The True Cost

Today there are roughly 40 million garmet workers around the world surviving on less than $3 per day.

The True Cost is a documentary about clothing -   the clothes we wear, the people who make them, and the impact the industry is having on the world that we share. The price of clothing has been decreasing for decades, while the human and environmental costs have grown exponentially. The True Cost is a groundbreaking documentary film that addresses an issue that may arguably be one of the most urgent problems of the 21st century.

The fashion industry represents one of the biggest connection points for millions of people across the world, spanning from agriculture and manufacturing to retail. It has been one of the leading industries to capitalize on the new globalized world. Today in 2015 we have some of the highest levels of inequality and environmental destruction the world has ever seen. Global fashion brands are bigger than ever before and with annual revenues in the billions, they are now part of an almost 3 trillion dollar a year industry. These brands are continuing to hugely profit from their use of cheap and dangerous labor in foreign countries. Labor so dangerous that it killed 1,391 people in one instance when a Bangladesh factory without a safety inspection collapsed in 2013.

"Filmed in countries all over the world, from the brightest runways to the darkest slums, and featuring interviews with the world’s leading influencers including Stella McCartney, Livia Firth and Vandana Shiva, The True Cost is an unprecedented project that invites us on an eye-opening journey around the world and into the lives of the many people and places behind our clothes." The journey is a heart wrenching look into the lives that we need to consider every time we shop. In partnership with the Fashion Revolution, True Cost begs us to acknowledge the harm to both the people and the environment and commit to changing the way we shop by asking, #whomademyclothes?

As customers in an increasingly disconnected world, it is important that we feel connected to the workers who make our clothes, as well as inform brands that we care about these people and their voice. We must find a way to continue to operate in a globalized world that also values the people and planet that are essential to this growth.   At Anchal Project, we know who made our clothes. We know their names, their faces, their stories, their children. We honor them every time we wrap ourselves in their carefully hand - stitched pieces by providing them with fair living wages, safe working conditions, healthcare and community. We honor them by using recycled materials and natural dyes. We honor them by paying the price of ethical fashion so that they don't have to. We encourage you to do the same. Check out the documentary, available on itunes, amazon & netflix, see if there is a local screening near you, or head to their website to sign a petition that demands change.

-Tess