London – Beyonce’s sportswear line Ivy Park, which is sold by Topshop, has been
accused of using “sweat shop labourers” who earn as little as 4.30 pounds a
day.
The Sun on Sunday reported that the clothing range, which Beyoncé
launched to help “support and inspire women,” is being made by seamstresses
in Sri Lanka who are earning just 44 pence an hour making the sportswear in
the MAS Holdings factory in the country.
According to the tabloid, a 22-year-old seamstress stated that she
earned 18,500 rupees (87.26 pounds) a month, just over half the Sri Lankan
average wage, for a nine and three-quarter hour shift, five days a week,
plus overtime. Meaning it would cost the workers more than a month’s wages
to buy a pair of Beyonce’s 100-pound leggings.
“When they talk about women and empowerment this is just for the
foreigners,” one machinist told The Sun on Sunday. “They want the
foreigners to think everything is OK.”
Even though the workers are being paid more than the legal minimum,
which is 13,500 rupees a month, many campaigners described the labour as a
“form of sweat shop slavery” and that a living wage is closer to 43,000
rupees.
Jakub Sobik, from the charity Anti-Slavery International, told the
tabloid: “This is a form of sweat shop slavery. There are a number of
elements here that tick the boxes in terms of slavery, the low pay,
restriction of women’s movement at night and locking them in.
“Companies like Topshop have a duty to find out if these things are
happening, and it has long been shown that ethical inspections by these
companies are failing. They should be replaced by independent
inspections.”
In response to the claims, a Topshop spokeswoman said: “Ivy Park has a
rigorous ethical trading programme. We are proud of our sustained efforts
in terms of factory inspections and audits, and our teams worldwide work
very closely with our suppliers and their factories to ensure
compliance.
“We expect our suppliers to meet our code of conduct and we support them
in achieving these requirements.”
Beyonce’s Ivy Park sportswear collection in collaboration with Topshop
launched with more than 200 items in April. Inspired by sportswear favoured
by the artist, the collection includes clothing, footwear, and accessories,
for a wide range of fitness activities, such as dance, running, and
yoga.
Images: Ivy ParkIvy Website