January 2020

Pictures can sometimes say more than a thousand words.
Here’s a list of some documentaries and movies that get to the heart of the fashion industry's challenges and how organisations have responded to them.

BITTER SEEDS

"Bitter Seeds explores the future of how we grow things, weighing in on the worldwide debate over the changes created by industrial agriculture." (Teddybear Films) The documentary addresses the challenges of small-scale farmers in India who fight for their living but are struggling with the low-profit rates they obtain from the harvest. The desperate situation of cotton farmers, in particular, is highlighted in this movie.

Made in Bangladesh - the fifth estate

In April 2013, the Rana Plaza building collapsed in Dhaka, Bangladesh, which resulted in over 1,100 deaths and more than 2,500 injuries (International Labour Organization, n.d.). This building was home to several garment factories. Therefore the victims of this disastrous event were garment workers working in poor and unsafe conditions. The Emmy Award-winning documentary Made in Bangladesh tells the story of what happened after the Rana Plaza collapse.

MINIMALISM

Minimalism, as the title itself suggests, is a documentary about the concept of minimalism - living with fewer things. The film doesn’t just discuss the concept of minimalism in fashion, but rather the overall concept as it relates to daily life. Could you live in a smaller space and have fewer material things?

RIVER BLUE

River blue talks about one of the most polluting industries in the world - fashion. The makers look at the environmental consequences that arise from problematic fashion production processes, and they look at solutions for a more sustainable future.

THE MACHINISTS

This documentary follows the life of three sweatshop workers in Bangladesh. It portrays the human cost of fashion and provides an insight into the working conditions that the women have to face and fight against on a daily basis.

THE NEXT BLACK

"The Next Black is a documentary that brings together designers, innovators and leaders from around the globe for an open discussion on the concept of clothing. It probes beyond what we wear to explore how we produce clothes, interact with them and care for them. Each person we interviewed has a fresh perspective on the future of the clothing industry - and all of them are using their passions to fuel change." (AEG)

THE TRUE COST

The True Cost is a documentary that looks critically at the fashion industry and considers the price of our fashion consumption. "This is a story about clothing. It’s about the clothes we wear, the people who make them, and the industry's impact on our world. The price of clothing has decreased for decades, while the human and environmental costs have grown dramatically." (The True Cost)

THE WORLD’S MOST POLLUTED RIVER

A documentary called The World’s Most Polluted River talks about Citarum, a river in Indonesia that the fashion industry has heavily polluted. This provides striking evidence of how textile companies that produce fabrics for large fashion retailers (e.g. H&M) contribute to massive pollution of natural resources.