you that our team is working in ethical conditions.
By considering where your clothes come from, you can make conscious decisions to add items to your wardrobe as often as you can from brands that are willing to be transparent about their production process, and to demand change from brands that are not. We believe that the entire fashion industry can and must create clothes that look good, feel good, and are each carefully constructed with a different set of values. We invite you to join us in our mission to shift expectations during this year’s Fashion Revolution Week and beyond.
Written By: Guest Blogger, Itohan Asemota