We got 21 brands to #PayUp, unlocking $22 billion dollars globally for garment makers and suppliers. So what’s next?
The Future of Fashion.
On our September Community Call we heard from Remake ambassadors and activists Sushmita Meer, co-founder of @whomade.yourclothes, and Britt Pickering, leader of @owlswap at Kennesaw State University about how they engaged with the #PayUp campaign.
Sushmita shared the importance of directly engaging with your audience and giving detailed information about how the exploitation in the fashion industry directly affects the lives of garment makers in Bangladesh where she has friends and family. She emphasized the power of regular people (you and me!) speaking one-on-one with people in their regular circle (think your partner, family, friends, co-workers). You don’t have to have a huge social media following to have a direct impact on many lives.
Her tip: The more information you share directly with people, the more inclined they are to post about it and get involved.
Britt works directly with a diverse group of students and realized that students were getting discouraged about big issues that they felt they couldn’t take action against. The #PayUp campaign energized and empowered these students because they could take direct action, for free, that made an impact. She realized how much intersectionality there is between fashion and so many important issues (think labor rights, women’s rights, the climate, and black lives matter). By starting conversations with students about how their passions and careers were intertwined with the apparel industry, she was able to increase awareness and inspire activism.
Her tip: Speak up! Directly comment on brands’ pages to hold them accountable and pressure them to act.
What now?
We keep the momentum of the #PayUp campaign strong. On this month’s community call, we unveiled the PayUpFashion.com website that asks brands and retailers to commit to 7 tenets that address the urgent need for human rights in today’s fashion system. Co-authored by Ashila Niroshi, Stand Up Lanka; Nazma Akter, AWAJ Foundation; Ayesha Barenblat, Remake; and journalist/author Elizabeth L. Cline, this roadmap to recovery centers the garment workers’ needs above profit and shareholder payouts.
This call to action – led by garment workers and labor organizers – is a set of demands that can no longer wait to be addressed.
How can you help?
- Head to PayUpFashion.com and sign and share our petition.
- Continue to tag brands on social media and ask them how they will continue to #PayUp with stronger commitments to protecting garment makers and making their voices heard.
- Share your actions on social media and ask your followers to take action as well.
- Finally, have those one-on-one conversations with loved ones and colleagues to make them aware of this issue in a way that is inviting, non-judgemental, educational, and inspiring.
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