An international movement is taking up root in Egypt. Born to the spirit of ethical fashion and aiming to push brands to end grim conditions for those who create, cut, and sew our clothes, the Fashion Revolution has all of Instagram screaming the hashtag #WhoMadeMyClothes.   

The virtual event, which takes place on April 18-24, was launched last year on the anniversary of what was one of the most significant accidents in the fashion industry worldwide: the factory collapse in Bangladesh. On 24th April 2013 in the city of Dhaka, 1,134 people were killed and over 2,500 were injured when the Rana Plaza complex where they were working in collapsed.

The accident put the spotlight on a multi-million dollar industry based on cheap off-shore labor. This year, Amancio Ortega, owner of Spanish fashion company Inditex–which includes Zara and Massimo Dutti - overtook Bill Gates to become the world’s richest man for a brief period of time. Now, what happens when you look at Zara’s labels?   

Last year, tens of thousands of people from over 70 countries around the world took part in Fashion Revolution Day, asking brands #WhoMadeMyClothes to demand better for the people who make clothes.

This year, the movement not only took root in Egypt, but was also joined by some of Egypt’s most hip, creative brands, such as Garage Leather and Amina K., who are displaying photos of those who created their clothes on Instagram. Upfuse, created by two Egyptian entrepreneurs who recycle bags to create astounding handbags, synchronised their summer collection launch, on April 26^th, with the event, as they introduce their sexy stylish items with guest speakers introducing the concept of “look good, do good.”               

 

In contribution to Fashion Revolution Week. Meet our fellow upcyclers behind your Up-fuse bags.  These are Nabil and Hanna, both upcycle the plastic bags at Roh El Shabab (the recycling school) NGO at the Garbage City in Cairo, Egypt. Where youth who dropped out of school go to continue their education and earn income at the same time to support their families.  Nabil (on the left), coordinates the upcycling process, makes sure the cleaning process to the upcycling process. Checks on the quality control and makes sure that everyone's working at a safe condition. With a passion of art and painting (he actually painted the wall behind him) he helps the youth to mix and match the colors of the plastic sheets, unraveling their creativity, giving you the one of a kind pattern on an Up-fuse bag.  #whomademyclothes #imadeyourbag #imadeyourclothes #fashrev

A photo posted by Up-Fuse (@upfuse) on Apr 18, 2016 at 3:14am PDT

 

Thank you AminaK for sharing your production transparency with us!  One of the leading Egyptian fashion designers 🙋🏻💪🏼 Support local! Be Curious and Find out #whomademyclothes  #Repost @aminak_egypt with @repostapp. ・・・ We believe in supporting all local artisans and workmanship, we believe in providing a healthy clean workspace. We are against the working conditions Mass producers expose their labor to.  In response to @fash_rev_egypt we have decided to be transparent and to reveal #AminaK workshop and the people behind our fashion wear.  Thank you @upfuse for helping us to contribute in such an amazing global movement. #whomademyclothes#imadeyourclothes#fashionrevolution#fashrev

A photo posted by Fashion Revolution Egypt (@fash_rev_egypt) on Apr 20, 2016 at 4:11am PDT 

 

@thaategy is a socially responsible design studio based in Cairo, Egypt. Thank you @periabouzied for sharing this lovely photo with us!  #Repost @thaategy with @repostapp. ・・・ This is Adel, a 28 year old hardworking young man who is the pattern maker at @thaategy studio. #whomademyclothes  #fashionrev "Each and every product we wear carries a story, a story of an invisible person who has been invisible for so long. It's  time for our products to have a face. All meaningful change starts from within  one's self " ~ @periabouzied from @Thaategy ,  a cairo-based social enterprise and studio that produces an ethical brand 'Thaat' which means "The Self" in Arabic. @fash_rev @upfuse #whomademyclothes #fashionrevolution

A photo posted by Fashion Revolution Egypt (@fash_rev_egypt) on Apr 21, 2016 at 1:36am PDT 

 

#Repost @garageleather with @repostapp. ・・・ Fashion Revolution Salah has worked with us two years ago. He is very skilful craftsman. We are now not just friends, we consider him as part of our family.  We are against labour exploiting  @fash_rev_egypt  #fashrev #imadeyourclothes #garageleather

A photo posted by Fashion Revolution Egypt (@fash_rev_egypt) on Apr 23, 2016 at 7:58am PDT