The day the curtain was pulled on the fashion industry

As we come to the end of Fashion Revolution week, where we have battled to enact future change. It is also vital to look back at the past, reflect and most importantly remember and honour the lives of people who build the foundations for the fashion revolution message.

10 years ago today, one of the worst industrial accidents in history took place. The devastating collapse of the Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh, containing garment factories, tragically claimed the lives of 1,132 people and injured over 2,500 more.

The building was the workplace of factory workers, mostly young women, who manufactured clothes for brands such as Primark, Benetton, Bonmarché, Mango and Matalan.

After multiple ignored warnings of cracks in the walls on the ground floor, these employees were still forced to go to work even though it was deemed unsafe.

On April 23rd 2013, the cracks caused the evacuation and closure of the building, with a warning to avoid the surroundings. However later that day, the owner of the building, Sohel Rana claimed that it was safe and threatened to withhold pay from the workers if they did not return to work.

Because of this, 3,000 workers returned to the building on the morning of the 24th April 2013 and less than a couple of hours later, the building collapsed, crushing those inside it.

This tragic day exactly 10 years ago was put down to the negligence of the building owner but also that of the retailers who turned a blind eye to the conditions, safety and wages of those working for them.

I remember watching these events unfold in the news back in 2013, being 11 years old I couldn't quite comprehend the staggering numbers, but I knew that it rang true for my older family members watching with me. It was completely eye-opening to the older generations who had consumed the flashy facade of the industry without thought to what was going on behind the scenes.

The disaster rang as an overwhelming warning bell for an all-consuming industry, sparking legislation and change to improve working conditions in Bangladesh, and a spotlight on the exploitation of garment workers, but there is still such a long way to go.

We must continue to honour the 51% of Rana Plaza survivors who are still now unable to work at all due to their injuries and we must continue to fight for the rights of all past, present and future garment workers who deserve fair pay, safe working conditions and the right to non-exploitative management.

Thank you for reading today’s blog which is dedicated to those who lost their lives and livelihoods in the tragic event at Rana Plaza.

If you would like to find out how you might be able to help, please visit: https://www.fashionrevolution.org/

If you would like to sign a petition to demand fair wages for garment workers, please visit: https://www.goodclothesfairpay.eu/