Fashion Takes A Stand

Following mounting pressure from human rights campaigners and protestors, IMG, the organisers of New York Fashion Week, cancelled Gulnara Karimova’s fashion show (http://nyp.st/qnfDQo).

Despite this, Karimova refused to be discouraged and instead put on a private show at Cipriani, a prestigious restaurant in Manhattan. This did not help her avoid further demonstrations however, as the International Labour Rights Forum (ILRF) organised a rally and protestors gathered outside the lavish restaurant chanting and holding placards that read "I always dream about going to the park with my mum and dad, but I've got to pick cotton for Gulnara Karimova's fashion week" (http://bit.ly/nyvAZw).

On both sides of the Atlantic there has been considerable media coverage on the recent events and pressure is now growing on the Uzbek government to end the use of child labour in its cotton industry. H&M, Adidas, Puma, Burberry & Levi are just of some of the 60+ global clothing brands that have pledged to 'not knowingly source' cotton from Uzbekistan (http://tgr.ph/n2Zbue).

Adidas said that "By signing this pledge we are showing our unwavering commitment to the cause," and H&M have said that they "will maintain this pledge until the elimination of this practice is independently verified by the International Labour Organization (ILO)."

 

Ultimately we hope that Gulnara's attempt to launch her own fashion line will have inadvertently thrown Uzbekistan's cotton crimes into the spotlight. 

To see photos of the rally http://bit.ly/qFWqgt or bit.ly/qF3hM7.