Clothing Revolution – The Responsible Awakening of the Fashion Industry
The Garment Revolution is a global movement that began in 2013 with the tragic collapse of the Rana Plaza garment factory building in Bangladesh.
The incident attracted widespread attention, with over 1,100 workers losing their lives and thousands injured, leading to a powerful international outcry calling for improved safety and fairness in the industry.
Rana Plaza
Many people remember this incident, where a ten-story factory building collapsed on 3,500 workers, most of them women. The owners, through corruption, had grossly violated building permits and built three more floors on top of the originally six-story building. The foundations of the building could not withstand it.
Many well-known Western companies had their clothes made at the Rana Plaza factory. Maximizing profits cost the lives of too many people working for poverty wages.
Goals and achievements of the clothing revolution
The main goal of the Clothing Revolution campaign is to increase transparency and accountability in the fashion industry. It calls for respect for both the environment and workers' rights, promoting safer working conditions and fair wages.
This year, the campaign, which runs from April 15th to 24th , turns 10 years old.
Utua as an example of a sustainable fashion brand
Utua is committed to ethical practices throughout its production chain. The company employs adult workers in the EU in Finland, a sewing factory in Greece and a tannery in Italy. All are paid appropriate compensation and work under legal conditions.
A small family sewing workshop in northern Greece makes all Utua bags.
Utua's leather bags and other products are long-lasting, reducing the need for constant purchases of new products. They are designed to last for many years. Responsibility runs as a guiding principle throughout the entire production chain, from design to the finished product.
Utua bags can have many lives – if you get tired of them, you can sell them. There are always buyers! Or you can save them as an inheritance from mother to daughter.
How to participate in the Clothing Revolution?
The clothing revolution is not just a week-long event, but an ongoing process that everyone can participate in. As consumers, we can influence change by, for example, asking clothing brands who made our clothes, or by only supporting transparent and ethical brands.
Simple measures such as repairing and recycling clothes/bags can also contribute to a more sustainable fashion industry.
Responsibility in fashion is our shared mission
The clothing revolution challenges us all to reflect on our own consumption habits and the practices of the fashion industry. By remembering that behind every garment or bag is a human being , we can together build a fairer fashion world.
