Everyone loves a good bargain, especially if you see the perfect outfit at an even more perfect price. However, if you make a purchase purely because it’s cheap, would you spare a thought as where it was made or by who? Fashion Revolution is an organisation who wants to change this and make people realise the true cost of ‘fast fashion’, through raising awareness of the working environment and safety conditions of those who make our clothes.
Using a brightly coloured vending machine offering T-shirts for just €2, Fashion Revolution choose a central location in Alexandra Platz, Berlin to make its point. This very clever PR stunt tempted a number of passers-by to stop and have a look at what was on offer; and many got out their Euros to claim a cheap and cheerful new top. Before their T-shirt was deposited a video screen appeared featuring a young girl telling her story. Explaining that she is just one of millions making cheap clothing for as little as 13 cent per hour, each day for 16 hours then finally asking the question, ‘Do you still want to buy this €2 shirt?’ Buyers were then given the option to proceed and buy the T-shirt or to donate the money instead. By confronting people with the realities of bargain priced fashion, and to actually hear from a young, overworked and underpaid child, eight out of ten people chose to donate the money rather than go-ahead with their purchase. The video has been viewed over six million times on YouTube alone and shared numerous times on other social media sites.
As a B2B PR agency we love a good PR stunt and Fashion Revolution came up with a brilliant way to draw attention to a very real problem and dare us to ask our favourite retailers ‘who made my clothes’?
Katherine Wilding is Skout’s newest recruit and a PR apprentice.
