Tag Archives: Rana Plaza fire

Sew 56 – Fashion Revolution coming

silk jumper to skirt and scarfThis was a knit fit for refashion. You know those long jumpers that were fashionable in the ‘90s? This was one of them that I chopped and changed into a skirt and scarf.

The story of your clothes – where they come from, who made them and what from – suddenly became relevant all over the world after fashion’s footprint was set alight by the devastating Rana Plaza fire in which 1129 people died on 24 April last year.

This year on April 24, Fashion Revolution Day will remember those workers lost for the sake of fast fashion at cheap price.

A Choice magazine article on ethical fashion, Australians spend $2288 on clothing and footwear this year – but it’s almost impossible to discover the clothing supply chain of its origins.  Continue reading

Sew 30 – Library full of knowledge

tablecloth turned skirtThis garment was upcycled by Jane Milburn of Textile Beat. It is part of the Sew it Again project to demonstrate a different way of dressing by repurposing exiting clothing for pleasure, reward and sustainability.

That’s my job this year because I’m stepping up. As Rachael Robertson says in her book Leading on the Edge … ‘if you have the expertise or knowledge, speak out and step up into leadership, regardless of your position’.

The current propensity for endless, almost mindless, consumption means our world is bulging with cast-off clothing which we don’t know what to do with because home-sewing skills are now as rare as hen’s teeth.

Perhaps we are at a turning point. The fashion industry is recognizing the need for change after last year’s Rana Plaza fire in Bangladesh exposed exploitation and a fashion revolution is underway.  Continue reading