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Fashion Accountability - Naked Truth Ep. 3
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Love your clothes, the planet and the people!
Wednesday 24th April 2013.
The day begins just like any other. The alarm goes off rudely, you press snooze. Another ten minutes can’t hurt. Thirty minutes later you spring up as if you were not in bed, but actually riding a bucking bronco. While in the warm shower you contemplate the pros and cons of your job; sure it’s not your dreeeaam job, but it pays well and you don’t have to work weekends, which means you can brunch. But first you have to get through hump day. You pull on the shirt and trousers you bought from “miscellaneous high street store”, quickly slick your hair, grab a slice of sourdough toast, and head out of the door.
The day before the Rana Plaza garment factory collapsed in Bangladesh, the building was evacuated due to structural safety issues. Staff were warned by the building owner to attend work the next day, or face a penalty of one month’s wages. Staff who were already paid less than enough to live on. All this because our high-street stores needed the clothes cheap and fast. All this for £19.99 jeans and £7.99 t-shirts.
The day before the Rana Plaza garment factory collapsed in Bangladesh, the building was evacuated due to structural safety issues. Staff were warned by the building owner to attend work the next day, or face a penalty of one month’s wages. Staff who were already paid less than enough to live on. All this because our high-street stores needed the clothes cheap and fast. All this for £19.99 jeans and £7.99 t-shirts.
The Igbony Brand
IGBONY is a fashion brand that cares about the future of the planet and its inhabitants. We do all we can to provide clarity about our processes and our reasons for choosing such paths. We are forward thinking in tackling problems faced by the fashion industry over the years and as we grow, we promise not to stray from our trajectory. We believe wholeheartedly in people over profit. For these reasons we exclusively use deadstock and never throw anything away. Buckle in and let us tell you all about it.
Deadstocks are fabrics that designers no longer have use for. You may have heard reference to deadstock in our
previous blog. Throughout the years, when a collection was no longer on sale, production in the factories ceased whether or not the fabric had been used. Rolls, reams and bolts of fabrics were then sentenced to an eternity in landfill, as designers no longer required them. Luckily for us, some fantastic people decided to save these fabrics and resell them. Today there are plenty of deadstock suppliers;
The New Craft House based on Broadway Market,
RS Textiles, as well as
Dalston Mill. Recently industry treasure LVMH have launched their own platform called
Nona Source, this will hopefully shine a brighter light on the initiative. Our favourite deadstock supplier is
Amothreads, we source most of our fabrics from and we pass on the cost savings to you. We could take all of your money and add it to our champagne budget, but where’s the fun in drinking alone? Instead, we make it possible for you to buy a custom made outfit and have enough left in the bank for a bubbly, bottomless brunch with friends.
In the aftermath of the disaster, Fashion Revolution was set up to ensure honesty from fashion houses. Brands were asked to be more accountable and transparent about their supply chain. Where do the fabrics come from? Who is making the clothes? Are the factory workers being paid fairly and reflective of the cost the consumer pays? Note the high-end designer brands often use the same factories as the cheaper stores. We have a lot more influence on these companies than we realise. It is not about boycotting these brands, it is about understanding their processes, reading between the lines and calling for ethical standards across the board.
