A decade on from the Rana Plaza disaster, when a Bangladesh clothing factory collapsed killing 1,138 workers, Fashion Revolution UAE is staging a week of events to promote transparency, sustainability, and ethical practices in the industry.
The horrific event in Dhaka was one of the world’s worst industrial tragedies and highlighted the failure of many top fashion brands to protect their workers in poorer manufacturing countries.
Fashion Revolution Week 2023, which starts on Monday April 24, aims to raise awareness about the impact of the global fashion industry on the environment and people while inspiring a shift towards more sustainable consumer behaviour.
Taking part in what has become an annual event are industry leaders, educators, designers, academics, writers, producers, makers, workers, and fashion fans.
The week will focus on three objectives; to ensure the industry respects culture and heritage, fosters skills and craftsmanship, and never appropriates without giving due credit or permission.
The organisers are also working to promote solidarity, inclusiveness, and democracy, while championing diversity as a core value.
The third it to bring to the industry’s attention to waste, repairing, reusing, recycling, and upcycling to prevent overflowing wardrobes and the use of landfills.
Fashion Revolution Agenda
On Monday the topic is ‘Fashion for all by all. Can fashion become a force for good?’ Araceli Gallego, Fashion Revolution UAE Country Coordinator and founder of Goshopia will moderate a panel with Ameni Esseibi- a plus-size model, Jen Sault from Thrift for Good and Theresa Tsui from Skills3.
Tuesday will see ‘What goes around comes around: Circularity in fashion’ where Fashion Revolution Marketing Manager Armelle Montmayeur will open the floor with BCN Circular Fashion’s Sylvia Calvo, Angana Maheshwari from Veganologie, a representative of reusable maternity wear group My Joliebump and Salima Alaoui from Upsclusive.
‘Cultural Appreciation vs Cultural Appropriation’ in the theme on Wedsnesday with Araceli Gallego, Dr Reem El Mutwalli from The Zay Collective, alongside Reiting Lee, and Yasmin Barakat from The Oriental Hybrid.
Thursday will feature ‘Caring for your clothes’ with Armelle Montmayeur, Marie Sulebi from Tidynest, and Olivia Bou Anton from Because We Care.
The final debate will look at ‘Building the agenda on the road to COP28’.
The organisers say: ‘Let’s have a collective brainstorm to express what the community and civil society expects and wants for the coming COP28, what problems concern us and what solutions we need to be implemented.’
A day full of events at the Media One Hotel is the climax to the event running from 11am.
It includes the Sustainable Souk pop-up market, Climate Fresk Workshop, an opportunity to create a capsule closet workshop with Silke Styles, a Declutter Masterclass, and a book signing by architect turned fashionista Vino Supraja
Also on the day will be a theatrical presentation, a documentary screening, and the final of a design competition for students.
For more information and for registration to attend head to the fashion revolution website here
