The Zara workers’ protest shows why fast fashion should worry all of us
If I search for #Zara on Instagram, I can see well over 22m posts of people
wearing clothing that was bought from the retailer, everywhere from Dublin to
Dubrovnik, New York to Newport. If you’re reading this in an office, I’d bet you
a tenner that someone, somewhere in the building is wearing a Zara shirt or
jacket. In the UK, Zara has been a high-street fixture since 1998, and has a
growing number of stores. Millions of us have brought the brand into our homes –
and so millions of us should be shocked and infuriated by reports that factory
workers in Istanbul have been hiding notes in the clothes that they have been
producing for one of Zara’s suppliers, pleading for help. One note apparently
read: “I made this item you are going to buy, but I didn’t get paid for it.” The
workers were reportedly left unpaid after their factory shut down overnight.
In 2013, Rana Plaza, a building in Bangladesh that housed five garment
factories, collapsed, killing more than 1,100 people and injuring thousands
more. At the time, the tragedy was believed to be a wake-up call, one that would
permanently change the way that the goods we consume are produced. Yet just 17
brands have signed the Apparel and Footwear Supply Chain Transparency Pledge,
and there has been a spate of fires in garment factories.
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It’s too easy to dismiss the complaints of underpaid workers as a women’s
problem. When we do this, we don’t acknowledge that every one of us is part of
the solution, regardless of gender. I know many men and women who are horrified
by the way so many of our clothes are produced, and are doing their best to
consume more carefully, by introducing no-spend months or ensuring that they
only ever buy second-hand clothes. However, we need a much more effective
solution, and something that can be implemented at a higher level.
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