One of the things we love to do at Onesta is have a big team meeting once a week to chat about everything and anything. With us all being at different stages on the sustainable lifestyle our founder Gabriella decided that the True Cost documentary would be a good way to introduce the harsh truth of the fashion industry. I had seen it before and it was actually one of the things that started me on my sustainability journey but it was good to get the chance to re-watch it and discuss it as a group!  

Here’s what we thought…  

Rachel: The thing that impacted me most from the movie was when they interviewed people who just couldn’t see what was wrong with the way the fashion industry currently works. They defended it and made excuses and to me it seemed impossible that they couldn’t see what was wrong with what they were saying. It felt like they must either not know or just didn’t care. It made me want to inform as many people as I could because I refuse to believe that people truly just do not care! Something else that really made an impact was the interviews with the workers who were being abused. It can be really easy to ignore something or someone you cannot see but this documentary did a good job of highlighting these people and having them explain their issues in their own words. You can clearly see the impact that the industry’s issues are having on their lives.  

Georgios: Watching this documentary was a real eye opener. Even for someone who works in the industry and knew about the negative impact that fast fashion has, I am still shocked and quite appalled by how greed is chosen over the well-being of others. I totally agree that these giant corporations should take responsibility in solving this issue that they have created and demand better working conditions for these people, but I also think that the governments of those countries should also be held responsible. I would hope that they have laws in place that protect workers, enforce safe working conditions and increase the minimum wage. I really believe this documentary needs to become an integral part of education in all schools. It is crucial that we spread awareness, because truth be told, most people don’t even have a clue that this is happening. I’ve seen people who reviewed this documentary call it a ‘’modern fundamental’’. I would definitely agree, this is a must watch for everyone.   

Jenny: The True Cost documentary is a film that will give you the inner details of the current fashion industry; it reveals the truth behind the clothes you see and buy every day. From the cotton mills to the landfill where our clothes inevitably end up, this documentary goes through it all. Speaking to actual workers in horrifying factories around the world, how little they get paid and the lack of care that the factory owners have for their employees. For me, the worker Shima and her experience in a garment factory struck me the most. She attempted to create a union against the unsafe conditions, and when presented to her managers, were beaten, and assaulted. This documentary opened my eyes, and truly made me rethink my purchasing choices for years to come. Something needs to change in the fashion industry, and films like this are what is needed in the public eye to raise awareness and educate everyone. 

Grace: I knew there was exploitation but had never sat to watch a full in-depth look at the industry. One thing that I had definitely not ever thought about before was the marketing machine behind the industry which causes the exploitation. The idea that we are in a cycle of unhappiness and the more unhappy we become the more we’ll buy definitely struck a cord and made me evaluate my own spending habits. As a whole though, watching the movie highlighted to me how important it is that here at Onesta we are putting in the necessary research to provide something where people can be certain that their item isn’t coming at the expense of another person. 

Ellen: The True Cost really opens your eyes to what actually goes on within the fashion industry, to provide us all with the clothes we wear. I was already aware of the mass impact the fashion industry has on both our environment ad garment workers but there was part of the documentary that spoke about areas of the supply chain that I was completely unaware of.  The fact that cotton farmers were killing themselves in the fields by drinking the pesticides really made me think about the conditions people work in, and the lack of ethics within the fashion industry. In the documentary they spoke to so many different people, all being treated badly, paid very little and working extremely long hours. Although the impact on our environment of the pollution from the fashion industry is catastrophic, this film for me also really highlighted just how badly garment workers and other along the supply chain are treated, and how something needs to be done to protect people from being exploited.