People across the world are encouraged to send in their selfies showing the label of their clothes with the #WhoMadeMyClothes?. We did it this morning on the Twitter account (which you can see here) with our own stuff.
I chose my Topshop fringed black dress today as I have to go to work. I wasn't confident in my choice but still, could be worse! So I checked the label - Mauritius. Could be worse no? Was that a good place? No?
So I did a google.
Apparently Topshop were accused of slave labour wages at the same factory in 2007. Articles claimed that workers were asked to work 70 hour weeks at 40p an hour in the factory which also produced Kate Moss collection. That is half the working wage in Mauritius.
The workers are given a target to make for the day and if they do not make it - they are sent to their dorms and suspended.
Green promised to treat the allegations seriously and there is no more recent information since the 2007 articles. However, its worrying that it takes reporters to instigate change. He sees nothing wrong with this until a reporter exposes it then it becomes about damage control. How badly damaged is the company image?
Here is a fact for you - Arcadia (the group Green owns of which Topshop is part) works with 983 factories the world over. Their top five countries are : China, Turkey, Romania, Mauritius and India. All of which are countries where the wage is low and the turn over can be high. Mind you, if the garment your holding says UK on it - don't get too excited. UK law means that you can sew a button on a garment made in India, in the UK and claim its manufactured here.
Know where your clothing comes from.
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