Why is Transparency Important for a Sustainable Fashion Future?
It's no surprise to anyone who knows us, but sustainability is incredibly important at Y.O.U Underwear, and it drives everything we do. From using organic cotton in our underwear, to our buy-one give-one model supporting Smalls for All, we're always trying to find ways to be a force for good within a fashion industry rife with exploitation.
What is Fashion Revolution week?
Next week, 22nd-28th April, is Fashion Revolution Week. Fashion Revolution, the world’s largest fashion activism movement, is entering its eleventh year. Held annually in April, Fashion Revolution week marks the anniversary of the tragic 2013 Rana Plaza disaster. This horrific incident, where the collapse of a commercial building in Savar, Bangladesh, ended the lives of 1,100 garment workers, serves as a reminder for the fashion industry to ensure that people ALWAYS come before profit. This year’s campaign hones in on the importance of collective action against exploitative practices within the fashion industry.
Collective action is important to getting us one step closer to a better fashion industry. Sharing and collaborating with others towards a common goal, helps move the fashion revolution away from individualism, to a shared experience. Through communication and connection, one person’s individual beliefs about second-hand shopping, mending, and organic materials, can inspire the foundation of group action.
How can I get involved in fashion activism?
‘Mend in Public Day’ is a key event in the Fashion Revolution calendar, falling on the 25th April. In the spirit of collective action, the call is simple: to upcycle, mend, and refresh your clothes in public, as a visual protest against disposable fashion. Fashion Revolution has collated resources to help you do this, from guides on how to host an mending event, to practical tips and tricks for sewing and stitching. We also have a mending guide for advice on how extend the life of your underwear!
At Y.O.U Underwear we’re committed to fighting for sustainable practices within the fashion industry. We’re honouring Fashion Revolution week by talking about our commitment to transparency.
Why is transparency important in the fashion industry?
Transparency from businesses is an integral stepping-stone on the way to a more sustainable fashion future. Fashion Revolution’s Transparency Index is a useful tool, designed to drive greater accountability from the fashion industry. The Transparency Index spotlights how much information the world’s biggest fashion brands make publicly available regarding their supply chain practices. Are they honest about who is making their clothes, what they’re being paid, and what actually goes into their products? If not, why not? In the words of Fashion Revolution, ‘when brands publicly disclose information, it allows anyone to scrutinise their policies, hold them accountable for their claims and advocate for positive change.’
How is Y.O.U Underwear transparent?
Transparency is a core value at Y.O.U Underwear, which is why we publish detailed annual impact reports, and provide customers with all the information about where and how their underwear is made.
In 2024, Y.O.U Underwear signed up to the Speak Volumes Campaign, spearheaded by The Or Foundation. The data currently available on the size of the fashion industry, is nowhere near accurate. Speak Volume’s mission is to fill this data gap, by calling on fashion businesses to report on their production numbers. With more information about the number of items in circulation, we are one step closer to combatting the mass production that leads to such prevalent textile waste.
As a member of the campaign, Y.O.U Underwear is committed to disclosing our annual production volume reports. By simply adding up all the items on our packing lists over the year, we have an accurate representation of how many textile items Y.O.U Underwear is bringing into the world. In 2025, we produced 28,515 items across our underwear, loungewear and tea towels. The high quality of our products means they should stay in circulation for longer, and their high organic cotton content means they can be recycled after their life-cycle is over, and their organic fibres can break down without causing harm to the planet.
Why are our production numbers higher this year?
You may notice that our production numbers are considerably higher this year. In 2024, we reported 7,756 items to Speak Volumes. This increase in our production volumes is due simply to the logistics of slow fashion: a delay in a shipment of over 11,000 pieces meant to be delivered in 2024, means that our production numbers are skewed over the two years. This is the reality of slow fashion, which does have a huge impact on small businesses like ourselves, but the alternative is NOT an option.
Support our mission by following our social media, or, even better, shop underwear that really does make a difference.
Want to learn more about sustainable fashion?
Follow the journey of your Y.O.U pants
Read why we don’t engage with Black Friday
Join the second-hand fashion hype
Author: Evie Tucker, Comms and Retail Team, Y.O.U Underwear
Images courtesy of Y.O.U Underwear and Fashion Revolution
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