Labour Behind The Label

This publication presents three case studies, alongside ideas of how to use them in fashion education, to illustrate different ways sustainability is being approached and interpreted in Bangladesh by diverse companies.

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In a breakthough for labour rights, Nike has agreed to pay £968,000 to garment workers after the closure of two of its subcontracors in Honduras. The clothing giant finally caved in after a year of mounting pressure from universities and grass roots campaigning by students across the US.

Fashion connects us to people across the world. Fashion students - the next generation of industry players - can have a role in transforming the industry so that in the future beautiful clothes are produced whilst respecting the rights of people and the planet.

This short film, which is available to watch online, introduces Fashioning an Ethical Industry and the work the project has been doing with fashion schools, colleges and universities to equip them with the tools and resources to teach their students about ethical issues. It features interviews with representatives from London College of Fashion, Centre for Sustainable Fashion, Traid, Soil Association, Asia Floor Wage and Bangladeshi Garment Workers.

The film was shot in spring 2010 at Fast Forward, the project's international conference, held at the Rich Mix Arts Centre in London and Fashion Victims, an event held at University of the West of England for 14 - 18 years olds. You can learn more on the Fashioning an Ethical Industry website.

The latest edition of FEI's magazine, Sense, folds out to create a poster of the best in graduate ethical fashion for 2009. Find out more about how you, as a students or tutor of fashion, can get involved in creating a more ethical industry in this one of a kind publication.

(Fashioning an Ethical Industry, June 2009, 8 pages)

Sense is a beautifully produced magazine for fashion students, covering everything from business ethics to sourcing fair trade fabrics, packed full of industry tips and profiles of students designing an ethical industry. Sense offers inspiration and ideas for students wanting to learn about ethics in fashion and get involved in creating change while at university or college.

Fashioning an Ethical Industry has produced a range of factsheets for students and tutors, providing case studies and background to the issues facing garment workers the world over. 

Click here to link to the full range of downloadable FEI factsheets.

Step Into Her Trainers is a teaching pack aimed at Fashion & Textiles related courses, Citizenship, and Geography, at KS4, A-level and BTEC. This pack has been produced for the Playfair 2012 campaign, calling for better conditions for workers in sportswear and merchandise factories worldwide in the lead up to the Olympics in London 2012.