#IREMEMBER1136: Shut up for Rana Plaza & Fashion In Time Of Pandemic
London – 24.04.2020
On the anniversary of the Rana Plaza factory disaster, a worldwide campaign has been quietly inaugurated to launch the hashtag #IREMEMBER1136 alongside a permanent, global, annual observation of a minute’s silence at 11.30 a.m. every 24th of April to remember the 1,136 lives lost (according to survivors) and to maintain momentum locally, nationally and internationally for efforts to build a more ethical and sustainable fashion industry
#IREMEMBER1136 is not dissimilar in scope and ambition to the hashtag-led initiatives #metoo (which originated in the USA) and #clapforourcarers (which originated in the UK).
#IREMEMBER1136: SHUT UP FOR RANA PLAZA was unveiled at a low-profile Zoom panel session earlier in the day convened by Yasmin Choudhury of Lovedesh. Alongside her were: Ohidul, Rana Plaza survivor via audio call, Nazma Akter – Awaj Foundation, a former garment worker; Salahuddin Ahmed, Documentary Journalist; Masud Rumee, Business Editor, Kaler Kantho, Monir Ahammed, Owner, NCS Apparels; Jaya Chakrabarti, CEO of data organisation that produces tiscreport.org; Andrew Wallis, CEO & Founder of Unseen, an anti-modern day slavery organisation; Dominic McVey Entrepreneur & former Chairman of HELA, an apparel manufacturer worth $200 million.
The UK’s Safia Minney MBE, pioneer of sustainable fashion, Founder of People Tree, is backing the campaign, commenting on its timeliness at a time of the global pandemic of Coronavirus COVID-19: “What’s happening NOW with COVID and the humanitarian crisis unfolding is due to our shockingly unjust economic and finance systems. That’s what allowed the Rana Plaza Building collapse. Everything must change post COVID. We need to rewrite our trading system with Fair Trade principals at its heart — people, nature & climate alongside profit.”
Veteran British Labour politician Murad Qureshi, London Assembly Member whose parents hailed from Bangladesh is another backer: “I remember well the Rana Plaza collapse dominated the world headlines for several days and put the spot light on health & safety in Bangladesh factories. I am glad a lot of progress has been made on this front now in Bangladesh between the garment industry and their clients but we should never forget such an event. I am just sad to hear that a lot of the workers of the garment industry in Bangladesh at this anniversary find their jobs and livelihoods under threat as the world economy comes to a stop almost as a result of the response to #coronavirus.”
The founder of #IREMEMBER1136 has been Yasmin Choudhury, the British-born, London-based social entrepreneur and creative director and founder of ethical luxury brand Lovedesh and her teenage daughter Amber Choudhury-Kaye both of whom have Bangladeshi heritage. Choudhury has a long association with global development initiatives most recently through her Fashion in Time of Pandemic (FITOP) and is founder of a grassroots charity Amcariza Foundation. She won Entrepreneur of the Year at the National British Muslim Awards in 2016 for her work. And nominated in British Bangladeshi Power & Inspiration list twice.
The #IREMEMBER1136 is a crowdfunding campaign which features the Lovedesh Tee, the “kindest” and “rarest” limited edition t-shirt created by the mother and daughter design duo in collaboration with some of the survivors and relatives of the 1,136 who died in the factory collapse seven years ago. It is 100% organic cotton and made by women in a worker owned factory in Bangladesh whose wellying the duo personally checked having learned the Bengali language
Choudhury said: “If there can be a #MeToo and #ClapForOurCarers,we can also have a #IRemember1136 hashtag to remember the downtrodden and exploited. This idea is over 10 years in the making and was given blessings by the survivors and relatives of those who died in Rana Plaza. We want to fund new solutions to protect our planet and support workers and charities who will lose income both in Bangladesh, UK and abroad from buyers cancelling their orders and the impact of Covid-19. Each sale of the Lovedesh Tee will remind the world why we need to #IRemember1136”.
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/lovedeshcovid19
Choudhury’s #IRemember1136 is also supported by Shane Holland of Slow Food Foundation UK who first met her in 2013 as she began to pioneer solutions in sustainable ethical living. He awarded her their organisation’s Slow Food certificate for her idea. And she is also in discussions with TOAB and PATA who have often helped Choudhury with her social impact ideas.
Khalor Khanto Business editor Masud Rumee who spoke at FITOP”s global webinar commented: “The Lovedesh FITOP initiative is essential dialogue needed to create round table discussions to find practical urgent solutions in the business world. I urge all stakeholders to get involved just as we the journalistic community are doing to help find solutions for the millions of garment workers”
In Bangladesh, bdnews24.com has agreed to provide initial media support and is expecting to be joined by peers at home and abroad as the cause cuts across interest groups. Editor-in-Chief Toufique Imrose Khalidi has given his personal backing and is joined by the news group’s Editor Emeritus Professor aladin aladin, supported by Maral Pourkazemi – principal of maddthing/associate of Prof. aladin’s multidisciplinary Cultural Construction/The Tidal Place practice.
Khalidi said: “It is bdnews24.com‘s and my responsibility to support this movement if it helps the cause in any way; we have for long and since early on been highlighting the unsustainable and inequitable practices in this industry.”
Ends
PRESS QUERIES
Yasmin Choudhury
Amber Choudhury-Kaye
Lovedesh – London, UK
