Big Ideas Brief | The True Cost

'The True Cost' poster

Yesterday, we were introduced to our new topic for the next few weeks which is all to do with 'Big Ideas'. To ease us into the subject and help us to gain more of an understanding about what we are going to be covering, we watched a documentary called "The True Cost". 

The True Cost was a documentary made to make consumers aware of who really makes the clothes we wear as well as who really has to pay the price. It focuses on fast fashion and the reasons why they are able to price their clothing at ridiculously low rates.

Despite the fact that I knew about ethical issues within the fashion industry, after watching this documentary, I was shocked about how little I actually knew. When I walk into a high street store such as H&M or Primark I purchase clothes, only thinking of myself and how they are so affordable. But not once have I questioned "who made my clothes" as well as what the person who made them had to go through in order for me to pay this low price. To be honest, I think this is the same for the majority of consumers within the fashion market. 

This documentary showed different LEDC's that have been effected by the fast fashion industry. One incident that really effected me was the 2013 Rana Plaza tragedy in Bangladesh where more than 1,000 employees were killed in the collapse of a factory building. The worst thing about this tragedy is that it could have been prevented since the building had already been marked as an unsafe building. Nevertheless, the owners of the factory continued to allow their employees to work there. This just shows that the industry does not care how the clothes are made and who has to suffer in the process because as long as the garments are made, the safety and lives of the workers weren't worth the price of the clothes. 

Many documentaries about the harsh reality about the fashion industry have been released. But out of the many that I have seen, this was the most effective. They didn't cover or attempt to sugar coat anything. They showed the rawness and realness of how harsh the industry is and how it is all about making money rather than the safety and well being of people. They didn't just show the slums and sweatshops but they showed the glamour as well so that viewers could really experience the contrast between the two worlds as well as how well the brands are able to cover this aspect of the industry.

I would highly recommend that everyone should watch this documentary so that you can see that despite the fact that your clothes were cheap, someone is paying the price. Next time you pick up an item from a fast fashion retailer, ask yourself "who made this?"

Thanks for reading.