Day 10: Labor Behind the Label – Garment Workers Rise Up.
From the Rana Plaza collapse in Bangladesh to the struggles of garment workers in Haiti and Vietnam, fashion’s hidden cost is human. Yet workers – mostly women – organize across borders to demand living wages, union rights, and global accountability. True justice demands we see who made our clothes, and at what cost.
Every stitch tells a story. Whose story are you wearing?
The global garment industry fuels a trillion-dollar fashion economy – but its foundation is built on the underpaid, undervalued labor of millions of workers, primarily women in the Global South. Today, we honor those workers who rise up against exploitation and demand dignity.
A Story of Collapse and Courage: Rana Plaza
On April 24, 2013, the Rana Plaza factory building in Dhaka, Bangladesh, collapsed. 1,134 people died, and more than 2,500 were injured. They were producing clothing for well-known Western brands in unsafe, overcrowded buildings.
But out of the rubble, a movement grew.
Survivors and labor organizers, many of them young women, demanded justice – not just in Bangladesh but across the industry. Workers formed unions. Advocates exposed supply chains. Consumers began asking: “Who made my clothes?”
“We are not machines. We have dreams too.” – Kalpona Akter, former child worker, now labor leader in Bangladesh
Global Movements, Local Power
Garment workers in Haiti protested wage theft in Port-au-Prince. In Vietnam, women walked out in the tens of thousands, demanding protection from toxic chemical exposure. Across India, Sri Lanka, and Cambodia, workers continue to strike against harassment and forced overtime.
Their organizing power challenges corporations that profit from cheap labor while avoiding responsibility.
Fashioning a Just Future
Fast fashion feeds our closets, but at what cost? True justice means:
- Supporting unionized garment factories
- Choosing ethical or secondhand fashion
- Demanding transparency from major brands
- Backing policies like the International Accord on Fire and Building Safety
Learn More & Engage
- FILM: The True Cost (2015) – A powerful documentary on the impact of fashion on people and the planet. Full video available on YouTube in the link.
- ORG: Clean Clothes Campaign – Advocates for workers’ rights in the global garment industry.
- STORY: Kalpona Akter’s Testimony – Read or watch her address to the United States Senate.
- TOOLKIT: Fashion Revolution – “Who Made My Clothes?” campaign resources for activists.
- PODCAST: Remember Who Made Them – Stories from garment workers and ethical fashion changemakers.
Reflect & Act
- Look at the tags on the clothes you’re wearing. Who made them?
- Research one brand you shop from – do they publish their supplier list?
- Host a clothing swap or teach mending as a form of resistance to consumerism.
Let’s stitch justice into the fabric of our daily choices. We can build a world where fashion doesn’t exploit – but uplifts – every hand along the way.
“When we organize, we change the pattern. We are not disposable – we are essential.” – Worker from the Asia Floor Wage Alliance
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