This year Fashion Revolution Week runs from the 18th-24th of April. The 24th marks the anniversary of the 2013 Rana Plaza collapse in Bangladesh, which killed 1,135 people and injured another 2,500 in one of the worst industrial disasters in history. It is a harrowing symbol of the dangers that garment workers face. 

The 2022 Fashion Revolution Week theme "Money Fashion Power", highlights the power imbalances in the fashion industry and the exploitation of the people who make our clothes, and aims to bring us together to learn and take action to demand living wages and safe working conditions for those people.

No one should die for fashion.

As citizens of the world we all have the power to rally for change. As a brand with sustainability at their core, it is our responsibility to work towards a better world for all. For us this starts with who we choose to work with, and the ways we produce our loungewear. 

rho organic loungewear is made by a Fair Trade manufacturer

We are incredibly proud and grateful to work with Mehera Shaw, an amazing environmentally-conscious manufacturer based in Jaipur, India, that have a people-centered approach to sustainable production. They are a member of the WFTO (World Fair Trade Organisation, #1047), the Fair Trade Federation in the US and Craftmark. They produce everything in-house in accordance with the Fair Labour Standards, and also offer a range of employment benefits to their staff which go above and beyond these standards such as micro loans, health insurance and annual bonuses.

All Mehera Shaw staff and artisans are full-time salaried employees and are always paid a living wage, on time. Living wages mean that they can meet all basic needs such as housing, food, clothing, transportation, children’s education, health care and have the ability to save for their future. This kind of financial security has an immediate and huge impact, not just on the worker themselves but their whole family. They can keep their children in school through graduation, giving them a chance at a better future, it improves domestic stability, and provides the freedom to focus on gaining more skills and education. 

You can read more about Mehera Shaw and our social commitments as a brand here.

We only use 100% GOTS certified organic cotton

This ensures that everyone involved in the production of rho fabrics is protected by the social and environmental standards of the GOTS programmes and are paid a living wage as well. 

A living wage is not a luxury, it is a fundamental human right.

"The mainstream fashion industry is built upon the exploitation of labour and natural resources. Wealth and power are concentrated in the hands of a few, and growth and profit are rewarded above all else. Big brands and retailers produce too much too fast, and manipulate us into a toxic cycle of overconsumption. Meanwhile, the majority of people that make our clothes are not paid enough to meet their basic needs, and already feel the impacts of the climate crisis – which the fashion industry fuels." — Fashion Revolution.

TAKING ACTION 

Here's how you can get involved in helping to improve the wages and working conditions of garment workers across the world:

• Sign the Good Clothes, Fair Pay campaign petition demanding living wage legislation across the garment, textile and footwear sector. They need 1 million signatures from EU citizens to push for legislation that requires companies to conduct living wage due diligence in their supply chains.

• Follow Fashion Revolution on Instagram and educate yourself about the power imbalances in fashion supply chains and what you can do about it.

• Demand transparency from brands. Ask "who made my clothes?" by tagging them in your Instagram pictures or sending them an email.