On Saturday, 13th of July, from 2pm to 5pm, Extinction Rebellion Birmingham will take over the epicentre of Fast Fashion shopping in Birmingham, High Street!

The objective is to #TELLTHETRUTH about the role fashion consumption plays in fuelling the Climate and Ecological emergency. Fast fashion is used to describe clothing designs that move quickly from the catwalk to stores to meet new trends. This cycle can happen as much as twice a week, encouraging a “throw-away” attitude. The amount of raw materials, cheap labour and waste production this cycle requires is unsustainable.

The clothing industry is now considered the second biggest polluter on earth (1),
and our planet is paying the price.

Our Event:
 A FASHION SHOW will take place with a PARADE of models from art and fashion schools in Birmingham. They will showcase their sustainable fashion designs.
 Speeches from XR will #TELLTHETRUTH about the real cost of fast fashion to our
environment, the impact on climate change, pollution, waste and the exploitation of labour in the global south.
 A CLOTHES SWAP area will allow people can bring a garment that they don’t want anymore and swap it for another one!
 This action builds on similar events held by Extinction Rebellion in London, Fashion week and Bristol and will bring the message to the second largest city in the UK.

Notable supporters include Caryn Franklin MBE, comedian Heydon Prowse and designer Phoebe English Jeanne Bouvier said, on behalf of Extinction Rebellion Birmingham,

“A Climate Emergency has been declared by both Parliament and Birmingham City Council but those in power have failed to take this seriously. The government recently flat out rejected environmental audit committee recommendations on the fashion industry, instead recommending voluntary industry initiatives. These initiatives
help the industry greenwash their activities whilst they hide the true costs behind opaque supply chains.” Garment production is one of the most polluting industries, producing 1.2 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent (CO2e) per year, which are more emissions than international flights and maritime shipping combined (2). 20% of global waste water comes from the fashion industry containing highly toxic heavy metals, dyes and other chemicals (3). Less than 1% of the garments are recycled into new clothing (2).

“Looking forward, the fashion industry is set to consume a quarter of the world’s carbon budget by 2050.
As well as making better use of the clothes we buy, making conscious choices about where we get them from and thinking about the environmental impact of every item, we have to take a stand against the bigger causes of climate disaster. Reusing, recycling, charity, vintage, sustainably sourced and organic clothing are good things we can do alone. But together we can do more, challenge the status quo and re- imagine a radical new relationship with clothing.”

About Extinction Rebellion:

Time has almost entirely run out to address the ecological crisis which is upon us, including the 6th mass species extinction, global pollution, and abrupt, runaway climate change. Societal collapse and mass death are seen as inevitable by scientists and other credible voices, with human extinction also a possibility, if rapid action is not taken.

Extinction Rebellion believes it is a citizen’s duty to rebel, using peaceful civil disobedience, when faced with criminal inactivity by their Government.

Extinction Rebellion’s key demands are:
1. Government must tell the truth by declaring a climate and ecological emergency, working with other institutions to communicate the urgency for change.
2. Government must act now to halt biodiversity loss and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2025.
3. Government must create and be led by the decisions of a Citizens’ Assembly on climate and ecological justice.