On Thursday 17 November 2022, the Queen Mary Legal Advice Centre participated in the fourth Student Law Clinic Global Annual Day of Action for Climate Justice. The theme this year was fast fashion, and it was “left intentionally broad to give the freedom to take it in whichever way most empowers and excites you”.
To mark this day, a team of Queen Mary Law students organised a range of creative and engaging activities to bring to light the issues associated with fast fashion.
The main event was holding a Fashion Swap in the School of Law. The GDA team encouraged staff and students to participate in the fashion swap by donating any pre-loved items of clothes that were in good condition; or coming along on the day to exchange them for tokens to purchase other pre-loved items that they liked. The fashion swap sought to highlight the mass inequalities seen in the production of fast fashion as well as the waste instigated by consumerism and the one-use clothing ideology.
On the day, students and staff took shifts at the fashion swap stall. As well as collecting and swapping clothing the students and staff engaged in
number of enlightening conversations regarding fast fashion. Any items that were not purchased with tokens were donated to local charity shops.
Additionally, the student team organised a quiz treasure hunt. Participants had to scan QR codes across the campus and answer questions about current environmental and labour laws. Those who answered most questions correctly got to take part in a lucky draw with prizes. The main purpose of the treasure hunt was to inform people more about environmental law and labour laws that address or fail to tackle fast fashion. Relevant provisions included s.54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.
QMLAC staff and the GDA Team also encouraged people to sign our pledge for them to think about the clothing they purchase and to strive for a sustainable lifestyle.
The day saw a number of pre-loved item being purchased or swapped, the pledge being signed and exciting conversations about how we may change and hopefully the law too, to see a shift away from fast fashion.
A big thank you to Gbemisola Obolo and our lovely law students; Khushi Narula, Xin Yi Wan and Chaya Belezhkova.