Ayesha Barenblatt, founder of Remake
Reports coming in from suppliers that fashion brands had cancelled in-production orders as a result of retail constrictions following the outbreak of coronavirus led to anger and outrage. Fashion brands employ some of the world's poorest and most vulnerable people; in order that these brands make as much profit as possible, salaries are low and conditions in factories precarious and unhealthy.
On March 30th, 2020, New York-based storytelling platform Remake launched a petition demanding brands to #PayUp. The response was immediate. To date, the petition has been signed by almost 55,000 people. Sixteen brands have agreed to pay for back orders, totalling upward of $600 million in Bangladesh.
Conservative estimates are that the #PayUp campaign has helped unlock $7.5 billion in unpaid orders globally. In order to be removed from the #PayUp petition, brands must promise to pay suppliers for all orders that were cancelled or paused as a result of coronavirus. It has become an account of injustice.
In the middle of May, I spoke to Remake founder Ayesha Barenblatt about the impact of CV-19 on garment workers and how fashion needs to adapt to present and future crises on the planet - in more radical ways than most brands currently seem to understand.
Sign the petition here.
To find out more about Remake, read this interview with Ayesha in The Good Trade here.
