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Bangladesh

Thursday May 16th, 2013

Abercrombie & Fitch Joins Bangladesh Safety Accord as Other American Retailers Develop Competing Initiative

Abercrombie & Fitch Joins Bangladesh Safety Accord as Other American Retailers Develop Competing Initiative

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Abercrombie and Fitch has become only the second American brand, after Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger parent company PVH, to sign the Bangladesh fire and safety accord, WWD is reporting. The retailer joins the 30 some companies–mostly European–who have signed onto the IndustriALL Global Union-led agreement including H&M, Zara, Topshop, Mango, Bennetton, and Joe Fresh.

Gap and Wal-Mart, two of the world’s biggest retailers who routinely produce out of Bangladesh, still have not signed the accord. Wal-Mart revealed on Tuesday it would be pursuing it’s own initiative to improve worker safety in Bangladesh–and now it looks like other American retailers will be following a similar path.

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Published at 10:15 AM

Wednesday May 15th, 2013

Wal-Mart, Gap Fail to Sign Bangladesh Safety Agreement

Wal-Mart, Gap Fail to Sign Bangladesh Safety Agreement

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Earlier this week news broke that H&M, Zara and C&A had joined PVH, the parent company of Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger and Izod, and German retailer Tchibo in signing onto the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, a legally-binding agreement which requires retailers to help finance the fire and safety improvements needed in the area.

And while the move has inspired some retailers to join plan, others, like Wal-Mart, Topshop and Gap, have failed to do so.

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Published at 12:00 PM

Monday May 13th, 2013

H&M, Zara Make Commitment to Safety Reform in Bangladesh

H&M, Zara Make Commitment to Safety Reform in Bangladesh

by Dhani Mau and Hayley Phelan

In the wake of the recent Bangladesh factory accidents (the Rana Plaza collapse that has killed 1,127 as of today, and, more recently, a fire that killed eight), the call for labor reform in the Bangladeshi garment industry has grown louder and louder. As pressure mounts, both in Bangladesh and abroad, it seems that industry execs and government officials are finally taking the first steps towards creating a safer, more fair work environment in Bangladesh.

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Published at 1:31 PM

Friday May 10th, 2013

Jennifer Aniston’s Hair Stylist Gave Her the ‘Rachel’ While Stoned and Miley Cyrus Tops Maxim’s Hot 100 List
Fashion News Roundup

Jennifer Aniston’s Hair Stylist Gave Her the ‘Rachel’ While Stoned and Miley Cyrus Tops Maxim’s Hot 100 List

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Miley Cyrus has just been crowned #1 on Maxim’s Hot 100 list and to celebrate, she took off her top and flashed her bum. Again. {Style Caster}

Chris McMillan, Jennifer Aniston’s long-time hair stylist, admitted he was stoned when he gave her the famous “Rachel” cut. No word on what her condition was at the time. {WWD, subscription required}

Gwyneth Paltrow (aka “People‘s Most Beautiful Woman) asked Miranda Kerr at the Met Ball if it was “weird to be that pretty.” {InStyle UK}

Makeup artist Peter Philips explains the graphic two-toned eye liner he gave the models at yesterday’s Chanel cruise show. (Don’t fight it anymore–blue eye makeup is a thing.) {Style.com}

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Published at 1:45 PM
Fashioning Workers’ Rights For Women
From the Runways of New York to the Factories of Dhaka

Fashioning Workers’ Rights For Women

by Sara Ziff

The runways of New York and the factories of Bangladesh could not seem further apart. Yet they both drive a global, 1.5 trillion dollar industry: the fashion industry. And in both cases, the work is performed overwhelmingly by young women and girls–fashion models, on the one hand, and garment workers on the other–both of whom are struggling to assert their rights in a hostile labor environment.

Sara Ziff, founder of the Model Alliance took a trip to Dhaka last summer to learn more about the garment industry there and see the conditions on the ground. In this exclusive video, you’ll learn about Sara’s trip, and her more recent work with international labor rights groups (WRC, ILRF) and activists like Kalpona Akter and Tazreen Factor fire survivor Sumi Abedin. Watch and get the message out: let’s put the pressure on major labels to sign on to the Bangladesh Build Fire and Safety Agreement.

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Published at 1:00 PM

Thursday May 9th, 2013

What Brands, Workers, Governments and We Must Do in the Wake of the Tragedies in Bangladesh
Moving Fashion Forward

What Brands, Workers, Governments and We Must Do in the Wake of the Tragedies in Bangladesh

by Tanwi Nandini Islam

I woke up this morning to news that there had been yet another garment factory fire in Bangladesh, which killed 8 night shift workers. A collective shaking our heads is in order, before we get into the very necessary next steps that fashion brands, the Bangladeshi government, garment labor groups, and we, the “fashionistas,” must take. With 900 garment workers dead and counting, the Rana Plaza factory collapse on April 24 is the worst disaster in the garment industry’s history. Sadly, there are no guarantees it is the last. Just after the collapse, I’d called for brands to start holding their factories accountable, and for us to resist buying fast fashion.

The glaring truth: boycotting brands does further damage to this delicate situation.

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Published at 6:41 PM
Factory Disasters Increase Demand for Fair Trade Fashion

Factory Disasters Increase Demand for Fair Trade Fashion

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Disasters like the recent Bangladeshi factory collapse (and a fire that happened just today) are highly publicized reminders of the inhumane working conditions in which many of the products we use and wear are produced.

The only silver lining: According to the New York Times, such incidents increase demand for ethically-produced products, and the urgency with which retailers must respond to that demand.

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Published at 1:30 PM

Wednesday May 8th, 2013

Suzy Menkes Talks Blogger Backlash, the Perils of Fast Fashion, and Getting Flashed by Madonna
Events

Suzy Menkes Talks Blogger Backlash, the Perils of Fast Fashion, and Getting Flashed by Madonna

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Last night, Fern Mallis sat down with Suzy Menkes for the latest installment of her “Fashion Icon” series at 92Y.

The noted fashion critic candidly (and sometimes hilarious) addressed everything from catching an upskirt view of Madonna sans underwear at the Met Gala, why she didn’t like Punk: Chaos to Couture, and why she was surprised by the negative response to her controversial “Circus of Fashion” piece.

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Published at 1:00 PM

Tuesday April 30th, 2013

Monday April 29th, 2013

Friday April 26th, 2013

A Call to Action Following the Garment Factory Collapse in Bangladesh
Ours is a Hand-Me-Down World

A Call to Action Following the Garment Factory Collapse in Bangladesh

by Tanwi Nandini Islam

The garment industry of my motherland, Bangladesh, is burning, collapsing and struggling to stay afloat in the world economy.

The worst part?

All goods belong to the lowest bidder. No safety regulations, no living wage and no respect for the health, bodies and wellbeing of workers. As the Bangladeshi government scrambles in the face of another “accident,” thousands are protesting against abhorrent conditions in Bangladesh’s Savar Industrial Zone.

The names of the retailers’ tags discovered in the rubble: Mango, Joe Fresh and United Colors of Benetton. I can’t help but lament the irony of these names—evocative of the tropical, the colorful and alive, much like the verdant landscape of Bangladesh. The same sickening feeling I had on November 24, 2012, when a factory fire killed 112 Bangladeshi workers. Post-Thanksgiving meal, I jumped to sweep up Black Friday deals. More ironic names: Faded Glory. Gap.

Buried among these lost garments are the bodies of folks, mostly women, who knew that something was terribly wrong with the building when they clocked into work.

Now, where do we fit it in?

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Published at 6:10 PM

Thursday April 25th, 2013

Mango and Joe Fresh Reportedly Among Brands Produced in Collapsed Bangladesh Factory
The Business

Mango and Joe Fresh Reportedly Among Brands Produced in Collapsed Bangladesh Factory

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According to the latest reports, there are now 230 confirmed dead and hundreds injured, with an unknown number of people still unaccounted for. The disaster comes on the heels of two deadly fires at nearby factories.

In addition to the sharp rise in body count, several new details have emerged since yesterday’s tragic incident, including which brands are involved and details on what’s being done to prevent similar disasters in the future.

Here’s what we know:

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Published at 12:15 PM