Category: Story

Four Years of Action: How Far Have Canadian Brands Come?

by Nirvana Mujtabain Story

Twelve years ago, the world watched in horror as the Rana Plaza collapsed in Bangladesh. In just minutes, over 1,100 garment workers, most of them young women, were killed and more than 2500 were injured. It was one of the deadliest industrial disasters in history and exposed a devastating truth – the fashion industry built on the backs of women was failing them.

For many in Canada, the Rana Plaza tragedy was a wake-up call. It shattered the illusion that fast fashion came without a cost. The tragedy sparked grief, outrage and a global reckoning – a call for transparency, accountability and basic human rights in how our clothes are made.

Yet, over a decade later, the women who make our clothes – in Bangladesh, Cambodia and across the Global South – are still paid poverty wages, work long hours in difficult and sometimes dangerous conditions. While progress has been made on health and safety, especially in Bangladesh, a safe workplace requires much more. It means that the women who make our clothes earn enough to feed their children, send them to school and access healthcare.

The Rana Plaza tragedy didn’t just bring down a building, it exposed cracks across an entire industry. It sparked a global movement demanding that clothes should not be made in exploitative conditions, that women should be able to live with dignity and that fashion should never come at the cost of human rights.

And that’s where the What She Makes campaign comes in.

Over the past four years, the What She Makes campaign has grown into a powerful collective force – driven by relentless advocacy, strategic pressure and the unwavering support of thousands of people across Canada. Together, we wrote letters, mobilized actions, launched petitions and called on Canadian fashion brands to step up. Some brands have taken meaningful steps toward transparency and fairness. Some chose silence over dialogue, perhaps because accountability is uncomfortable. And others continue to offer only surface level solutions, spurred more by public scrutiny than a commitment to lasting change. But the past four years have shown us that when we come together and refuse to look away, we can push even the most powerful industries to do better.

So, what has changed?

Aritzia

Aritzia has started to map out what garment workers in its supply chain are paid – an important first step in understanding wage gaps. They’ve acknowledged that fair wages and decent working conditions are human rights and they’ve laid out policies that sound promising. However, there’s still no credible commitment to ensuring workers, the backbone of its profits, are paid enough to live with dignity. While Aritzia talks about economic security and collaboration, there’s little transparency on what that entails or how this will lead to tangible change. Concrete action, measurable milestones and transparency are key to ensure our clothes aren’t woven in poverty.

Herschel Supply Co.

This private Canadian fashion brand, continues to do the bare minimum in terms of commitments and transparency. While they report on following international labour standards and conducting supply chain due diligence there is little public evidence of what that actually looks like. Herschel has a responsibility to do better.

Joe Fresh (Loblaw)

More than a decade after the Rana Plaza collapse, where Joe Fresh was producing clothing, the brand still has a long way to go. It was the only Canadian company to sign the International Accord for health and safety, largely due to public pressure. Despite its massive profits, Joe Fresh has shown limited action. The company lacks a commitment to paying a living wage and supporting its suppliers to make that a reality. Joe Fresh must go beyond doing the bare minimum and demonstrate leadership in upholding workers’ rights and ensuring living wages.

lululemon

Lululemon became a member of the Fair Labor Association (FLA) and started its accreditation process in 2020, which is worth celebrating.  lululemon has publicly recognized that the women who make our clothes deserve fair wages. This shift is a result of persistent advocacy, collective action and the brands’ intention to do better. The company also demonstrates a supportive approach toward its suppliers and acts as an enabler to foster better working conditions. Lululemon has taken steps toward collecting wage data, which is an important step. While their efforts signal progress, the pathway to paying a living wage remains incomplete due to a lack of measurable milestones.

Roots

Roots is starting to take some encouraging steps towards greater accountability. After four years of advocacy and growing pressure from our What She Makes community, Roots has taken important initial steps towards transparency. The brand has made its supplier code of conduct public, revealed where its clothes are made and joined the Fair Labor Association (FLA) accreditation process. These actions signal willingness to move in the right direction. Knowing where our clothes are made is just the beginning. Roots has yet to commit to paying a living wage – a fundamental human right for the women who make our clothes. To truly reflect the Canadian values, Roots must ensure that the people behind the label are paid enough to live with dignity.

What should brands do?

Brands have an opportunity to move beyond surface-level commitments, take meaningful steps to ensure the women behind their labels are not trapped in a cycle of poverty. This starts with making a credible commitment to paying a living wage, mapping wages in their supply chains, setting clear milestones to close the wage gap and being transparent at every step. To truly reflect the values of people across Canada, fashion brands must prioritize people over profits and ensure human rights are protected.

Roots Canada: The Dark Reality Hiding in the Cozy Brand’s Supply Chain

by Mwangala Matakalain Story

Roots Canada has been a beloved household name for decades, representing the quintessential Canadian experience: cozy sweats, laid-back swag, and the great outdoors. From weekend cottage trips to bustling city streets, those iconic beaver-branded sweats have become a wardrobe staple for many. And who could blame us? Roots is synonymous with comfort and community, often praised for its deep-rooted values and commitment to quality. But as with many brands, there’s more beneath the surface than what meets the eye, or touches the skin. 

Behind the vibes and comfort, Roots harbors a far less cozy truth. Despite a long-standing reputation of caring for community and quality threads, the reality for the workers making those beloved pieces isn’t so picture perfect. While the brand boasts an impressive global network of over 100 third-party suppliers from North America to Asia and beyond, what’s missing from their cozy image is any real detail about the conditions in which their garments are made.  

To put it bluntly, Roots is keeping us all in the dark about where they are sourcing their clothes, at a time when the disclosure of supply chains is common practice in the industry.  The only details we have is a map of the continents it is sourcing from when transparency standards ask for addresses of factories and make up of workers. It is this lack of transparency that enables poor working conditions, including poverty wages.   

So consider this: Roots CEO Meghan Roach earns a whopping $276 per hour. A Cambodian garment worker needs to work over 17 years in abysmal conditions to earn what the Roots CEO makes in just a single month. That’s right. Seventeen years.

This stark disparity is more than just a depressing statistic, it’s a rallying cry for change. And that’s where Oxfam Canada’s What She Makes campaign comes in. Roots, a brand that prides itself on Canadian values, has a responsibility to live up to those values, not just at home but across the world, starting with the women in its supply chain. 

Demanding a Living Wage

At the heart of this issue is the need for Roots to commit to paying a living wage to the women who make their clothes. The company’s current vendor code of conduct mandates payment of minimum wage, which, as we’ve seen, can be as low as $1.49 per hour for some workers. Minimum wage and living wage are worlds apart in most countries, especially those where global fashion brands source from. We’re calling on Roots to publicly commit to paying a living wage to all of its garment workers. A living wage would mean these women could afford the basics: food, housing, healthcare, and education for their children. Not a luxury lifestyle – just the ability to live with dignity. 

Bringing Transparency to Fashion Supply Chains

Beyond wages, there’s the issue of transparency. Or in Roots case, the glaring lack of it.  Transparency in supply chains is vital. Without it, human rights defenders, advocates, and even everyday consumers like you and me are left in the dark, unable to verify the claims that companies make about ethical practices. Transparency isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s a crucial step in holding companies accountable. We’re urging Roots to publicly disclose the detailed locations of their suppliers and not just the countries, but the specific factories. By doing this, Roots can help ensure that the workers who make their clothes are treated fairly and paid properly.  

An Iconic 🍁Canadian Brand with an Opportunity to Lead 

Roots Canada has long been an iconic brand that’s deeply woven into the fabric of Canadian identity. They’ve led the way in defining comfort and style for over half a century. But now, they have the opportunity to lead in a more meaningful way: by taking a stand for the people who make the clothes we love. Roots could set a new standard for transparency and ethical treatment in the fashion industry, leading by example and showing the world that Canadian values don’t stop at the border. 

Take Action Now!

This is where you come in. We need you – yes, you- to help hold Roots accountable. Oxfam Canada’s What She Makes’ “Pay and Reveal” action is building a movement to demand fair wages and transparency from Roots. Signing our petition isn’t just adding your name to a list; it’s about being part of a growing call for change. With your help, we can send a clear message to Roots and other companies in the fashion industry: fashion should be fair and equal for all.
Sign the petition

From Tragedy to Triumph: Nilufa’s Journey and the Call for Justice

by Mwangala Matakalain Resources, Story

As we mark the 11th anniversary of the Rana Plaza disaster, Nilufa Yasmin’s story is a poignant reminder of the devastating human cost behind the clothes we wear. On that fateful day on April 24, 2013, the deadliest garment factory accident in history took place where an eight-story building housing five garment factories collapsed, claiming the lives of 1,135 garment workers. Nilufa’s life changed forever. “It’s hard for me to describe the day, I will not be able to sleep at night if I tell you,” she told me, and those words stuck with me. Trapped under the rubble and a metal beam, she suffered a fractured spinal cord, enduring not only physical pain but also the trauma of witnessing the collapse of a workplace that failed to prioritize the safety of its workers. The loss of her colleagues and friends and a way to provide for herself and her family still sticks with her a decade after the tragedy. I had the privilege and honor of meeting Nilufa last year in Dhaka. Her resilience in the face of adversity continues to inspire me every day.

“It’s hard for me to describe the day, I will not be able to sleep at night if I tell you,”

Nilufa
Photo Credit: Fabeha Monir | Oxfam

Nilufa’s testimony echoes the sentiments of thousands of garment workers in Bangladesh who were on the streets of Dhaka last fall, fighting for fair wages and safe working conditions. Their demands for living wages were met with increasing violence across Dhaka between October and December of last year. Reports emerged of merciless beatings targeting protesters and workers, as their peaceful demonstrations for a livable wage turned into violent clashes with authorities. Despite the risks, loss of life, and the brutality they faced, garment workers stood firm in their demands for dignity and fair compensation. The negotiations saw a slight increase in wages to now $155 a month from $100 a month, but this still falls far short of a decent standard of living given the growing cost of living. The revised minimum wage is only 54% of what workers should be paid to receive a living wage, leaving workers like Nilufa struggling to put food on the table, save any discretionary income, afford medication, or put their children through school.

Photo Credit: Fabeha Monir | Oxfam

Nilufa and other worker activists are calling on fashion brands sourcing from Bangladesh to do better, much better. While some global brands like H&M have committed to paying living wages, most continue to avoid their responsibility to ensure workers’ rights to living wages and safe working conditions. They need to do more than just pay lip service to voluntary corporate social responsibility guidelines; they need to take concrete actions to ensure that tragedies like Rana Plaza never happen again, and that workers are adequately compensated for their work. Garment workers have the right to a living wage, safe working conditions, and dignity in the workplace, just as we all do.

One thing Nilufa said really stuck with me: “Workers deserve to be paid fairly for their labor. They deserve respect and dignity. They deserve a life free from fear and exploitation.” It’s a simple yet powerful reminder that behind every piece of clothing lies the sweat and toil of the women who make our clothes, whose lives are too often overlooked in the pursuit of profit.

As we reflect on the 11th anniversary of Rana Plaza, let’s honor the memory of 1,134 workers who lost their lives by standing in solidarity with survivors like Nilufa. Let’s demand accountability from brands like Joe Fresh and lululemon; and the Canadian government that is yet to enact a mandatory human rights due diligence law. And let’s work together to build a future where no one has to sacrifice their lives for the clothes on our backs.

At Oxfam Canada, we are taking a stand and need your support to ensure poverty wages are not woven into the fabric of our clothes. Join us by signing the pledge to stand with the women that make our clothes and call on Canadian fashion brands to pay a living wage.

Nilufa’s journey may be marked by pain and struggle, but her spirit remains unbroken. She reminds us that even in the darkest of times, there is hope for a better tomorrow. Let’s make that hope a reality and stand with the women that make our clothes.

Sign the pledge