Question 1

WHAT IS XRFA?

Accepted Answer

Extinction Rebellion Fashion Action (XRFA) is a group of volunteers and activists calling for the transition to a just and sustainable fashion model. The fashion industry currently operates on a system built on the exploitation of people and the planet and is manufacturing new garments on an unprecedented and unsustainable scale. We use non-violent direct action and campaigning to put pressure on industry leaders, regulatory bodies and brands to recognise the scale of the climate and ecological emergency and to act accordingly.

Question 2

WHO CAN GET INVOLVED WITH XRFA?

Accepted Answer

Anyone can join XRFA. We are an inclusive movement made up of ordinary people like you who can no longer sit back and watch the fashion industry shamelessly exploit people and capitalise on climate and ecological breakdown. The more people we have working together to achieve system change, the more successful we will be. There are so many ways to get involved, from social media, web design and blogging to outreach, direct action and more. No experience necessary!

Question 3

DO I HAVE TO BE ARRESTABLE TO JOIN XRFA?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely not. We believe that civil disobedience is an effective and essential way of gaining visibility and achieving social justice. However, we understand that non-violent direct action is not accessible to everyone. There are many essential roles within XFRA that do not include risk of arrest.

Question 4

WHY DO YOU CAUSE DISRUPTION?

Accepted Answer

We have petitioned and we have marched, yet still we are ignored and we are running out of time. It is clear that neither the government or industry leaders are going to take action unless we make ourselves and our demands impossible to ignore. Civil disobedience has a history of achieving social justice for women’s suffrage and for the civil right’s movement. By creating visible disruption we are refusing to comply with a system that is broken. We are also increasing awareness and sparking discussion and debate about the climate and ecological emergency. We are aware that whilst we are trying to achieve system change, sometimes we can cause disruption to individuals. However, the level of inconvenience that our movement causes to everyday lives pales in comparison with the mass disruption to life on earth that will occur - and is already occurring - as a result of the climate crisis.

Question 5

WHAT IS YOUR RELATIONSHIP TO EXTINCTION REBELLION?

Accepted Answer

Extinction Rebellion Fashion Action is part of XR’s Movement of Movements strategy, which encourages groups from across society to come together in a unified call for immediate action on the climate and ecological emergency. The only way to avoid climate breakdown is by achieving radical system change and XRFA is dedicated to targeting the fashion industry as a major global polluter and perpetuator of social and environmental injustices.

Question 6

ARE YOU ANTI-FASHION?

Accepted Answer

The short answer is yes. Fashion is defined as 'the latest style or trend of clothing': in order to be 'fashionable' the individual is influenced by the collective and must continue to purchase new garments in order to remain 'on trend'. Instead XRFA celebrates style, which is different from fashion in that the individual is empowered to use clothing as a means of self-expression and creativity, thus freeing themselves from the yoke of constant consumption. Fashion has been co-opted by our capitalist society as a means of generating revenue for the fashion industry. The capitalist model of society relies on constant growth, which means that the fashion industry needs us to continue buying more and more garments so that it can increase sales and profits year-on-year. Fashion encourages this constant demand by creating trends which convince consumers that the clothes they bought yesterday are no longer useful or relevant, thereby capitalising on our feelings of insecurity or inadequacy. ‘Fashion' in this sense is both toxic and unsustainable, encouraging overconsumption and relying on cheap labour and ecologically damaging manufacturing methods. The industry has grown to such an extent that it is now depleting the world’s resources and creating huge volumes of textiles waste. We have been tricked into forgetting to find joy in our clothes, into forgetting how to treat them with care and respect. Garments should be a well-loved long-lasting commodity, not a throw-away fashion fix designed to last only several wears. If you agree, help us spread the word and say no to a broken fashion system!

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