At 4am on a chilly Thursday morning, six women climbed began their ascent of the Shard. They had no permission, but they did have a mission: to get to the top, where Shell couldn’t fail to see them, and demand they stop their destructive plans to drill in the Arctic.
What Victoria, Liesbeth, Ali, Sabine and Wiola did was incredible, and clearly we can’t all climb the Shard. However we can take inspiration, courage and hope from them. Writing before the event on the Greenpeace blog, Victoria said:
“Am I scared? Hell yeah I’m scared. But I know that fear is only what you make of it. For me this is a personal act of bravery, and I hope that it can encourage anyone hesitating about taking action – no matter what scale – to take that step today.”
Every day people are being beaten, abused and even dying because of the fashion industry. If there is one group of people who should stand up and be brave it is those who believe in ethical fashion.
Since the Bangladesh disaster there have been some great achievements, from the signing of the Bangladesh Accord by several major brands to War on Want picketing Mango and Benettonfor refusing to compensate victims.
However some actions have been much more questionable. For example, People Tree have released a t-shirt that helps raise funds for the victims of Bangladesh. It’s a nice gesture, but if the good companies start helping out victims then it lets the bad companies off the hook.
It’s time to take inspiration from the Shard climbers and get bigger and bolder with our demands. If you’re inspired by these six women, and want to see strong action in the fashion sector, then join our Fashion Mob. We’re a group of ethical fashionistas who want to change the world. Anyone can join, and don’t worry, climbing large buildings is definitely an optional extra!
Photo: David Sandison / Greenpeac
No comments:
Post a Comment