This week marked five years since the garment building collapse in Bangladesh that killed 1,138 people. This was an enormous tragedy that resulted in the death and injuries of garment workers who spent their livelihoods making your clothes.
Sadly, this event is only one horrific example of ongoing practices in the fashion industry. Fashion Revolution week is a week to encourage consumers to demand greater transparency from their brands and ultimately to ask #whomademyclothes?
While we do not make apparel at Reborn Clothing, we do want to honor the work and labor that was exerted to make your clothing. We’re having our own #RebornRevolution.
Instead of throwing away your garments without a second thought, we want to encourage you to value your clothing again. We believe that there is a way to close the loop of fast fashion by transforming unwanted or unwearable clothing into a usable product.
We’re starting small, but our vision is mighty.
At every point in the cycle of fashion, there is a way to introduce more sustainable, ethical practices. There are better ways to value people and their work, to value the materials being used, and to value our planet.
We also want to highlight two of our favorite Raleigh brands for ethical apparel!
Pamut Apparel was started by Kat Williford to create sustainable clothing from 100% pure organic cotton. Their line of organic wovens are not only environmentally friendly, but made with the highest quality and care. Kat has inspired all of us at Reborn to make our process as sustainable as possible.
The Flourish Market is located in downtown Raleigh on Tucker Street. When our founder Emily found this boutique downtown, she instantly saw how consumers could use their purchasing power for good. The Flourish Market partners with forty fair-trade brands all over the world to provide fair wages and dignified jobs. They sell Elegant Tees! Elegant Tees are sewn by women who are overcomers of sex trafficking in Nepal. This company is setting incredible standards for how your clothing is made.
These are just a few of our favorites, but we encourage you, Reborn community, to keep looking. Demand transparency. You have power as a consumer to choose where your money goes. Will it go toward providing ethical jobs in the fashion industry and keeping waste out of our landfills, or will we five years later say that nothing has changed?
We can no longer turn a blind eye to the wastefulness and unjust practices of fast fashion. It’s time for a #RebornRevolution.
“It’s time for a #RebornRevolution”