Let’s talk about the oppressed garment worker narrative
it’s time for some new stories.
As a person who has spent my career (12+ years now) working along side garment makers to create change from within the system, I’ve often thought of myself as an advocate — fighting to make sure everyone hears the stories of the people on the front-lines of this movement — the garment makers. I’ve thought, if we only just listened, if only we just put workers on more of these sustainability panels, if only consumers cared about the people behind their clothes, maybe brands would pay their workers more* (a misguided understanding of how supply chains work) maybe consumers would be willing to pay more for their clothes, maybe investors would be willing to take a smaller slice of the pie, maybe we’d understand more about the environmental impact of our purchases. Maybe.
But there’s a difference between the story people tell when they have a proverbial camera pointed in their face — and the one that you witness when you get to know a person without an agenda.
When we look for people to tell a certain story and when that story gives them more power in a certain context, those stories end up being more about us and less about the person experiencing…
