8 Actions You Can Take to be a Part of The Fashion Revolution Week!

Are you Familiar with Fashion Revolution Week? 

It’s the week that brings together the world’s largest fashion activism movement for seven days of action surrounding the anniversary of the Rana Plaza factory collapse on April 24th, 2013 (the fourth largest industrial disaster in history). More than 1,100 people – mostly young women – died in the collapse and another 2,500 were severely injured. 

The shared vision of this movement is for a fashion industry that conserves and restores the environment and values people over growth and profit. The majority of people that make clothing are not paid enough to meet their basic needs. That’s why the theme for this year’s Fashion Revolution Week is MONEY FASHION POWER. Popular Big brands and retailers in this industry produce too much too fast, and that takes us into a never ending cycle of overconsumption and pollution that is damaging our lives, minds and the Earth.

If you have seen yourself trapped in this cycle but want to change, this might be your call to start! Slowly but surely we can all do something in order to start a revolutionary new fashion industry, for a better present for us and a better future for the planet.

Let’s do this together! Here is a list of 8 ways that you can join this revolution, not just this week, but always:

1. When shopping for clothes, look for fabric certifications (ie. GOTS, OEKO-TEX, Bluesign System, Naturtextil) to support brands who aren’t polluting our waterways and putting their workers at risk with toxic substances. At Encircled, we use OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified, so you can feel good knowing your clothing is free of harmful chemicals. We also work with one of the last Dye Houses in Canada, Ajax Textile. By having our fabrics dyed locally, we know the dye house has met Canada’s stringent regulations covering the dye and finish industry; the same regulations don't exist in many countries overseas. Not only does Ajax Textile meet the Canadian standards, but their discharge levels are far below both federal and provincial standards.They work with the City of Ajax to continuously monitor their waste water to ensure it’s treatable by the municipal sanitary authority. To learn more about Ajax Textile, click here. 

2. Support brands who ensure their workers have safe working conditions and are paid fairly. There is no sustainable fashion without fair pay. Pressuring the Industry to pay fairly can transform the lives of the workers and help redistribute money and power in the global fashion industry. At Encircled, not only are our factories subject to the high labour standards of the Province of Ontario, we also have each factory sign our Ethical Code of Conduct checklist, to go above what’s required by law. Learn more about our factories here.

3. Support local brands who aren’t transporting their clothing production overseas (reducing CO2 emissions) and can oversee their factories to grant best practices. Our factories are all within a short drive of our Toronto studio, greatly reducing the environmental impact of transporting our clothing.

4. Look for sustainable fabrics with low-impact dyes, positively impacting both the planet and your health. These are fabrics that are grown without the use of pesticides, herbicides, or artificial fertilizers and have the advantage of being biodegradable and avoid using plastics. Some of our favorite fabrics are: modal, bamboo, linen, organic cotton etc. Not only are these fabrics more gentle on the planet, but they’re incredibly soft and elevate any style. Learn more about our fabrics.