“One person’s fashion is another person’s disaster” - Hillary Clinton. Hello everyone, Welcome to my new blog. Today, I am going to share something which you might have heard of and also very shocking to the core of our world. Before that, Have you ever watched this film called “The True Cost” which was released in 2015? If not, I would like to recommend you all to watch this important film before getting into my blog.
The True Cost is a 2015 documentary film directed by Andrew Morgan that focuses on fast fashion. It discusses several aspects of the garment industry from production—mainly exploring the life of low-wage workers in developing countries—to its after-effects such as river and soil pollution, pesticide contamination, disease and death. Using an approach that looks at environmental, social and psychological aspects, it also examines consumerism and mass media, ultimately linking them to global capitalism. The documentary is a collage of several interviews with environmentalists, garment workers, factory owners, and people organizing fair trade companies or promoting sustainable clothing production. The cast are Livia Giuggioli, Stella McCartney, Vandana Shiva, Richard D. Wolff, Lee Roger, Orsola De Castro and more.
After watching this film gives me utter shock and disgust to the core by the Fashion Industry corporations. One major thing that really affected me is the 2013 Savar building collapse when a commercial building in Bangladesh named Rana Plaza toppled and killed over a thousand workers. I felt really depressed to see these many people suffering and their families crying for their losses. Many people were injured and almost lost their legs which made me perplexed that how come I haven’t heard about this incident at all. It is so disgusting to see how this fashion industry doesn’t take responsibility for the garment worker’s lives. They didn't care much about them at all and the only thing they cared about was money and status. I really don’t wanna mention these fashion brands as you have already seen in the film. These many tragic incidents not only happened in India but also in many other countries like Istanbul, Copenhagen, Tokyo, Moscow, Cairo, Abu Dhabi, Delhi, Karachi, Hong Kong, etc.
Another shocking thing which I saw was that we dive further into the rabbit hole and see how we defile earth for more cheap cotton. "Shockingly" pesticides in soil aren't healthy for the locals. These disabled children were born sick because of pesticides. After seeing them and their helpless families waiting for their child die in young ages once again you look at your wardrobe with disgust. Cotton represents nearly half of the total fiber used to make clothing today. As consumption of clothing increases, the cotton plant is reengineered to keep up with this speed. Larhea Pepper, an organic cotton farmer in Texas, underlines that in the past 10 years more than 80% of the cotton has become genetically modified, using vast amounts of water as well as chemicals such as pesticides and insecticides. These chemicals have impacts both on the land and human health. Therefore, we have to start looking at the problem from a broader perspective.
Thus, The True Cost sheds light on this high level of inequality and addresses the fact that we are increasingly disconnected from the people who make our clothes. This documentary changes your view on one of the major parts of your life. It does a very good job on delivering the horror that we don't see. Definitely the best documentary film of 2015. This film is also available on Amazon Prime Video.
Bibliography: -
The True Cost - Documentary (2021) Youtube.com. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxhCpLzreCw (Accessed: 15 October 2021).
The True Cost - IMDb (2021) Imdb.com. Available at: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3162938/ (Accessed: 15 October 2021).
The True Cost - Wikipedia (2021). Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_True_Cost (Accessed: 15 October 2021).
The True Cost Documentary: Fast Fashion & Consumption's Darkside | Purpose Up (2016). Available at: https://www.purposeup.com/true-cost-fast-fashion-darkside/ (Accessed: 15 October 2021).
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