“This is a story about clothing. It’s about the clothes we wear, the people who make these clothes and the impact that is having in our world. It is a story about greed and fear, power and poverty. It’s complex, as it extends all the way around the world, but it’s also simple, revealing just how connected we are to the many hearts and hands behind our clothes”- Andrew Morgan, Director.
(Picture Credit: SuburbanSandcastles
Clothes play a crucial role in everyone’s lives. They are a way to express your style and personality and influence the way you feel about yourself and how other people see you. However, the fashion industry plays an even more crucial role in our world. Did you know it is the second most pollutant industry on the planet? If the answer is no and you feel somehow curious about where the clothes you see in the stores come from, “The True Cost” is definitely a must-see movie for you.
This documentary film shows the hidden impact associated with the life cycle of a garment, from the detrimental impact it has on the planet from pollution, human exploitation and the waste generated from the unwanted clothing. Filmed in numerous places all over the world, from New York to garment factories in China, it shows not only the attractive side of the fashion industry -catwalks, fashion shows and fabulous storefronts- but also the manufacturing of clothing that usually takes place in the developing world, often under extremely poor labour conditions.
One of the biggest disasters of the fashion industry occurred in 2013, when almost 1,200 people were killed and over 2,500 injured when the Rana Plaza complex collapsed in Dhaka, Bangladesh. This event was seminal to the whole fashion community, generating a massive movement of ethical and sustainable fashion, such as The Fashion Revolution, a UK based non-profit organisation.
(Photo Credit: The Guardian)
Apart from the threat generated by the production process, the film also analyses the danger the fast fashion phenomenon has on our society. The way we buy clothes has drastically changed over the last fifty years: whereas before people would only buy one or two t-shirts per year, now we buy a whole new outfit for a party. As stated in the documentary, the average American throws away 82 pounds of textile waste each year, adding up to more than 11 million tons of textile waste. Is this new way of buying clothes truly necessary?
“The True Cost” is a unique fashion documentary that reveals the truth about the fashion industry, presenting interviews with some of the world’s leading influencers such as Stella McCartney or Safia Minder, founder of People Tree. This fantastic movie will make you realise the impact you are having on the world by simply buying an extra new pair of jeans and hopefully, will change your approach to the fashion industry and how you purchase clothes.
(Photo Credit: Outoftheboxpodcast.com)
“You may not feel that you’re not having the direct impact by buying this organic shirt, but the impact you’re having is in the bigger picture, in the world at large, and especially in the community where the cotton is grown”.
“In the midst of all the challenges facing us today, for all the problems that feel bigger than us and beyond our control, maybe we can start here, with clothing”.
For a pocast Interview with director Andrew Morgan and official trailer click here!