Top: Harry Styles Tour Tee | Skirt: Madewell Eco/Fair Trade | Belt: Thrifted via Goodwill SoCal | Shoes: TOMS

Hey Harry Styles, #WhoMadeMyClothes?

I love this tee shirt. I’ve loved it since the day I bought it at your show in LA last summer. I love the message. I love that the profits from these tees (plus a portion of ticket sales) went toward local charities on your tour. But as much as I love this shirt, I will admit I had quite the ethical dilemma deciding whether or not to buy it. I’ve been a conscious consumer since 2016, and a huge part of the reason why sustainable and ethical fashion is so important to me is that there are millions of people all throughout the global fashion supply chain that are not treated with kindness.

Today is the first day of Fashion Revolution Week. On April 24, 2013, the Rana Plaza Factory in Bangladesh collapsed. 1,138 garment workers died and over 2,500 others were injured, despite the fact that they voiced concerns about the structural stability of the building to management that same day. There were five garment factories in Rana Plaza, all of which manufactured clothing for global fashion brands. The victims of the collapse were mostly young women. In honor of this tragedy, Fashion Revolution Week is a time for conscious consumers like myself to campaign for a fashion industry where treating factory workers and the environment with dignity is the standard and not an exception.

It is very important for me to know that the people who make your TPWK merch are seen, heard, paid properly, work in safe conditions, and are treated with kindness. This is why:

80% of garment workers worldwide are women. The minimum wage in most garment-producing countries is rarely enough for workers to live on. Even then, over 50% of garment workers in countries like India and the Philippines are paid well below the minimum wage. Child labor and forced labor continue to occur in the global fashion supply chain. Approximately 300 million people who produce cotton – the very material used to make this TPWK tee – live in poverty. 1/6th of the world population is involved in the textile and clothing industry (that’s a lot of people who could be treated with kindness). And perhaps the most powerful fact that I’ll share today: according to What She Makes, paying living wages to garment workers would add just one percent on average to the retail price of a piece of clothing.

Normally #WhoMadeMyClothes conversations are directed at fast fashion brands, but I believe concert merch is a largely overlooked part of the fashion industry and has a lot of room for growth. As a successful artist that is known and loved around the world, you have the opportunity to use your platform to make real change. I’m assuming you are well aware of this, as you did choose to spread a positive message on your merch, but I ask that you think about this in the context of sustainable and ethical fashion. Most people are still not aware that people and the environment are routinely taken advantage of in the fashion production process. It’s entirely likely that many of your fans have no idea that the people who make their clothing may not be treated with kindness, or may not even be treated with the bare minimum of respect. As the TPWK message has resonated with your fans (and me), I am sure that knowing their merch was made sustainably and ethically would resonate with them as well.

As a supply chain management student, a conscious consumer, and a consumer of your TPWK merch, I want to know more about how this tee was made. So, Harry, can you tell me #WhoMadeMyClothes and where I can find more information about your merch supply chain?

All the love,

A conscious consumer and fan.