The trailer for The True Cost, a new documentary about the fashion supply chain, may make you never want to buy a piece of new clothing again. At least, it will make you regret that slightly weird $14.99 H&M top you bought when you were a little hungover and wore twice. Ok fine, once.
In the aftermath of the 2013 Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh, the negative repercussions of the fashion industry’s rapid growth (it’s now worth almost $3 trillion) have become harder and harder to ignore. Two facts to think about (courtesy of theLA Times): every year roughly 80 billion pieces of clothing are purchased worldwide, which represents a 400% rise in ten years. And of the four worst garment factory disasters in history, three happened in 2012 and 2013.
California-based filmmaker Andrew Morgan, inspired by the reporting on Rana Plaza, set out to investigate the human and environmental impact of garment production. “How did I live this long,” he asked, “without even considering something as basic as where my clothes came from?”
He traveled to 13 countries, including Bangladesh, India and Cambodia to meet some of the world’s 40 million garment workers, and presents his findings in the documentary alongside footage of fashion shows and advertising in New York, Paris and London. Notably, though, none of the brands he contacted for comments were willing to speak on camera — bar a handful of high-end labels known for their ethical standards (Stella McCartney is interviewed in the documentary, as is sustainability consultant Livia Firth, who also executive produced).
But the film is not a downer, Morgan insists. “It’s really just an invitation,” he says, to “take seriously this idea that when we buy something it is a moral act and there is a chain reaction of consequences.”
‘The True Cost’ is in theaters worldwide today.
truecostmovie.com
Credits
Text Alice Newell-Hanson