It's time to clean up the fashion industry – for good.
Too many fashion retailers cut corners to squeeze out profits, at the expense of the people who make our clothes. UK retailers are among the worst offenders. It's been like that for years.
In spring 2020, when Coronavirus struck, things got even worse. Fashion brands refused to pay suppliers — sometimes unlawfully. Millions of the people who make our clothes were unfairly laid off at short notice. It was a real struggle for people to afford food, rent, and school fees for their children.
Fashion retailers must change the way they do business and treat their suppliers properly and fairly! If the retailers don't change, we'll never see an end to poverty wages and unsafe conditions for the people working in garment factories.
The good news is that the UK government is weighing up a plan for a Fashion Watchdog that offers a way forward. The watchdog would make sure that retailers treat their suppliers properly. But the government's ministers for Business are still on the fence about the idea.
We all know that the garment industry must change. It's vital that together we tell the government that we're watching, that we care, and that we won't stop until they set up the Fashion Watchdog.
