If you oppose slavery, then you should oppose fast fashion, asserts author Lucy Siegle issues in the teaser for The True Cost. The forthcoming documentary about cheap clothing’s environmental and human rights problems comes on the (upcycled) heels of Elizabeth Cline’s book Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion.
At least it will if director Andrew Morgan raises enough money. Says Morgan in the teaser:
Growing up, I was told this very simple story about where our clothes come from. I was told that they were made in faraway places by these other people. And these people needed the work, and somewhere, someone was taking care of these people, so the best thing we could do was just keep buying more.
There’s just one problem with this story: It’s not true.
Watch it for yourself:
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Other mindblowing facts from the teaser: Three of the four worst tragedies in apparel history took place in the last year. And today, a mere 2 percent of clothing sold in America was made here — down sharply from 90 percent in 1960. (As a result, it’s cheaper, and we cram it in our closets as fast as we can, perpetuating the problem.)
Even if the film itself doesn’t get funded (and we hope it does), the teaser alone is a sobering visualization of the very real price others — and the Earth — have to pay for our endless peplum tops and skinny jeans.
