Every morning we dress for the day. How we chose to dress reflects who we are, influences our wellbeing and impacts our environment.
My choice is natural-fibre and op-shop found, adapted using simple home-sewing skills. My choice is deliberate, authentic, ethical and sustainable. I am upcycling clothing that already exists in the world, sharing Sew it Again ideas to inspire others to refresh what they already have rather than buy more.
Your clothes tell a story about who you are. Fashion has its own story too, and it’s turning into a force for good with Fashion Revolution Day. Here’s the Fashion Revolution story:
On April 24 last year, 1133 garment workers were killed when the Rana Plaza complex collapsed in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Over 2500 were injured. Today, people are still suffering as a direct result of our fashion supply chain.
Fashion Revolution Day says enough is enough. Initiated by an international board of industry leaders, campaigners, press and academics from within the fashion sector and beyond, Fashion Revolution Day’s first campaign asks ‘Who Made Your Clothes’ with a simple call to action: turn an item of clothing inside out showing the label, take a selfie and post it on social media with the hashtag #insideout. You can go one step further by tagging the brand you are wearing and asking if they can tell you who made their clothes or even ask them via a video like this.
Fashion Revolution Day wants to use the power of fashion to catalyse change and reconnect the broken links in the supply chain. With one simple gesture, wearing an item of clothing inside-out, we ask people to question who made their clothes, to imagine the thread linking the garment to the machinists who sewed it, all the way down to the farmer who grew the cotton.
We hope this will initiate a process of discovery, reminding consumers of the fact that buying is only the last click in a long journey involving hundreds of people: the invisible workforce behind the clothes we wear. We want hundreds of thousands of people to make that gesture which will, in turn, raise awareness within the fashion industry that they need to reinforce a process of change.
We want to encourage positive change by celebrating the brands and businesses that are opening the doors to their makers so we’d be delighted if you would take part in the first Fashion Revolution Day and join over 55 countries in helping consolidate a fairer future for fashion.
ONE SIMPLE GESTURE
Turn a garment inside out
Reveal the swing tag or label
Take a selfie
Upload to your social media of choice
Hashtag #INSIDEOUT
Tag the brand you’re wearing & ask Who Made Your Clothes?
Remember the victims of Rana Plaza
Help change our fashion future
Spread the word
I’m proud to be part of the Fashion Revolution Day Australian & New Zealand working committee as an upcycler inspiring social and environmental change in the way we engage with our wardrobes.
Today’s upcycle Sew 105 is a wool jumper with a small hole, repaired with a few stitches which are further disguised with a cotton tie left over from Sew 104. The crinkles will fall out when there’s a warm body inside. The skirt was a silk dress with a very skimpy top, which I removed. I added an elastic waistband to refashion the bowed fabric into a skirt.
