i made your clothes
noctu joins the fashion revolution with it's organic and fairtrade nightwear.
On 24 April 2013, 1,134 people were killed and over 2,500 were injured when the Rana Plaza complex collapsed in Dhaka, Bangladesh.That’s when Fashion Revolution was born. 1,134 is too many people to lose from the planet in one factory on one terrible day to not stand up and demand change.
On 24 April every year, Fashion Revolution Day brings people from all over the world together to use the power of fashion to change the story for the people who make the world’s clothes. We want fashion to become a force for good.
We believe in an industry that values people, the environment, creativity and profit in equal measure.
Our mission is to bring everyone together to make that happen.
We believe transparency is the first step to transform the industry. And it starts with one simple question: Who made my clothes?
Despite a number of international standards, certifications and government legislation to tackle human rights, working conditions are not up to scratch in many of the places where clothing, accessories and footwear is made. Systematic exploitation remains rife.
Human rights violations include cross cutting issues such as forced and child labour, repression and discrimination, and unsafe, dirty and unfair working conditions. Producers and garment workers might face excessive hours, forced overtime, lack of job security, denial of trade union rights, poor health, exhaustion, sexual harassment, discrimination and denial of other basic human rights when on the job.
These problems exist not just in places like Bangladesh but also in developed countries like the United Kingdom and the United States. Thanks to the pioneering work of international NGOs and unions like Better Work, CARE, Clean Clothes Campaign, Fair Wear Foundation, Fairtrade International, IndustriALL, Labour Behind the Label, Oxfam, T RAI D, Traidcraft, War on Want and many others dedicated to improving the garment industry, human rights issues are more visible and better understood than ever before.
These organisations have made significant in-roads into improving conditions for many of the world’s producers. However, the harsh reality remains that basic healthy and safety measures do not exist for huge numbers of people working in fashion’s supply chains. The Rana Plaza factory collapse is the most extreme and familiar example. Since Rana Plaza, the Bangladesh Accord, set up to improve factory conditions, has inspected over 1200 factories for safety hazards and as a result has closed 41 and helped to upgrade many others. But this is just one country where our clothing is made.
If companies don’t know how and where their clothes are made, then there is no way for them to ensure that human rights are protected in their supply chains. Fashion Revolution believes that transparency and due diligence go hand-in-hand when tackling the human rights issues that hide behind our clothing. If we can’t see it or refuse to look at it, we can’t fix it.
We need more transparency from the fashion industry. Transparency involves openness, communication and accountability. Transparency means operating in such a way that it is easy for others to see what actions are performed. Transparency is a means of holding people and businesses to account. It is an approach to doing business and a professional behaviour. Transparency is a means to a better industry, not an end itself. This is what Fashion Revolution means when we talk about transparency for the fashion industry.
“I made your clothes”. Meet Sister Pishpi Francis, she made your noctu nightwear. Fairtrade means having a relationship with everyone along your supply chain, we do.