Experimenting with ideas and words to make copies (Brand Story)
Product / Service : Fair trade clothing
It was in the middle of a sweltering and
humid July when Dina (not her real name) was forced out of her tiny, wooden
home to work at a clothing factory against her will. Though only 10 years of
age, Dina’s parents assumed she was ready to work and to financially help the
family. Her father is a farmer while her mother is the village’s witch doctor.
They both had jobs but were unable to provide any education for Dina as she was
one of her parents’ many children, six in total. And, it has become an unspoken
custom in her village that children above the age of 9 would be sent to work at
a factory or the parents’ place of work. Dina’s parents knew of a friend who
was an agent who helped find under-aged workers for factory jobs. The agent lived
in the same village as Dina’s and would make it a habit to keep his eyes out
for the neighboring children.
Dina recalled that, on her 9th
birthday, her mother had given her a beautiful locket necklace in the shape of
a heart. Amazed, she held it gently in her palm and stared wide-eyed at it. She
had never seen something so exquisite and dainty. When she opened the clasp,
she was surprised to see a picture of herself behind the left glass and her
parents on the right. Of this, her mother said to her sorrowfully, “Never lose
it. Keep it wherever you go.” Dina hadn’t understood what her mother meant
then, but, looking back, her words had carried so much weight.
So Dina was taken out of the house of her
childhood and thrusted into a hot, packed and bustling clothing factory in the
city. Upon arriving, the first thing she noticed was threads of many colours and
bits of garments strewn all over the floor. The second thing she noticed was
the many children posing upright over sewing machines on tables too tall for
their sitting heights, but too short for their standing postures. So, the
children were left to stand on their knees instead. Dina remembered how one
child looked up at her from his sewing machine, scrunched his eyebrows, and
frowned. She could see both anger and helplessness in the boy’s eyes in that
split second they stared at each other.
Dina was taken under the tutorage of a
kid just a bit older than her. Shruti (not her real name) was 13 years old. She
had been working at the factory for 3 years. So, she knew the details of the
chores like the back of her hand. Quickly, Dina and Shruti formed a special
bond. Shruti was a patient mentor and would always share stories about her
hometown with Dina during their break times. Shruti made Dina feel less lonely
and scared. Also, Dina became a fast learner because of Shruti’s patient and
friendly approach.
However, there would often be days when
Dina would feel ill and unable to work. She worked long hours – sixteen hours
in most days – and with rarely any food to keep her going. She’s suffered from
stomach ulcer, migraines, as well as constant back aches. And Dina wasn’t the
only one suffering. She’s once seen her friend pass out from lack of food
because the factory officers gave out their meals late. Dina could only cry
quietly as she imagined the comfort of the home she’s left and all the wonderful
memories she had there.
Fast forward several years, Dina was in
her late teens. She has improved a lot in her clothes-making skills. So, she
was assigned to be a mentor for many new workers, mostly children around 10
years of age. She was also assigned the task as assistant book keeper for the
factory. It is here that she came to closely work with the factory’s stout and
churlish book keeper, Mr. Singh (not his real name). It is also here that she
would go through many sexual assaults. The more time progressed, the worse the
assaults grew. It became so atrocious up to the point where Dina decided she’s
had enough. She recalled heatedly flinging stationeries she could get her hands
on at the disgusting book keeper and rushing out of the factory barefoot.
With the help of passersby and a generous
motorcyclist, Dina hurried back to the village of her home. Yet, upon arriving,
she was greeted with cold stares and crossed arms. Her parents didn’t want to
have anything to do with her as they were scared of factory agents hunting them
down or, worse, burning down their house for breach of contract. With a broom,
Dina’s mother chased her out of the house while screaming and crying.
Dina had nowhere else to go. Yet, just a
few steps away, a long-time neighbor called out to her and ushered her into her
house. Manu (not her real name) is the co-owner of Free Fabrics, a company
specializing in making and exporting clothes using child-free labor. She is
also an advocate against child labor and, together with the other co-owners,
she is striving to expose those illegal practices by means of tapping into
foreign media and renowned personalities with their brand story.
Musing over Manu’s words, Dina could only
think about all those years she was bruised and abused under the ruthless
practices of the illegal clothing factory. Manu knew of Dina’s child-labor
story and offered her to be the spokesperson for Free Fabrics. To this, Dina
extended her arms and hugged Manu, crying and sobbing hard.
With this
behind-the-scenes story of one of our brand’s spokesperson, we would like to
say that within every Free Fabrics’ piece of clothing, there exist not just any
ordinary work on garments and cuttings. It holds with it the testimony of a
person’s journey towards what they believe in. It is their struggle. Their
triumphs. It is a step towards the eradication of unfair clothing practices. It
is responsible fashion. It is the promise of better lives, something that everyone
deserves.