Q&A with Safia Minney MBE on ‘Slave to Fashion’

London – Modern slavery is a subject most fashion businesses tend to shy
away from. Although many deny its presences within the fashion industry,
the fact remains that modern slavery is very much present in all areas of
the industry. But what does modern slavery in fashion really look like? And
what can be done to eradicate it once and for all? These are some of the
questions being tackled by social entrepreneur and founder of fair trade
fashion brand People Tree Safia Minney MBE, who seeks to end modern slavery
through a new project launched on Kickstarter, FashionUnited spoke with
Minney in order to learn more about her campaign, modern slavery and what
she hopes to achieve with ‘Slave to Fashion.’

How would you define modern slavery within the fashion industry?

“Through my work in fair trade over the past twenty-five years I have seen
several different aspects of exploitation in the fashion industry at its
worst. Modern slavery is forced and bonded labour. Sometimes it occurs as
the consequence of human trafficking – people who were promised better
lives are ending up in very vulnerable positions within the supply chains
that are part of the fashion industry. It also includes child labour, which
is anything from children picking cotton right the way through to them
working in spinning mills and manufacturing. Modern day slavery is
effectively the worst side of highly exploitative business practices in the
industry. And exploitative conditions run right through the supply chain
and are in every sector.”

“We need to starting looking at some of the structural changes we can make
in order for this not to be an issue.”

Where did the idea for ‘Slave to Fashion’ come from?

“A lot of us in the community – social justice and environmental/human
rights community – are very excited about the Modern Slavery Act and felt
that this was an opportunity to really talk directly to the public about
the questions they should be asking retailers and manufacturers to do. And
the campaign really builds on the campaigning work we have done over the
past few years through the , the and campaign. We really
have an opportunity now to continue to raise awareness on modern slavery.
Much of the campaigning and lobbying work has had an impact – although it
is not significant enough in changing policy and we need to keep the debate
and pressure up.”

Pls plede your
support to my @slavetofash #ethicalfashion #kickstarter #campaign! We have
reached 60% of our funding goal with 10 days left! Share it to your friends
and families toooooo! #sharingiscaring #everylittlehelps #support
#socialjustice #changetheworld #togetherwefight #allinornothing
#sustainability #sustainabledevelopment #fashionrevolution #johnhilary
#waronwant #nomorefastfashion #slowfashion #nakedfashion #transparency
#pledge #womenempowerment #whomademyclothes #modernslavery
#supplychain

A photo
posted by Safia Minney People Tree (@safia_minney) on May 9, 2016 at 4:36am
PDT

Why the two parts – book and educational campaign?

“After the True Cost documentary, there were a lot of people who were
incredibly moved. I had a lot people who reached out and wrote to me to
tell me how shocked they were and how much it changed their relationship
with clothing and with consumption. They really wanted to know more and
they really wanted to know what they could do. I think this campaign can
begin to really look at some of the stories and how to in terms of both
profiling the enormous impact of bad business practice and how policy needs
to change.”

“The campaign will give people an opportunity to really be a part of the
change and give them some really concrete information on what they can do
to put pressure on companies and what questions they can ask. It was clear
that we also need a sort of informational package that people could
download from an educational micro-site, which can then be taken into
schools, colleges, fashion educational institutes, because so many people
are passionate about this subject. At the same time people do want
something that they can hold and acts a composite for the best information
on the matter. So having the mini-documentaries running from the book the
same way fashion shows are shown, amongst other things, the best campaigns
over the past three years and the most beautiful sustainable and ethical
lifestyle stores around the world, linking all that back to film just gives
it another dimension. And hopefully it will inspire consumers, business,
future social entrepreneurs and future brands.”

What sets ‘Slave to Fashion’ apart from other campaigns against modern
slavery?

“Apart from the two parts mentioned, our hope is to really lead a debate on
how we can take the social and environmental externalities in the fashion
system into costing, into price architecture, into policies that support
it, and all areas of business. At some point we have to have an economic
system that reflect the true cost and we don’t.”

”Of course there are extremely progressive brands within the fashion
industry that have embraced different levels – such as upcycling or using
organic and natural fibers and materials – and who are starting to look
into the many initiatives and how they can make the needed improvements.
But it is incredibly slow and we have some big battles to fight. Of course
being ethical in the fashion industry is very price sensitive,
time-consuming and risk sensitive. In the UK there is a big debate going on
about local production which is very interesting, so we will looking at
modern slavery within the UK and Europe context as well. So I think there
is some progress in some areas but really it just is not going fast
enough…we will be looking at what kind of reporting we should be asking
companies to do at the same time.”

What do you hope to achieve with a ‘Slave to Fashion?’

“I think for me having come across incredibly vulnerable people, having met
slaves within the fashion industry and having felt the frustration of not
knowing their journey of how they ended up there and not being able to help
them to escape from that situation has made me want to tell their stories.
I want to tell the very personal stories of how these people ended up in
these positions and I want to find of way of liberating them. It sounds
incredibly ambitious, but if we can do it on a small scale then we can do
it large scale, I do believe it is possible. Understanding how an 8 year
old ended up in a factory floor sick for 4 days, 600 miles away from his
family and what’s going to happen to him because he cannot work at the
moment. I think we really need to meet these children and adults who have
been forced into a situation of work. These very real, human stories of
slaves will be very powerful and I am hoping will make the public angry
enough to want to put their energy and rethink their consumption and put
pressure on mainstream companies to change their practices.”

Do you think fashion companies should be accountable for modern
slavery?

“I think that companies are fully responsible and to blame for this. I
think local authorities and national governments can do their bits
obviously, but we know that in some of the countries where modern slavery
exists there are buyer cartels. They are very discreet, but they are
forcing prices down and through that they are forcing the wages into
something that is very far away from a minimum wage. The result is that
there will be some form of bonded labour t, or forced labour or even child
labour. I do not think anyone argues that the fashion businesses are not
taking responsibility, but at the same time they are clearly not taking
responsibility.”

So what are some key steps fashion companies can take to help
eradicate modern slavery?

“First they have to do a proper audit to assess who the suppliers are that
they are working with and what percentage of their turnover is from what
company, what kind of conditions subcontractors are working in, what kind
of policies they have in place in terms of safety and environmental
standards. There is a lot they can do. Retail is incredibly dynamic and
innovative field and they are able to deliver this in terms of product. So
we are asking them to do it in terms of producers, the people who make the
product. We know that it is very possible for them to do.”

“There are many opportunities for shared know how and expertise. We can see
there are a lot of workshops and conferences to do just that. We have been
setting up a programme to help fashion companies do just that and study
ethical, fair-trade and sustainable concepts and put them into place. There
is a lot of information out there but it’s really more the will that is
lacking. So this is why the ethical fashion movement is so important, as
one of the key raises of putting ‘Slave to Fashion’ together is to convey
all this to consumers and show what is possible, within a fashion context.
I think we can all see that we all have an important role to play in the
different parts of the fashion industry – whether we are a consumer, or a
designer or a merchandiser, or a shareholder in a company and there are
many different ways we can push the debate forward.”

What can consumers do to fight against modern slavery?

“My experience is that consumers are starting to get bored with
fast-fashion, so slowly down that whole process of buying. Buying less new,
and when you buy new then buy vintage, second hand, ethical or fair-trade.
Swapping clothes with friends, wearing more what you have, seeking out
ethical brands and eco-concept stores like the ones featured in my book
‘Slow Fashion’ – there is a huge movement of these beautiful stores.
Learning more about the issues, watching documentaries like the True Cost,
setting up screens to show how our consumption and social justice and
environmental issues are linked. And of course by supporting ‘Slave to
Fashion’. There are many different initiatives out there, but you can also
talk to your favorite brands and retailers. Although it is very easy to get
duped by the ‘green-washing’ some companies use so we do need to be a
little more conscious and more savvy when it comes to that.”

Love a good
vintage shop BLITZ. Buy less new & when you do, please protect workers
rights & our planet by making it ethical, Fair Trade & #organic
#fairtrade #fashrev ##ethicalfashion #slowfashionbook @slavetofash

A photo posted by Safia Minney People Tree
(@safia_minney) on May
10, 2016 at 1:10am PDT

Why is this campaign so important to you?

“Having been going in and out of slums and conventional factories to really
understand what fair trade is fairer than, whilst building up an
alternative side, I feel as if the stories of the exploited and the
vulnerable are not being told properly. I think with the Modern Slavery Act
we have a very powerful opportunity to really galvanise a debate and to
educate consumers and all of us alike to really look at the best practices
and encourage it whilst making everyone a part of the solution. Personally
for me, it’s wanting to bring those stories out and to really personalise
them and not get side-tracked by tales of how it has trickled down and
everyone has to suffer for a bit, or that these people would be worse off
if they were in prostitution, wouldn’t they?”

Photos: Slave to Fashion cover, Safia-minney.com