Positive ways to employ garment workers around the world - Lucy and Yak

No one should ever die for fashion. That is undebatable. Garment workers around the world, from Leicester to Bangladesh, are working in dangerous and unethical conditions. Fair wages are hard to come by for many, but unfortunately no problem is ever simple to solve. For thousands, working in fashion production is the only way to make money to support their family – they are exploited by big companies that know this and take advantage of it to increase their own bank balances.

However there are some companies that offer living wages and safety to garment workers abroad. One such brand is Lucy and Yak.

Lucy and Yak are most well known for their fun dungarees and loud prints, but they also prioritise the environment and the people that work for them. Not only do they use ethically sourced cotton and natural dyes, but they also partner with factories in India and Turkey that employ and train local people so they can become financially independent.

Under the ‘Our Suppliers’ tab, Lucy and Yak identify each factory they are working with by name, with locations included, so traceability is clear. So many fast fashion companies hide which factories make their items and it can be impossible for the average consumer to find this information out, so it is refreshing to see Lucy and Yak being so transparent. For their main factory, buyers can get to know the people behind their clothes too, as there are pictures and profiles for the 47 tailors who are employed there.

My friend owns a pair of the dungarees below. Just by looking at the label, she knows her pair was made by Ghotya, as it has her name and tailor's number on. You can get to know Ghotya on the website!

Not only do they support the garment workers themselves, Lucy and Yak also support the communities around them. Their Do Black Friday Differently scheme doesn’t offer obscene discounts, but instead donates the money spent on their dungarees over the Black Friday weekend to a school next to their main factory. Money raised pays for girls to attend school, to buy uniforms and books, and to pay for exams and teacher fees. Enabling girls access to a fundamental human right is an incredible way to reduce the severely negative impact Black Friday has on garment workers (who are mostly women and girls), who are forced to work in deadly conditions to support shoppers’ desires for a cheap clothing haul.

Lucy and Yak’s transparency and support for their staff is fantastic. However, how great would this be if this was the norm? If no one that worked with our clothes was hidden away, but the whole supply chain could be out in the open with nothing to hide? The more we ask brands ‘who made my clothes?’, the sooner we will reach a future where the fashion industry is ethical and responsible.