7 things you need to know about Fashion Revolution Week

London is proudly one of the fashion capitals of the world, but our fast changing style can come at a significant cost - paid by hidden workers making our clothes in factories from Bangladesh and China to South America. The global Fashion Revolution movement is on a mission to change this:

1. What is Fashion Revolution Week?
Today marks the four year anniversary of the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh, in which 1,138 garment factory workers were killed and a further 2,500 people injured.

Now in it’s third year, Fashion Revolution Week remembers those that had their lives cut short in the name of fast fashion and works to improve the conditions and wages of the 75 million garment workers across the globe.

2. Who’s behind it?
Fashion Revolution was co-founded in London by fashion designers Orsola de Castro and Carry Somers.

The movement has now spread to almost 100 countries. It has support from celebrities and big names in fashion including Stella McCartney, Lily Cole and Lauren Laverne - to name few.

3. Why is it important?
Globally the fashion industry is worth more than £2 trillion. At least six of the world’s top 20 richest people listed on Forbes billionaires list are in retail - including Amancio Ortega from Zara, and Bernard Arnault CEO of luxury goods conglomerate LMVH.

At the other end of the scale, 90 per cent of cotton farmers and factory workers have no possibility of negotiating their wages or conditions.

"Have you ever wondered who makes your clothes? How much they’re paid and what their lives are like?," asks Orsola de Castro.

"Eighty percent of them are women between the ages of 18 and 24. Many of the people who make our clothes live in poverty. This needs to change.”

Fashion in numbers

150 billion number of items of clothing that are manufactured every year

2 weeks typical time it takes to go from design to final production

80 per cent of garment workers who are women

£1.31 the extra amount a t-shirt would cost if workers were paid a living wage

18 months how long it takes a garment worker to earn what a fashion brand CEO makes on their lunch break

4. What has changed since Rana Plaza collapsed on 24 April 2013?
Passed in 2015, the Modern Slavery Act requires UK companies that turnover £36m to publish an annual report on the steps they are taking to root out forced labour.

More and more companies are starting to publish their supplier lists, and with greater transparency comes accountability. It's much easier to apply pressure on a factory to stop human rights abuses if you know which UK fashion brand they are making clothes for.

5. How to take part in Fashion Revolution Week
Take a label selfie, tag the brand and ask them #whomademyclothes on Twitter and Instagram account.

Last year, #whomademyclothes reached 129 million people through 70,000 posts. Around 1,200 brands responded, some with an opaque link to their CSR policy, others with detailed information and even photos of the garment workers.

6. How to shop more ethically
Project Just and the Not My Style app are two companies providing consumers with practical advice about how to improve their buying habits.

Thanks to increased consumer awareness, ethical and stylish brands with online shops such as Gather & See and Reformation are gaining traction, especially with women in their late teens-early thirties.

Londoners on tight budgets could swap clothes with friends or shop for second-hand items, because at least this means garments are being re-used rather than going to landfill.

But if you just can’t break the high-street habit follow in Emma Watson’s footsteps and only buy something if you can be sure you’ll wear it 30 times to help you buy less, and slow the fast-fashion cycle.

7. What else is happening in London for Fashion Revolution Week
There’s a Fashion Question Time being held at Parliament today, hosted by MP Mary Creagh. You can follow what happens on #FQT.

There’s also a whole week of events, from film screenings - True Cost is a must-see if you haven’t watched it yet - to fashion debates and swishing (fashion swap shops) evenings.

Click here for a full list of events.