Three years on from the Rana Plaza collapse in Bangladesh and the ugly side of fashion hasraised its head again. This time in the form of Beyonce’s new Ivy Park label and accusations of 63 cents an hour sweat shop factory workers.
Labels are happy to spend vast sums of money on celebrity endorsements and social media selfies, but are far less keen to say how and where the clothing is made. Behind the scenes cost savings and aggressive margin targets are regularly applied. This is like building a skyscraper and skimping on the foundations to afford a nicer façade. Unfortunately customers are kept in the dark until the next scandal unfolds.
British label Drake & Hutch believes change is long overdue and plans to save the world one pair of pants at a time!
They have broken away from the traditional closed door retail model and instead offer full transparency in production. A simple idea, from cotton grower to garment maker, every stage of production is advised for each luxury pair of pants they make.
Founder Pete McGuinness spent two years traveling the world looking for suppliers who shared his passion for high quality comfort and it became clear those with the happiest staff, who are treated well and paid fair wages, produced the best quality clothing.
He explains: “once I spent three hours talking with the floor manager of our Italian partner mill and soon realised he was as passionate about the fabrics he was weaving as he was about his beloved AC Milan. It’s enthusiasm like this at every stage of production that gives us pride in telling the story behind how and where we make.”
This is a small step in the right direction and one we hope will become the norm as opposed to the exception. Being open and honest about how and where clothing is made gives power back to the customer and this is where the drive for change must come from. We believe putting on the right pants in the morning is as good a place to start as any!
You can find more information about Drake & Hutch and their transparency policy online at drakeandhutch.com/suppliers.
