This week is Fashion Revolution Week, an event born out of the disaster in a clothing factory in Bangladesh. On 24 April 2013, the Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh collapsed. 1,138 people died and another 2,500 were injured, making it the fourth largest industrial disaster in history. There were five garment factories in Rana Plaza all manufacturing clothing for big global brands. The victims were mostly young women.
When Luna & Curious opened in 2006, we were amidst a time of fast fashion and over-spending. The act of consuming more and more was all around. We saw that skilled manufacture, craftsmanship and tradition were being overlooked in the race to make it quick and cheap. We launched with a manifesto "...Creativity and originality are the driving forces at the heart of the Luna & Curious adventure, the antithesis to the mass production we have become so wearily used to..."
For the last thirteen years this manifesto has been at the core of Luna & Curious, and we have added to this, making the social, ethical, and environmental factors of production a key focus to all our collections. We have been working with fantastic social enterprises such as Mini Stitches and Fine Cell Work and as we have been developing our womenswear, this search for sustainable and responsible manufacture has been at the forefront of our decision making.
Our latest collection (so new that we don't have any photos of it yet) is in partnership with Making For Change, a fashion training and manufacturing unit within HMP Downview women’s prison. Established by the Ministry of Justice and London College of Fashion in 2014, the project aims to increase well-being and reduce reoffending rates amongst participants by equipping them with professional skills and qualifications within a supportive environment. The new collection is available in store.
Firm Luna & Curious favourite What Mother Made produces everything in Hackney with small batch production. Two small family run factories in Scotland produce all Luna & Curious knitwear. Colchik produces all the workwear in a very small Polish factory working closely with all the staff. Carlota Barnabe have a fully sustainable production in Portugal.
Many of our brands use organic wools and cottons and OEKO-TEX® certified fabrics to reduce the environmental impact including FUB Women, FUB Kids, Joha, Disana and Vild: House of Little.
At Luna & Curious we are constantly striving to have a more positive impact on the world, this is sometimes small changes that don't feel particularly revolutionary, however every tiny effort from each person builds to a pretty loud shout.
Shop our Fashion Revolution selection here.
