London Ethnic for "Fashion Revolution Day"
London Ethnic joined the global movement "Fashion Revolution Day" which was launched after the
horrific Rana Plaza catastrophe in Dhaka on 24 April 2013. The factory collapse led to 1133 victims
dead and thousands more injured, casting a dark shadow over the history of fashion.
London Ethnic hosted their second commemoration for the fashion workers who lost their lives that
terrible day, in London at the Lollipop Gallery on 24th April 2015. The event raised money for their
families and increased awareness of the human work exploitation in fashion brands and the
importance of ethical and sustainable principles in the fashion industry.
London Ethnic -Made In London, is an ethical fashion house that produces all of their clothes locally.
They know the names of all of the artisans who produce their clothes, the conditions they work in
and have visited them in London. The fashion presentation included brand-new ready-to-wear
designs from the London Ethnic House produced in collaboration with in-house designers Eleanor
Johnson and Nuria Carvajal Garcia with designer Reece Walywn Curtis. The AW15 collection is
comprised of structured, geometric designs inspired by the London Skyline. The colour palette
reflects London's street and skies in sophisticated hues of blue and grey.
The invite-only event gave the opportunity for politicians, leading ethical fashion campaigners, press,
bloggers, photographers, models and members of the fashion industry to discuss the ethics of
fashion. Speakers talked about how it is could be possible that thousands of people were harmed
making clothes that the wearers of the clothes, and the label ordering the clothes, knew nothing
about. More positively, the emphasis was on what the fashion industry and consumers can do to
help make sure that such tragedies are never repeated.
Anna McMullen, representative from the charity 'Labour Behind the Label' encouraged guests to ask
labels "Who Made My Clothes?" - which became a globally trending hash-tag on twitter. She said,
"The Fashion Industry has an amazing capacity for change. It can change the world."
Rushanara Ali of the Labour party said "This is a cause that I feel personally very passionate about.
We can make a difference through ethical fashion companies. I was part of the Parliamentary group
that visited Bangladesh after the tragedy. What happened was a crime. We need to make sure that
these kinds of man-made accidents never happen again."
Alistair Poulson from the Green Party said: “Consumers are interested in where their products come
from and they are far ahead of politicians and companies.”
There were complimentary drinks sponsored by Chi, nibbles by Urban Fruit and Cortez Treats and an
exhibition from the artist Dragica Carlin entitled: ‘A Myriad of Marks’. Musical entertainment was
provided by guitarist Luca Fiore and saxophonists Oli Orletto and Julian Costello.