Fashion Revolution Week 2023
This week marks a decade since the Rana Plaza tragedy in Bangladesh. More than 1,000 people were killed and many more injured when a building housing five garment factories collapsed.
Fashion Revolution is a global activism movement committed to changing the fashion industry to put the environment and people first. This year, on the anniversary of the disaster, they are raising awareness of their 'Manifesto for a Fashion Revolution’, a ten-point plan designed to act as the building blocks to deliver radical and systematic change.
Read on to discover how we support the manifesto by producing clothing as positively as possible and minimising our impact on the planet and its people. Plus find some ways you can support the #FashionRevolution.
Fair working conditions
Every single worker in our supply chain is paid a fair wage, guaranteed clean and safe working conditions, able to work hours that are not excessive, free from discrimination, harassment and violence, and none of our factories use child or forced labour.
We are proud to be certified to the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), which means that our supply chain is independently audited and meets a stringent set of social and environmental requirements. You can read more here.
Skill and craftmanship
Jo, our founder, and Roger, our managing director, visit our factory partners every six months to connect and collaborate.
We've worked with each of our fantastic suppliers for more than seven years, and with some since the very beginning of Kite over fifteen years ago.
Our factories are relatively small, and owned and operated by people who are experts at what they do and who share the same values as we do. They're not just our partners, they're our friends too.
Pictured here is Jo and Master Ji, one of the core Kite team who has been carefully cutting our patterns for over six years.
Conserving the environment
We are passionate about producing sustainable, ethically made, planet friendly, quality clothing.
We use organic cotton where crop rotation works in harmony with nature. It uses 91% less water to grow than conventional cotton and does not use artificial chemicals.
We also only use GOTS approved dyes to prevent toxic chemicals from damaging the environment.
Looking after precious resources
Our factory partners share our values and approach to sustainability.
One of our suppliers has recently built a new state-of-the-art factory with no fewer than 748 solar panels on the roof!
Just over half the solar energy generated from these panels powers the entire factory. The rest is sold to help others use green energy.
Clothes that are cherished
We make clothes that last. Designed to be loved and worn again and again, our garments are perfect for handing down and sharing onwards.
We use the best quality fabrics that are capable of coping with the scrapes and scuffs of daily adventuring, and we include lots of Kite details that offer longevity, such as name labels with space for multiple owners, functional knee patches, spare coconut buttons and our new grow together styles.
Repair, reuse, recycle and upcycle
We are on hand to provide help and advice about great ways to love your clothes.
You can read our recent blog posts to learn about caring for your clothes and how to do some quick fashion fixes.
Have you considered renting your clothes? We work closely with clothing rental partners who offer parents a way to reduce their environmental impact and save money. You can read more here.
What can you do?
Fashion Revolution have a variety of ways for you to get involved and support change in the fashion industry. Which will you do?
