Fashion Revolution Week | Behind the Label

Words by Amelia Lowry.

5 years have passed since the collapse of the Rana Plaza garment factory in Bangladesh. On this day, 1,138 people lost their lives with a further 2,500 injured, victims mostly being young women. Despite being made aware of cracks in the buildings structure, the owner of the factory ordered his workers to return to work with no regard for their safety. The ignorance towards the conditions of the employees were under some of the biggest names within fast fashion resulting in huge loss of life, making it the largest garment factory disaster in history.

We can no longer be naive about the roots of our garments; we need to question the industry and be accountable for our decisions. As a reaction to the 2013 atrocity, the Fashion Revolution movement began in a bid to challenge the current state of our fashion industry. The global movement runs all year long pushing for a fashion industry where the treatment of people and the environment are questioned.

Marking the 5th anniversary of the disaster this week, Fashion Revolution are holding their #whomadeyourclothes campaign, which aims to encourage brands and manufacturers to respond with the hashtag #imadeyourclothes. Fashion Revolution want to allow consumers to have more knowledge about their clothing and also highlight brands that fail to disclose their manufactures leaving us only to assume they have something to hide.

Through the fight for a more transparent fashion chain, you can get involved by showing the label of your garment and asking the brand 'Who made my clothes?' - just don't forget to use the hashtag and include @fash_rev! To help transform the industry, we need to constantly question the origin of our clothing, research further to find out about the manufactures and the sustainability of the fabrics used.

To see how else you can get involved, visit the Fashion Revolution website to find out more information. 

Words by Hannah Beaumont-Laurencia, Founder and Director of Beaumont Organic.

Today we show our respect to the 1,138 people whom died, and 2,500 injured in the Rana Plaza disaster of 2013 and in doing so we remind ourselves of the true cost of fast fashion. The news shook the nation but still, we see little change to prices in stores and volumes of stocks, with throwaway fashion still dominating the high streets. However, you can rest assured that the ethical fashion movement is building and the growth of fair trade brands and a transparent supply chain is becoming a necessity in business practices for both big and small organisations.

I have been pioneering what was once a niche industry of ethical organic clothing since 2008, and I now look at my sector with great admiration for the brands that have evolved with me over the past 10 years and the journey we have been on. We are stronger together and that is why the Fashion Revolution campaign is so important. It is about uniting brands that are doing things correctly and celebrating our transparent supply chain and ethical practices. This is our world and our life, we have the choice, so let's live with a clear conscious knowing that you are buying clothing that is made honestly!

Here are some key facts about the Beaumont Organic Supply Chain:

Fabric, sourcing and manufacturing amongst other integral components is at the forefront of every Beaumont Organic garment. It is not just the final beautiful garment that makes Beaumont Organic clothing so special; it is the story behind the garment and the conscience you have knowing everything has been sourced and made fairly.

From the moment our cotton is planted, we can trace it. Our GOTS certification tells us where the cotton was organically grown and knitted.

All our factories are family run, visited regularly and are very much part of the Beaumont world. The team in Manchester speak to them daily and they are an extension of the Beaumont Organic family. We only work with factories that are within the EU, pay fair wages and provide good working conditions for their staff.

We also allow large lead times for production to ensure the factory workers can manage our orders within their working day and do not have to work longer hours.

We ensure we pay fair prices for our products based on the average salaries in the country and the quality of the manufacturing. We must respect what our factories need to receive for making our garments and be grateful to have such a good relationship with our workers.

The transportation of our goods to the UK is by road to minimise environmental impact caused by emissions.

Our ethical business practices are also at the forefront of our eco web packaging, office supplies and more recently in the fitting of our beautiful store in Manchester which has been furnished with all reclaimed and handmade in England products.

Beaumont Organic transcends its ethical principles in all aspects of business, from large accounts, to the factory workers, as reflected in our underlying company ethos: Respect, trust, loyalty, integrity and gratitude must be extended to all those sharing the world of Beaumont Organic.