Venetia Falconer
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AD I am absolutely thrilled to be working with @V AD I am absolutely thrilled to be working with @VestiaireCo, my favourite online resale platform for vintage and second hand clothing and a leading global platform for pre-loved fashion.⁣ ⁣ Not only are the quality of Vestaire’s pieces second to none, you can use the filters to find specific brands, sizes, price points, materials and shipping locations. What’s more, they pride themselves on community and trust, which is why they vet every single item before it goes live on the site, and they also authenticate every item sold.  ⁣ ⁣ It is a real honour to be partnering with @VestiaireCo alongside the wonderful @AjaBarber and brilliant @DPontarlier for this campaign film. Buying and selling second-hand items is a great way to encourage circularity within the fashion industry, and it’s something we should collectively prioritise, wherever we can. ⁣ ⁣ Let’s love clothes longer and Remember Who Made Them. ⁣ #CollectiveForChange
Are you a UK taxpayer? Then chances are you've bee Are you a UK taxpayer? Then chances are you've been helping a billion dollar business shirk its responsibility to pay workers fairly.⁣ ⁣ Just when @boohoo (the parent company of @prettylittlething) thought their unethical labour scandal in Leicester had gone away, they’ve cut ties with yet *another* clothing supplier after it emerged that a director was involved in money laundering. Select clothing was also accused of VAT fraud.⁣ ⁣ Boohoo don’t care for transparency (a mere 3,000 new items on their site per week), so they’ve refused to share a total number of terminated contracts. It’s hard to know exactly how many suppliers they’ve dropped as a result of labour abuse allegations since July, but it’s at least 3.⁣ ⁣ Brands including Pretty Little Thing have paid cash laundering companies £8million over a 2.5 year period. How did this happen? The demand for new, fast and cheap clothes is fuelling fraudulent activity. With factories unable to make a profit from the low prices demanded by retailers, many suppliers turn to VAT fraud as a way to actually turn a profit. ⁣ ⁣ For more info and resources, check the slides and do check out the brilliant BBC Radio 4 investigation “All Sewn Up” with Ashni Lakhani and Paul Kenyon (via BBC sounds), which was released on Tuesday night. It is WELL worth a listen. ⁣
Every week, there’s a new ‘H&M did a good thin Every week, there’s a new ‘H&M did a good thing!’ story. ⁣ ⁣ Whether it’s championing biodiversity or starting a new resell platform, the group are clearly spending a lot of money on their marketing. ⁣ ⁣ Money which could be going to their garment workers, none of whom by the way, are making a fair living wage. This was something the brand promised to achieve in 2013, but, we’re still waiting. ⁣ Sure, they’ve cut ties with one supplier after forced labour with the Uyghur people was unearthed (see my highlights for more), but we have to ask: why were they using this forced labour in the first place?⁣ ⁣ Of course: it’s not just H&M. The majority of fashion industry is making vast profits on the back of unethical labour. (For more: listen to the @RememberWhoMadeThem podcast). ⁣ ⁣ We’re going to see more and more fast fashion brands in the headlines with their recycled yarns, conscious collections and celebrity collaborations; as their garment workers are literally risking their lives standing up for their rights. ⁣ ⁣ There is a huge disconnect. And I’m not here for it. ⁣ Are you with me?⁣
Some thoughts after some falafel in the September Some thoughts after some falafel in the September sunshine🌞🧆 Please read the caption... ⁣ ⁣ The fashion system is broken and it’s not going to be fixed by consumer habits alone. But after speaking to multiple garment workers and their unions over the past few months, they’ve expressed that they need our solidarity. They are standing up and calling out brands and factory owners. Why can’t we do the same? We shouldn’t underestimate the power of social media. Especially when those with big platforms are making big money for unethical businesses… (NB: if a business is unethical - it isn’t sustainable🙃).⁣ ⁣ Brands spend millions curating their image and they care hugely about their reputations. If we collectively call them out on their unethical practices, they panic. This panic can lead to the change that we so desperately need: for the lives of garment workers to be put first. If garment workers are treated fairly, this will also lead to reduced production🌎 (because lord knows the workers can’t continue at the rate at which they’re being forced to at the moment).  ⁣ ⁣ •Please note that I’ve signposted a specific bracket of influencer. I am aware of my privileges and I’m not in a position to pass judgement on anyone who does not have those same privileges⁣ •I am not here to criticise marginalised folks for the paid partnerships they take on, in fact I support them. Their work needs to be seen and it needs to be paid for⁣ •I purposefully don’t call out individuals on this page, so please don’t tag influencers in the comments⁣ •If you think an influencer needs to wise up on the harmful practices in which they’re participating, please do direct them (via DM) to the ample resources provided in my posts and highlights and to the @RememberWhoMadeThem podcast⁣ •If you are an influencer that ticks the boxes listed in the second slide and you find this post confronting, you are more than welcome to donate your fast fashion pay cheques to the @RememberWhoMadeThem Patreon, this money will go direct to garment workers 🙃⁣ ⁣ ♻️#OOOTD (Old Outfit Of The Day): shirt is 5 years old, jeans are vintage⁣ #SecondHandSeptember
Let’s normalise not asking people about their re Let’s normalise not asking people about their reproductive systems. You never know what they’re going through and you don’t want to add to their trauma. ⁣ ⁣ “Was it planned?” Also falls under this bracket. ⁣ ⁣ If they want to talk to you about it, they will. ⁣ ⁣ And while we’re here, I get a lot of messages asking how I feel about having kids in relation to the environment and “population control”. I too have been fed the same headlines about saying “the best thing we can do to tackle climate change is to stop having children.”⁣ ⁣ A few things to consider on this one:⁣ - Indigenous communities live in harmony with the planet, irrespective of the amount of children they have⁣ - instead of shifting the blame to the individuals’ decision on whether or not to have a child, perhaps we should be working to dismantle the systems that lead us this point of questioning? ⁣
Why should we support brands who don’t support t Why should we support brands who don’t support their garment workers?⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ I’ve been banging on about this for months, but I’m not going to let it go. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Over the weekend it emerged that @Topshop (owned by former billionaire SIR Philip Green) had accepted tens of millions of pounds to pay furloughed staff. Unite union then started legal action against Arcadia Group and the company have since agreed to pay head office staff facing redundancy their full salaries.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Apparently Arcadia and Sir Phil are “extremely sorry" and "apologise unreservedly”.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ OK @Topshop, but why aren’t you paying your garment workers for work that they completed prior to the pandemic? Their lives are literally being put at risk. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ After speaking to multiple workers and their unions on the @RememberWhoMadeThem podcast, I cannot stay silent on this. And it’s not just Topshop. Brands including @Balmain, @UrbanOutfitters, @FreePeople and @OscarDeLaRenta are literally putting the lives of garment workers at risk. And it’s not as if garment workers are asking for much, they just want a fair living wage and their dignity. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Topshop’s apology proves that brands care about their reputations. With that in mind… ⁣⁣ •If you’re a consumer, I implore you to flood brand’s social media platforms insisting that they #PayUp. ⁣⁣ •If you’re an influencer and you’re working with these brands, have you considered that these brands are using you to perpetuate their values and cover up their crimes?
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