It was April 23, 2013 when in Savar, on the outskirts of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, thousands of workers from a textile company were brought home despite the dangerous cracks reported in the structure.
All those workers returned to their posts to continue producing garments and accessories for the most prestigious high fashion brands. They did not have time to start again to turn on the machinery that the building collapsed dramatically.
The toll of the collapse was very similar to that of a real massacre: 1.129 dead and over 2.500 injured, most of whom were disabled for life.
From the massacre to the awakening of consciences
The disaster of the Rana Plaza (this is the name of the building) triggered a wave of global outrage that led, again in 2013, to the birth of the Fashion Revolution movement.
The movement was born in the USA by the two co-founders: Carry Sommers and Orsola De Castro. It soon expanded and reached all countries of the world.
Fashion Revolution has as its main objective the formation of an ethical and green conscience with respect to the world of fashion.
The motto of the Fashion Revolution movement is: “choosing what we buy can create the world we want”.
Strengthened by this conviction, the members of the movement were true supporters of the awareness campaigns and denunciation of the true origins of the leaders of the major brands.
Fashion Revolution has greatly contributed to breaking that production chain, often inhuman, which for years has seen the big houses, but also many cheaper fashion brands, exploit the work of workers in the poorest countries on the planet, forcing them to work in conditions similar to those of the Rana Plaza.
Who made my clothes
The question that inspired this year’s Fashion Revolution week was “Who made my clothes?”: asking who produced the clothes you are wearing but also with what materials and with what impact on the environment is a first step towards prevent the Rana Plaza massacre from happening in vain.