About the 3-part podcast series: Who Made My Clothes?
Have you ever wondered who made my clothes? Or considered what life is like for the people who stitch our garments, what sort of conditions they might be working in, and how much they’re paid? In this 3-part series of the Fashion Revolution Podcast, we will be exploring these importance questions and discuss the findings of the Garment Worker Diaries project. We will hear about the difficult living and working conditions of garment workers across the world, and explore the ways we can work together to change things for the better.
Episode 1 – Garment Workers’ Voice
The first episode in the 3-part series “Who Made My Clothes?” asks us to consider the stories behind what we wear and introduces an ambitious research project that collects data from garment workers around the world. Tamsin talks to Fashion Revolution’s Head of Policy Sarah Ditty, Dr Mark Anner, Penn State professor and Director of the Center for Global Workers’ Rights, Ethical Trading Initiative’s Debbie Coulter and Kalpona Akter, former child garment worker and Bangladeshi union activist, to examine garment worker’s collective voice in affecting change, the obstacles that make unionisation a challenge, and the progress being made in this. Download Episode 1 from iTunes
Episode 2 – The Garment Worker Diaries
The Garment Worker Diaries is a yearlong research project focused on the lives and wages of 540 garment workers in Cambodia, Bangladesh and India. Tamsin speaks to Guy Stuart and Eric Noggle from Microfinance Opportunities, the lead project researchers, to unpack what the garment workers earn and buy, what their working and living conditions are like, and what sorts of things they do to get by on their very low income. We dig deep into the data to reveal just how much economic, workplace and home-life stress these women face. This is the second episode in the 3-part series “Who Made My Clothes?”. Download Episode 2 from iTunes.
Episode 3 – Working Together Towards Change
This final episode in the 3-part series “Who Made My Clothes?” explores the practical ways local, national and international players can help bring about justice for garment workers globally. Tamsin speaks to the co-founders of Fashion Revolution, Member of European Parliament Linda McAvan, and Jenny Holdcroft, the Deputy Secretary General of IndustriALL Global Union to learn how positive change can happen from all angles; from workers themselves, from governments around the world, from brands and consumers. Find out how you can get involved in Fashion Revolution and how to make your voice heard in the movement towards a cleaner, safer, fairer and more transparent fashion industry. Download Episode 3 from iTunes.
Check out the Fact File to learn more about some of the statistics and terminology you have heard throughout the podcast.
Discover the new Garment Worker Diaries Cambodia report.
Take Action! Ask your favourite fashion brands to give garment workers a voice
If you listened to the podcast series, you have heard about how important it is for garment workers to have a voice at work.
Through trade unions and collective bargaining, workers can negotiate with their employers and governments for wages that will support themselves and their families. They can also address issues related to working conditions such as long hours, discrimination, and health and safety.
Visit the Fashion Revolution Take Action site to discover resources to help you add your voice to the conversation. You can also use our letter template to write to your favourite brand.