24th April 2013 is a memorable date in Bangladesh’s history, the collapse of the Rana Plaza factories, where over a thousand garment workers lost their lives. For many, a job in the garment industry holds the promise of a better life – the mostly female industry has democratised employment in the country; it also produces 80% of the country’s exports. But the Rana Plaza collapse, producing some of the most haunting photographs of 2013, shed light on the appalling conditions in which most factory workers still work. In 2016, they are the cheapest labour in the world.

In 2015 and 2015, we partnered with two garment factories in a place where organisations rarely open their doors; Earl Fashion located in Gazipur, and SIMCO located in Dhaka. Our team in Bangladesh provided photography training to thirty female workers, aiming to raise awareness of their labour conditions, as well as build their confidence, and change the way consumers identify with the clothes they wear.

Since our workshops we have shared the workers’ stories with an international stage, through social media awareness, conferences, and exhibitions, as well as through our online photography platform. In 2014, we partnered with Fashion Revolution Bangladesh to shed light on the women’s stories. Our joint work was featured in Dhaka Tribune, which is published nation-wide in Bangladesh. In May 2016 for International Labour Day, we also ran a social media awareness campaign with the Wonder Foundation in London, sharing the women’s stories to promote higher labour standards in the factories of Bangladesh. Finally, in celebration of the International Women’s Day 2016, our partner DFYnorm, an ethical womenswear fashion brand, launched a new fashion line to fundraise for our projects with the garment workers.