The 2 Euro T-Shirt – A Social Experiment

After depositing a 2 euro coin and choosing their size, the t-shirt was not dispensed (Source: Anon nd, np link).

As soon as the coin disappeared into the machine, shoppers are invited to choose their size. But after that, a movie flashes up (Source: London 2015, np link).

[T]here was an unexpected catch…  a video about the exploited sweatshop labourers that make cheap clothing possible (Source: Dovas 2015, np link).

… revealing footage of textile factories where women and children work without a break for 13 cents an hour (Source: Anon 2015c, np link).

The video shows … them shocking images of a textile factory where it was made by women paid 9p an hour (Source: Fash_Rev 2015a, np link).

The workers at such factories … are often underage, and most are also underpaid and overworked (Source: Froelich 2015, np link).

Meet Manisha, one of millions making our cheap clothing for as little as 13 cents an hour each day for 16 hours,’ reads the video. Then the question ‘Do you still want to buy this €2 t-shirt?’ flashes up on the screen, followed by the options ‘buy’ and ‘donate’ (Source: Vandita 2015, np link).

Would you still buy a €2 T-shirt from a vending machine if it played a video beforehand confronting you with the conditions in which the t-shirt was made (Source: Fash_Rev 2015b, np link)?

The imagery appears to shock the unsuspecting shoppers who thought they were snapping up a bargain. … One lady gasps in horror when she realises the truth of the experiment. … Shoppers … look somber as they watch the footage unfold (Source: London 2015, np link).

The shoppers were visibly upset by the images they were shown of the conditions of workers in textile factories where cheap clothes are manufactured (Source: Morris 2015, np link).

… people … were appalled. Little girls, old women, people who worked 16 hour shifts just to make ends meet stared them in the face. And then they were asked to make a decision. To buy the T-shirt or to donate to the cause of eliminating poverty and eliminating the exploitation of labour. Most decided to donate (Source: Yousuf 2015, np link).

After 20 seconds, an option appeared on the touch-screen display to either continue with the purchase and buy the t-shirt or donate the 2€ to Fashion Revolution instead (Source: Bader 2015, np link).

Would you want a t-shirt like that? Most people wouldn’t, when they were asked if they still want the t-shirt, or if they’d rather donate the 2 Euro to help make a change, giving to a charity that helps people working in these conditions (Source: Andrei 2015, np link).

Out of 150 people who stopped to buy a T-shirt, 90 percent decided against it and preferred to donate their 2 Euros (Source: Blanchard 2015, np link).

[A film of the experiment that was uploaded to YouTube] went viral in the first week and was seen in over 200 countries and on all major social networks and news companies (Source: Schactner 2015, np link).

The final words of the video read: ‘People care when they know, help us to remind the world. Share this to start the fashion revolution’ (Source: London 2015, np link).

One in every six people worldwide is working in the fashion supply chain, with conditions notoriously bad for those in the manufacturing end. To combat this, the Fashion Revolution movement aims to create public dialogue and educate consumers on the real cost of cheap clothes. Now, using interactive technology and an irresistible call to action, they’ve done just that (Source: D&AD 2015, np link).

One in every six people worldwide is working in the fashion supply chain, with conditions notoriously bad for those in the manufacturing end. To combat this, the Fashion Revolution movement aims to create public dialogue and educate consumers on the real cost of cheap clothes. Now, using interactive technology and an irresistible call to action, they’ve done just that (Source: D&AD 2015, np link).

There are millions of people enslaved in sweatshops and the problem is perpetuated by the fast fashion demand of the western world. People are aware of this problem, yet it evades their conscience at the time of purchase. So Fashion Revolution wanted to see if people would still buy a T-shirt if they were confronted with how it was produced …The target audience is deeply immersed in fast fashion and the culture surrounding it. Fashion Revolution wanted to remind everyone of their purchasing power. The idea with this campaign was to reach the audience at the point of sale and online where they are absorbed in consumerism. Agency BBDO provided the client a platform where they could spark vital discussions regarding sweatshops … The agency would [then] create a video documenting the results and use it to spark an online discussion (Source: Cream 2015, np link).

‘We didn’t just want to ask whether production conditions could in theory influence a purchase, we wanted to find out how people would react, if they saw this kind of garment production with their own eyes’, said Jan Harbeck, Creative Managing Director at BBDO Berlin (Source: lbbonline.com 2015, np link).

… the press release of the video states that 90% of the 150 people questioned donated the money. Everyone had to give their permission to appear in the video and non-donors chose not to (Source: Borg 2015, np link).

This vending machine campaign, created with production studio Unit9 Berlin, manages to draw in people in order to teach them about the terrible conditions their desire for cheap fashion creates. It also provides them an easy way to donate, since they have already inserted the money and donating is as easy as pressing a button. Being in a public space also means that the exposure is maximized to attract all sorts of different people in the community (Source: Roncero-Menendez 2015, np link).

We put our love for innovation to use and turned your average snack-dispensing vending machine into a social campaigning tool to raise awareness about the garment industry’s poor working conditions for children.  … The application controlled communication between the arduino, the display and the PC so that whenever 2€ was inserted into the vending machine, the display automatically played the video. The original number pad was replaced with our own one, controlled by a computer application we created specifically for the campaign. The machine was programmed to dispense a shirt if you chose not to donate money (Source: Bader 2015, np link).

This was an experiment and initially the money was handed back to the people using the vending machine in the video (Source: Bader 2015, np link).

Let’s just be honest about how our clothes are made (Source: Johnston 2015, np link).

me: dont cry. me: dont cry. me: dont cry. me: cries. me: f*ck (Source: Randall 2015, np link).

Hopefully people are being conscious consumers now (Source: massysworld 2015, np link)!

We all love a bargain, but nobody wants a guilt trip. Most of us, if confronted with the reality of how cheap clothes get to be so cheap, would prefer to spend a few more euros and know that our clothes where not made at someone else’s expense (Source: Blanchard 2015, np link).

Come on, everyone know where these garments are made, stop with this hypocrisy, those putting their hands on their mouth to express their shock makes me cringe (Source: Oliver32 2015, np link)!

Human hypocrisy truly is boundless, is it not? How many of those people, tearing up so endearingly, have an iPhone in their handbag or pocket? Who is going to make a video about the exploitation in Apple’s Chinese sweatshop factories, where they actually install safety nets between floors, to minimize suicide rates (Source: Curratum 2015, np link)?

I am certain that a more transparent chain of production would increase our appreciation of clothing (Source: Pink & Green, 2015 np).

If I’m not paying a high price for something, who is (Source: rebecca46and2 2015, np link)?

There is no such as thing ‘cheap’. When you see bargain prices, you can be sure that someone has paid the price somewhere in the process of making, shipping and selling your clothes. From forced labour in the cotton fields of Uzbekistan to the shocking conditions of sweatshop workers, people all over the world are paying the price for our fast fashion and bargain prices (Source: Morris 2015, np link).

Cheap clothes seem extremely appealing, but think about one thing – if something is really cheaper than it should be, them someone’s not getting paid properly for it – and very likely, someone’s abused; usually children and women (Source: Andrei  2015, np link).

now I will be more cautious of where my clothes are produced (Source: Macleod 2015, np link).

want to give up wearing clothes 🙁 (Source: Osborne 2015, np link).

if all people started to care about what they buy then companies would have to come up with a more ethical strategy (Source: Kormaromi 2015, np link).

the company can pocket a tad bit less to even the wages. They’ll still make bank (Source: Kaplun 2015, np link).

…why was the big choice with the uplifting music the ‘buy or don’t buy’ bit? And ‘don’t buy’ was the ‘right’ choice? And making a point of it only applying to cheap clothing? This was a loud and clear boycott message (Source: PonzoonTheGreat 2015, np link).

This does deserve a boicot (Source: Huertas 2015, np link).

Way to go. Lets not buy cheap clothes, so we shut down the factories! Woohoo. That way, we can take away the only economic activity these poor people have, and send them back to starve in the countryside! Well done. Cheers to you (Source: turkmenbashy 2015, np link).

If we stop buying because we’re outraged, what happens? Do they magically find better jobs when their factory shuts down (Source: kdm158 2015, np link)?

If we shut down these sweatshops how will these workers support their families and survive? We are forgetting that the workers endure these conditions not because there is a gun held to their head, but because it is their best option and the best economic opportunity for them. I’m not saying $0.13 an hour is a good wage, but the purchasing power of a dollar may be much greater, and the cost of living much less than in Western countries. Furthermore, if we take away jobs from these people it may plunge them into greater abject poverty and set back improvement for later generations (Source: cutthatcity 2015, np link).

ok, so what their asking you to do is not buy their product. factory goes out of business so they make nothing instead of 13 cents an hour. a janitor might make less then an airplane pilot, but the janitors still needs their in come. don’t judge others for their standard of living to your own, it’s arrogant (Source: Anon 2015a, np link).

… these are made in third world countries where this is just how life goes… I’m not saying that’s a good thing, but, you don’t by the shirt, they don’t get anything… no food in their belly, and if they don’t go work for they’re 13 cents an hour, their parents probably beat them… Not everyone has the luxury of a rented flat, or the american dream 3 bedroom house… The problem with the world is that instead of actually learning what the word culture means, everyone thinks life should just be a certain way, and that’s no different than belive that a 1 dollar bill printed on cloth paper is worth $1 (Source: St1tch 2015, np link).

Have you been to India? There are kids and adults who make their money picking through rubbish (much of it unhygienic and disease ridden) to find anything that they can clean up and sell. There are millions of beggers often risking their lives to try and beg money. There are people doing things to make money that would make you sick to even know about. The women in these factories earning 13 cents an hour are the lucky ones. If it wasn’t for these factories making this cheap clothing these women would be on the rubbish heaps searching for buttons and hair grips – or doing something far far worse (Source: Voice_Of_Reason 2015, np link).

Btw poor Manisha won’t even get her 16 cent if you don’t buy that 2 EUR T-Shirt, so she has to be a prostitute, is that better (Source: HunGerMovies 2015, np link)?

I’m proud to buy clothes made by child labor in sweatshops because I know it saves them from sex work or toiling in the fields or mines. I would buy the shirt, because it’s the best way to support the children, short of giving them money directly (Source: starrychloe 2015, np link).

This is a means for women to achieve some financial independence in a country where females cannot get education or well-paying jobs (Source: Cookie 2015, np link).

Manisha DOES have the choice of being unemployed, or work somewhere else, doesn’t she (Source: Rob Z 2015, np link)?

13 cents / 16 hours / 340 days a year = $707.20 or (Bangladeshi 5437 BDT) more than there Doctors & Engineers do (Source: Clide 2015, np link).

they pay what we consider nothing, but to them in the society, these are some of the highest paying and safest jobs available to them (Source: Parsons 2015, np link).

Let those people make money for themselves and survive (Source: Decler 2015, np link).

in developing countries this could be a source of livelihood, this is a progressive development today it may sound like cheap labour tomorrow the country will be richer driving the basic salary higher with this living standards will become better. it has its pros and cons but wanting cheaper clothes creates market activity (Source: ijaz 2015, np link).

… the reason those workers are paid so little is because that is the normal wage in those countries. Yeah they should live better lives and be paid more, but that is a problem that can only be fixed with time. These countries need time to grow and develop just as every other country did (Source: Isythos 2015, np link).

Yeah the workers have sh*t money and live in sh*tty conditions (for us nowadays) But do you all pseudo humanists realize, that 100 years ago people in Europe were living and working in same conditions? Who was making sh*tty and manipulative videos to support us? Nobody! It is called evolution, maybe one day they will get to our level, but it is up to them not us (Source: Ciza 2015, np link).

You know why the rest of the world is so poor? it’s because of the rich countrys mostly europe and usa taking all the resources, so it’s not only evolution but also 20% of the worlds population making the rest poor, same thing with africa they are struggling because it’s only around 50 years since most of the broke out of the colonist regime. It’s the western’s civilizations fault that the world is what it is today (Source: SuperXaster 2015, np link).

You think these people had a worse life when before these companies came along in the early 20th century, do you??? Ohhhhh thank god we came along, put them out of their horrible peaceful rural farmer life, to give them a job where they earn 17c an hour. Just keep buying people, without us they would be LOST!!! *irony off now* (Source: Andersson Music 2015, np link).

This is spreading Non-Sense…. My country is not the non-sense you portray…. It is a legacy we inherited and we shall eradicate it… the donations are you guys are making are used for other reason to tarnish India and not help the child labour, this clip is cheap (Source: Hindocha 2015, np link).

For capitalism to work it has to be somebody who gets a lot less than others, how come people don’t get it (Source: Rozenberg 2015, np link)?

Cuz it’s a cruddy part of society that no one should accept? We shouldn’t have better lives than others just because of where we’re born (Source: guess 2015, np link).

No, and I never said we should. I just asked why people don’t get how capitalism work. And would you rather have communism (Source: Rozenberg 2015, np link)?

Stop pushing western hypocratic ideology on other people (Source: Decler 2015, np link).

What if this employer was still one of the best in the region. And without it they would be unemployed with no benefits and means to live (Source: Nadolski 2015, np link)?

No. When big companies stop monopolising countries like this their economies will be more localised and sustainable (Source: Coulter 2015, np link).

The problem is, that people … keep buying stuff at primarkt. That is not how we are going to change the world (Source: Ortner 2015, np link)!

What is a way to know that the clothing you buy isn’t being made my slave labour (Source: Crakr Jax 2015, np link)?

There’s no way. Almost all of it already is (Source: Clnlk 2015, np link).

I really like this video and its message! I think about this topic very often but the problem is that I cannot find good alternatives for students like me who cannot afford to buy expensive clothes. If someone knows an affordable option then please let me know (Source: Wilson 2015, np link).

People care when they know (Source: Von Fubak 2015, np link).

That’s very untrue. How many of you eat animal products, knowing that you support animal cruelty by doing so (Source: sky blue 2015, np link)?

People do care when they know, for the most part anyway. But we also have a built-in denial system that desperately wants to justify our actions, and part of that is willfully not knowing (i.e. electing to not remain conscious about the problem) (Source: 6laderunner 2015, np link).

I know there’s flaws to this… but at least they are trying to make a difference.. maybe the same can be applied to animal tested products. Great job (Source: GiftedHeart 2015, np link)!

people care when theres a camera in their face (Source: Jamil 2015, np link).

I’m sure this is going to sound cynical, but I do wonder what would happen if you had put this machine in a less visible spot. I’m not sure the buy/donate ratio would be the same if people could hit buy without being seen by a whole square full of other people (Source: Whitefire 2015, np link).

from what i have seen in this video, if i had encountered this machine i would have clicked buy. any one who didn’t is a moron. unless that machine explicitly stated what you were donating to and what the money would be used to accomplish there is no reason to donate. anyone can just set up a machine that spews a sob story, that literally everyone already knows about, and get people to give their money. im sure this was set up by a worthy charity and all but this video doesnt show it (Source: emoAnarchist, 2015, np link).

I’d still of purchased the shirt because I’m not dillusioned about where they come from and i wear h+m, sweat shops aren’t a new fad cause (Source: Kohan 2015, np link).

No-one I know is unaware of this issue so how does this help (Source: Bimblesticks 2015, np link)?

Every week a new ‘cause’, every week a new way to feel good about yourselves while not really doing anything at all (Source: Hurr Durr 2015, np link).

Rich-country people prefer to donate to rich-country NGO than to support a business that employs very poor people (Source: HoHum 2015, np link).

how much of those 2€ was actually donated to the people and how much did this company keep? that is the question (Source: Grebenc 2015, np link).

they send 10$ or 15% of it to the poor and keep the rest (Source: Aladdin 2015, np link)!

Those people donate the money to those woman so they can better themselves and get better jobs (Source: PrincessLily 2015, np link)!

Donating to a cause is not going to pay their wages this week, buy the damn shirt, buy ten, then they [w]ill get paid next week too (Source: Ge 2015, np link).

If you watch the video again you’ll realize two options are given. You can either buy the shirt, or donate the money. If you buy the shirt the money probably wouldn’t get back to her, but donating the money probably would (Source: Mickeyjay88 2015, np link).

Nobody wants to work for cents per hour but is making the same people reliant on donations from others the answer? I don’t believe so (Source: Noob 2015, np link).

She will never get her donation (Source: Nasir 2015, np link).

Aside from being a good way to share a story about very real issues, it’s also a good way to gather donations. The emotional impact of the story on the individual is a factor as to whether they’d be part of the 90% that forfeited the shirt they initially paid for, but there’s probably a significant weight to whatever guilt they would feel if they didn’t donate the money. Human choices are made based on what will make themselves happy. Getting a shirt for a cheap price? Heck yes. Selflessly donating those two euros (that we’ve already parted with because we thought we’d get a shirt out of it and, come on, it’s ONLY two euros) for a good cause? Even better. The success in this campaign comes from the subtle change in the result that the individual has already paid for. The machine didn’t ask for a donation before the money was put in; that would’ve made it harder to gather donations. The campaign’s brilliant because it plays off of materialistic greed to get what it wants (Source: Anon 2015b, np link).

‘Wanna buy a shirt? FOOLED YOU, we just wanted that money’ – is what it translates to (Source: Dj2xP 2015, np link).

This is just making people guilty to get money. This manipulative stuff makes me sick (Source: antelo 2015, np link).

Indulge your middle class guilt and they will have no work (Source: Daniels 2015, np link).

Making people donate to ‘identity unknown’ out of guilt is not charity, it is extortion (Source: Boulter 2015, np link).

Basically there was false advertising and extortion through pity, good job (Source: Simões 2015, np link).

another money making racket to pulling donations and spent 80% of that money on CEO’s pay checks, cars, property like most charities (Source: Wolf 2015, np link).

Damn whoever made this machine is a GENIUS, youre making people donate 2 euros for absolutly NOTHING I need one of these machines (Source: Philips 2015, np link).

THIS…IS…GENIUS!! I will do just the same, the only thing I would change is a skinny african baby with a fly in it’s eye, people will just throw the money in my face! And I don’t even have to buy new shirt’s. I upload it on youtube, saying I ‘donate’ all (appart from my 90% processing fee) and polish up my image PLUS the two magic words: YOUTUBE MONEY! GENIUS (Source: Robin E. 2015, np link)!

Cynics unite! I don’t care if they were guilted into it. The people who made the experiment taught us something about ourselves and made some money for the greater good in the process. If it saves lives, I say ‘YES, WHY THE F*CK NOT? LET’S USE THE GUILT OF THE MORE FORTUNATE!’ Put one in every first world city and see how we change the world! Invest in a vending machine with a video presentation that disgusts potential customers. Put a ‘donate here’ button for bleeding hearts to give money to a worthy cause (Source: Kyndo 2015, np link).

I think it’s a very good idea to show people the living conditions of poor countries. I think all the people should donate the money (Source: terrats 2015, np link).

Clever campaing… but hypocrites as we are…. We will forgot it next day…. Or we will buy that same t-shirt in a shop somewhere else (Source: Miranda 2015, np link)!

If i really need a shirt and I buy it am I a bad guy (Source: Gabor 2015, np link)?

Okay we all know there was at least one guy that still bought the shirt anyways because that is a great price. I would buy that shirt, I’ve been aware of these sweatshops since I was like 5 because my mom used to work in one, honestly these sweatshops have sh***y conditions but that won’t ever stop me from buying cheaply priced clothes (Source: Melancholy_Fran 2015, np link).

I would buy the f***ing shirt, because hey, it’s a 2 f***ing euro shirt… everybody works their asses off every day, just like those people in the sweat shops, and don’t want to waste money just so that some hipsters think that they’re helping the world and trying to feel better about them self (Source: FidanFast 2015, np link).

I would have still pressed the Buy button (Source: Fuzzbucket 2015, np link).

I’d buy the shirt. I love a good shirt. And I love a bargain. (Source: Darwin Smith 2015, np link).

Are they on ebay (Source: jasper 2015, np link)?

Do they come in a V neck (Source: iand1976 2015, np link)?

I would buy 100 T-Shirt and sell it for 4 EUR, pure 200 EUR profit (Source: HunGerMovies 2015, np link).

I would have bought all the t-shirts for €2 and then but up a stand next to the machine and sold the t-shirts for €3. Instead of pictures of slave labour there would be pictures of puppies and happy teenagers running across fields. Why? Because that’s how business actually works. Call it a social experiment if you must (Source: shingnosis 2015, np link).

What if you choose to buy it (Source: Sanchez Lopez 2015, np link)?

Then you would be an aresehole (Source: Mitchell 2015, np link).

so everyone who can’t afford expensive clothes is an arseh*le (Source: spangler1999 2015, np link).

Corporate regulation or lack thereof isn’t even mentioned. All I saw was ‘If you buy this t-shirt then you are an asshole’. Even more puzzling was the fact that it was implied that this only applies to cheap clothing (Source: PonzoonTheGreat 2015, np link).

Id buy it. After all, she’s already made it, the least we can do is get her paid. Would you rather pay someone in China or America or Russia to make a shirt and pay them 10.00 (dollars euros pecos etc.) and then have to pay 30.00 dollars for a shitty tshirt or just pay the 2 euros and let the girl at least eat who made the damn thing (Source: Chris 2015, np link)?

If you do NOT buy the shirt, you are taking food out of their mouths… People need to stop thinking with their emotions (Source: Floria 2015, np link).

Should be lucky they have a job (Source: sepdemar 2015, np link).

Too right (Source: chunks73 2015, np link).

Yes, let’s support greedy corporations who purposefully put individuals into such horrid environments with such disgusting salaries. You do realize, in sweatshops that create apple products, that there are nets at the bottom so people cannot commit suicide? And do you realize little children’s hands are forever destroyed and crippled in sweatshops of clothing and shoes and who knows what else. Ah yes, let’s ignore that because they ‘voluntarily’ put themselves into that situation (Source: Oppenheim 2015, np link).

If the people are coerced or forced to work in the sweatshops fine. Shut them down. But if the employees work their becasue they believe it is the best choice then isn’t taking that choice away immoral (Source: PonzoonTheGreat 2015, np link).

Nothing wrong with this, just like there is nothing wrong with paying below the minimum wage for English workers or giving them zero hour contracts (Source: MikeTindall 2015, np link)!

Consequence of this video? Buy expensive T-Shirts made in EU (Source: HunGerMovies 2015, np link).

Only 2 euros.. increase the price and make the video again (Source: KevinK 2015, np link).  

If you buy it, you might think that you help further exploitation of those people. But if you don’t buy it, ‘Manisha’ would be fired! I don’t know what’s the right thing to do (Source: tibic 2015, np link).

The problem is that if we buy it for more, the people in the factories still work for the same little money and we only make rich the companies that sell the products. So to pay more is not necessarily helping anyone, who actually truly need it. If you want a meaningful social experiment, try with the bosses of branded stuff (Source: xionedra 2015, np link).

… people like Manisha are working for companies like The North Face and Nike and H&M, companies that of course do not need to have sweatshops. Companies that are charging enough to afford to pay a fair wage. They pay a miniscule amount because they can get away with it by exploiting wartorn nations, or developing nations. If Manisha did not have this job, she would likely be living an agrarian life, which is not perfect but would not destroy her body as quickly as sweatshop labor does. OR – she could be working for the same company at a fare wage and reasonable hours. I live in Cambodia and have a friend who had sweatshop work from the time she was nine. Her eyes are damaged from it, and her back is hunched, and she is only twenty but looks like she is over forty. She now works on the street, pretending to be the mother of her little sister, in one of the many milk scams here, and she makes three times what she made in the sweatshop. That job too, is not one she chose, but one she was forced into, because she spent all of her school years working all day and night, and does not have even any savings from it, because the pay was so minimal. She was paid a monthly wage of 40usd, which, no, does not buy a lot here. Even here that is not a good wage. The reason ‘Manisha’ is working 16 hour days, isn’t because she loves the job so much, it is because she has to work that much to just scrape by. And this is pure greed. Cambodia is a low cost place to live. By paying just two dollars per hour – what would be an insane wage for a factory worker in the West, these companies could provide a very nice quality of life for their workers. But they choose instead to pay the absolute bare minimum, because these people have no means of fighting for more. They have no governmental support, nothing. And no, my friend did not choose that job for herself, thinking it was the best she could do. Her parents chose it for her out of desperation, because the factory moved in and poisoned the water in their village turning local food toxic and making it impossible to carry on with the farming work the family had done previously. Sweatshops are not the only option for clothing production. All of the big companies that use them could afford to pay their workers a living wage. But they choose not to, opting instead to take the money they would have to pay in a nation where the government is able to help its citizens and adding it to their profits. The problem is not that these jobs exist, it is that they refuse to pay enough to allow the workers to live a life and are using the sweat of many to fuel the excess of the few at the top of these companies. And worse, they take the futures of the workers, because there simply is no time for them to move in any way up, or even to save anything for a retirement or for an emergency (Source: Mindy F 2015, np link).

Yeah, I agree with companies being sh*t. Okay? I’m not defending the poor conditions. I’m criticising this video for grossly mishandling the issue (Source: PonzoonTheGreat 2015, np link).

While I agree that those work conditions suck, this experiment is manipulative and naive. Labour costs have close to zero correlation with the price of the T-shirt. A 2€ T-shirt requires the same labour as a 50€ one. So this isn’t really a question of the moral of ‘Fashion for bargain’ (Source: MouZeWarrioR** 2015, np link).

I think that it will be beter if u donate and buy the t-shirt too (Source: Aliaj 2015, np link).

I would press the ‘Buy’ button even after watching. Then pop in another $2 for donate (Source: ClubbySuperCharged 2015, np link).

If I spend 20 Euros on a T-shirt that still doesn’t guarantee it was made under fair conditions (Source: Malvin 2015, np link).

buying more expensive clothing IN NO WAY guarantees against bad labor practices (Source: Ritchie 2015, np link)

… who did my 50€ shirt (Source: Gurondiano 2015, np link)?

Your €50 costs peanuts to make. They company you buy it off exploits you and the workers for easy profit. Only the company wins (Tiny Dynamine 2015, np link).

The same workers … only some middleman has figured out the secret of spotting a complete dumbass and selling him a 2 euro shirt for 50 euro (Source: Smith 2015, np link).

This video is stupid because they want us to believe that clothes that are cheap are made in sweatshops and other more expensive are not but in fact they are too like nike and adidas (Source: Miguel 2015, np link).

The video doesn’t say anything of the sort. Yes, the big expensive brands use sweathouses too, and they’re exposed all the time mostly because of their big names. The video is, as you say, pointing out that the cheaper brands all going to be using sweatshops.   don’t think there’s any way you could make clothing so cheap without them (Source: McKenzie 2015, np link).

In my opinion it is worse to sell a shirt for 50 euros and pay the taylors an equal amount as the ones selling the shirts for 2 euros do (Source: Manon D 2015, np link).

People in developing countries buy clothing too. A rise in the cost of clothing to pay for higher wages harms them (Source: HoHum 2015, np link).

They are all made in southeast Asia. No matter if it’s Adidas or Abercrombie (Source: Moopenheimer 2015, np link).

There are two things that bother me: a. You’ll barley find a T-shirt, even 20-40€ ones, not made in China, Bangladesh, etc. Paying more does not mean better life quality for the workers there automatically. b. It is easy to judge while hard to understand other countries and cultures. Not saying exploiting people is good, but people need to work to feed their families. I can’t say what wage was fair in a country where I could live like a king from what I earn here. It is all not easily black and white. Saw a documentary the other day about child labor, where families depend on every helping hand. We are used to our standards, to judge. But what true power do we have – as customers – to change the situation for any kind of bargain in any branch of global trade, where you won’t even find a private bakery in almost any major city (Source: MagSun 2015, np link)?

… what I want to know is how you think we can make a change – all the way on the other side of the world. What is the solution? There must be a way to break the hold that sweat shop owners have over the fashion industry and the women’s lives, without pulling the rug out from under those that rely on the sweat shops for income (Source: SpamFaceJr 2015, np link).

The current demand coming from customers is ‘I want to by clothes of that I don’t know that they have been produced under bad circumstances’, so companies make sure the customers don’t know. But if the demand was ‘I want to by clothes of that I know that they have been produced under good circumstance’ then industries will actually find ways to ensure that knowledge. And labour in 3rd world countries will still be very cheap when paying fair wages (Source: lucas 2015, np link).

Having lived in Bangladesh for several years I can tell you that a minimum wage increase would help the people there very much and go directly toward increasing their standard of living in the most basic ways i.e. medicine and food. It is also important to understand that workplace safety is a huge issue in these developing countries. However, I believe the focus of Fashion Revolution is to pull back the curtain and demand transparency so that people can actually understand the people, materials and locations behind their product. I know that development is a hugely complicated issue and your concerns are valid but I truly believe that a few weeks in one of these countries would affect your view on the subject (Source: Swanson 2015, np link).

It’s not like the peeps that make our Levis jeans are driving Porsches (Source: TenchuuKhan 2015, np link).

It needs to start with the fashion industry and retailers. Explain the price difference, show the working conditions these kids work under. I would pay more. I want a pair of USA Levis (Source: Garvin 2015, np link).

We, the consumer, don’t need to pay more for our clothing. The western retailing corporations and their greedy share-holders and the greedy and sweat-shop owners need to make just a little less money per garment (Source: DaveTheVirgin 2015, np link).

Please explain to me the point of this campaign. Are you asking people to boycott cheap clothing? I can’t imagine anything more ridiculous. At what point is a T-shirt too cheap? Should there be a price minimum? If so, how do we know the manufacturers aren’t pocketing the difference instead of passing it on to the workers? How do the workers feel about your campaign? What other opportunities do they have to feed their families if you cause them to lose their jobs when the clothing factories shut down? This is a classic example of cheap philanthropy with no regard for consequences. No one who buys into a campaign like this has any real concern for the lives of people who work in third world clothing factories (Source: Friedman 2015, np link).

You might as well make vending machines that sell everything from potato peelers to shoes to iphones because it’s all made the same way. As Americans we have been trained to consume and not make.  In our consumption we demand cheap prices.  In the end we get what we pay for.  A shallow consumer based economy rather than an economy based upon  manufacturing. (Source: Albin 2015, np link).

Where were the video screens, microchips, ram, circuit boards etc. for this vending machine sourced? Definitely not a country that exploits low paid workers or a country that uses violence to secure rare earth sources used in said electronics (Source: Bimblesticks 2015, np link).

Who produced the T-shirts for this machine? Did the same person who informs about sufferring people in the textile industry support their miserable situation by buying these t-shirts? Did you care about the people who made the whole electronic equipment for the vending machine? I doubt the people who produced it don’t work in better condition than those in the textile industry (Source: Kozderka 2015, np link).

They should have made also a video about the fashion design that’s beyond a t shirt… like ‘hello, you paid 2€ for the cotton material, wanna a whole t shirt? meet X, the designer… he/she adjusted the shape and the sizes… wanna a cool graphic on it? meet Y, he/she designed a set of cool graphics to empower the t-shirt… do you like our vending machine? meet Z, he/she proposed this innovative way of selling fashion in our Marketing area’ … and so on (Source: MsLaTrau 2015, np link).

Social experiment? There is nothing even slightly experimental about this. There is no given sample, no recorded variables, no control group, nothing. It is a way to spread a message, which is rather clever, but it is NOT and experiment (Source: Filip 2015, np link).

… could you tell us all of the figures for this ‘experiment?’ … how many approached the machine? What was the sample size? Some background information about them? Was it people who can’t afford the ethical expensive clothes only who bought the tshirt anyway? Were groups more likely to say no in front of friends/family? A control group to compare results? Please inform us (Source: PonzoonTheGreat 2015, np link).

Those are the qualifications of a scientific experiment. There are other types of experiments. Here is one definition of an experiment. Noun. 1. a test, trial, or tentative procedure; an act or operation for the purpose of discovering something unknown or of testing a principle, supposition, etc. See it doesn’t need those things you said (Source: jack 2015, np link).

Experiment in Berlin, Germany right? So why is the writing on the screen in the photos in English (Source: Icarus 2015, np link)?

This experiment only works if ALL clothing manufacturers did this. They don’t. Experiment invalid (Source: Hawkins 2015, np link).

The experiment obviously works, Rolf [Hawkins]: People think again. The experiment’s strength lies in just that fact (Source: Glendenning 2015, np link).

The experiment is to see if people will support the cruel production company [buy the shirt] or support ending such cruelty [donating to the cause]. It says that most people end up donating. But, yes, this is also a message (Source: eL_T 2015, np link).

Who’s the target audience? Western middle class people that can look down on western poor people because they buy cheap clothes that are made wherever under crap conditions (Source: TenchuuKhan 2015, np link)?

So, this experiment doesn’t help a lot, as all of them (clients) will continue buy clothes for 10-20-50 euro. This is the industry all around the world, unfortunately (Source: galataki 2015, np link).

… there were some flaws in this experiment, they should have included that these workers also make 150 euro t-shirts. They should have also included the high execs salaries. … spreading awareness about these issues will hurt these companies reputation, some involved in the Rana Plaza incident have already incorporated methods to prove their workers are being treated better, it’s smalls steps, the trend is going socially responsible (Source: Luxz 2015, np link).

To say it’s the greed of executives is ridiculous. It’s everyone’s greed. I like being able to afford multiple shirts, pants, shoes, etc. I’m sure the executives are greedy too though, and they like bringing in money. And the shippers want to charge $30 to move something across an ocean. And after everyone gets their little piece of the pie, the production costs skyrocket. It’s not as simple as paying sweatshop workers more (Source: thingamahjig smith 2015, np link).

I think the idea is to get fashion labels to be more transparent with customers in how their products are made. This would then hopefully force employers to improve conditions for textile workers (Source: Wood 2015, np link).

I find it repulsive that a company would force a ‘social experiment’ onto random strangers looking to buy a cheap shirt and to film them, and force them to make such a revealing decision in front of these people. If this happened to me, I would walk away. And I believe that people are naturally caring. And to try and use such a negative feeling such as guilt into getting donations, and trying to make people feel BAD about themselves, only proves how twisted this company is. I hate that everywhere I go, everywhere I look, everyone I talk to, there is someone trying to guilt me into doing something. And what all of these different ads or ‘social experiments’ has done to me is made me accept that maybe I’m a bad person (Source: anonymous 2015, np link).

A better implementation would be to: At the same decision point (buy vs. donate) replace the donate option with a competitor option, where the competitor is also a clothing manufacturer and employer of children. However, you paint a pretty story around the child employed at manufacturer B. -> You provide details of manufacturer B: pays child x double the amount manufacturer A pays, better conditions, child x is able to go back home and contribute more to the family, and child x lives a healthier life. You price this at $3 instead of $2 (forgot what the currency in the video was so I’m just gonna go with $). This $3 assumes a higher labor cost as well as a higher facilities cost – let’s say $0.50. The other $0.50 that makes up the gap is all profit for the manufacturer (again, making up numbers here). This last part is really important as it would be the driver for actual change. I say that because that extra profit would provide incentive for sweatshop owners to raise standards: these shops would be able to increase profits just by incurring higher wages and facilities costs. If implemented correctly, one sweatshop after another would partner with Fashion Revoltion and convert to the new standard, simply to increase profits, all driven by the western consumer’s higher demand for the higher priced shirt in light of the the sob story attached to the lower-priced shirt. This would be simple economics at work. Then as a result you would see rising wages across country x. And down the road and as a result of the aforementioned, you’d see decreasing child labor participation rates as the parents’ increased wages would be enough to provide for the family. Yes, this is idealistic and the implementation is tough (obviously a lot tougher than just pooling donations and giving them away as the proposed solution involves partnering with one of the sweatshops and eventually many more sweatshops and lots of operations work) but it seems Revolution could get enough consumer interest (demand) to make it happen. As you can tell, I see the solution to this global problem as being commercial (with an element of humanitarianism as that’s what drives the price premium) rather than charity-driven (Source: Londongunner14 2015, np link).

I don’t think that the alternative of buying a 2 dollar shirt has to be to buy no shirt at all. There is another alternative, which is to buy fairtrade clothes. One can buy fairtrade clothes, which were produced in the same countries, in which such 2 dollar shirts are produced. The difference is, that the workers then don’t get 0,13 cents, but get a fairer price, they get better working conditions and more labor rights (Source: edlothion 2015, np link).

I agree with you. Also, the alternative of free market capitalism is not not having any market at all (Source: carrotbananajuice 2015, np link).

I hate when some lame organization is trying to make things black and white (Source: HunGerMovies 2015, np link).

I hate groups like this that do experiments like this. It’s called shaming by making everyone feel guilty about what they buy (Source: entertainment-knone 2015, np link).

A bit inaccurate and manipulative … but that’s marketing. At least it gets people to think about where their clothes come from (Source: exilio 2015, np link).

Great idea… Lack of information is the big problem. Happy that you placed that machine in Berlin. I started to realize that the taking part in social ideas is nothing special anymore here… its just normal. Good work (Source: Jaeger 2015, np link)!

lol pretty sure the people from Primark were not happy with this machine standing near to their shop xD (Source: Mr cs93 2015, np link).

Sad, unnerving, brilliant communication of human needs (Source: Hindle 2015, np link).

This really restores my faith in humanity seeing videos like this. I really try to be as ethical as possible but what really worries me is I wish we knew if we were doing the right thing by not buying these clothes, I worry that these women will turn around and say no keep buying them it enables me to fed my kids. I really think everybody should get a fair wage I just wish we could get some feedback to assure us all we are doing the right thing (Source: Think 2015, np link).

It’s in the hands of the clothing companies to pay a fair price for the production. But, because they compete to sell the cheapest clothes, they won’t. If Primark, H&M and other big clothing brands start caring for the people that make their clothes and pay the workers in the factories more money they will not loose their jobs and have better lives. We have enough money to pay a higher price for clothes, if we just don’t buy bag full of them every weekend. Buy less and buy quality, stop supporting those big brands by buying jeans for 10 euro. It’s complicated and I agree donation is not a solution (Source: Michelle 2015, np link).

why don’t you try to work out with multinational fast fashion companies? Leave Consumers out of this. The problem is created by those companies, not consumers (Source: Kawai 2015, np link).

Go after the corporations who outsource the sh*t out of the world! The companies who run most of the job providing businesses nowadays and manipulate our salaries so we can only afford crap made in China and India. You don’t go hunt for the addicts, you take out the dealer, and there, done. … STOP acting like i’m the f*cking problem (Source: UNTOLD 2015, np link).

Nothing about accountability of the industry hiring sweatshops, nothing about implementing labor rights, inspections of the workplace or improving the life of the workers, just a 2€ guilt-trip buzz and the warm warm feeling of ‘oh-not-me’ (Source: allolalia 2015, np link).

I dont understand—They are using a girl to shame people into donating and not buying cheap—BUT THIS CLOTHING WAS PURCHASED AND THE SLAVE LABOR PAID FOR BY CORPORATIONS—WHY ARENT THEY SHAMING THE CORPORATIONS WHO HAVE CREATED THIS MARKET AND CREATED THE SLAVE TRADE ? CORPORATIONS ARE THE ONE PAYING THE POVERTY WAGES AND TURNING TO SELL AT 1000% PROFIT (Source: Jones 2015, np link).

… the fashion companies? They should donate. A lot (Source: Moopenheimer 2015, np link)!

Just this morning, I googled ‘Netflix documentary sweatshops’ just becuz it was tickling my brain and I wanted to see ‘The True Cost’ and didn’t recall the title. Very worthwhile viewing, esp if you want to give up wearing clothes. 🙁 (Source: Osborne 2016, np link).

All clothes are made in some kind of terrible factory. The blame lies with the governments of the countries where the factories are (Source: Green 2015, np link).

As long as there is enough unemployment, workers will be exploited by employers. It’s really up to the govenment and the citizens to set rules for minimum wage. The end consumer could pay ten times more for a product and still not a penny more would reach the workers, that’s how unregulted captalism works, period (Source: MouZeWarrioR** 2015, np link).

So where is the E.U.? What is the point in having laws in Europe if we do not impose those same laws of companies importing to Europe. All we are doing is exporting jobs as they can avoid minimum wage rules, health and safety and other work regulations by making things in other countries. All companies selling into Europe should have to meet the same laws as if you were making things in Europe. That simple (Source: Williamson 2015, np link).

Most multinational companies of clothing use this method and we keep supporting them sadly (Source: IXacab 2015, np link).

Greedy fashion tycoons would move to ‘cheaper’ countries anyway, but the consumer, wanting it all for the lowest price, helped speeding up this process (Source: walldorff 2015, np link).

The problem reside in goverments that allow this kind of underemployment. Clothing companies do like any other, reduce costs (Source: Sanchez 2015, np link).

… the premise is plainly false. people care when they know’? If that were true revolution would have occurred globally by now. it’s no secret that third world countries are exploited for not only products like clothes but much of our grain that, instead of feeding people, goes towards environmentally unfriendly cows for us to consume. Knowledge isn’t the problem. The problem is a globalized capitalist economy, a distracting spectacle of media and consumption (Source: Heideman 2015, np link).

Why don’t people have the balls to tackle the big fashion houses who charge hundreds and thousands for their work, most of which are made abroad by underpaid, overworked and abused people (Source: Fielding 2015, np link).

The ‘experiment’ is to raise public awareness in the West. At 1.4 million YouTube [views] …complete success (Source: Smith 2015, np link)!

Is this vending machine still Standing there, informing the people? If so, where does the money go, that was donated, when you were not filming this (Source: warequalsnofuture 2015, np link).

You’ve crossed the fashion industry! Watch out for all the brainwashed male model assassins (Source: xsithspawnx 2015, np link)!

€250 were collected by people who explicitly wanted to donate which we will now pass on to the OPORAJEO Project, which was setup after the Rana Plaza disaster on April 24th, 2013 to create job opportunities for some of the survivors as a rehabilitation program (Source: Fashion Revolution 2015, np link).

The video has been a phenomenal success (Source: Blanchard 2015, np link).

After 7 days: 3+ million views on YouTube, #1 in the global ads chart, 25 million social media impressions, The film reached over 200 countries, Worldwide press coverage with over 50 million media impressions, The film was Broadcasted on Germany’s largest news networks, 50% of all social media and news posts where shared further (Source: Cream 2015, np link).

[It] additionally attracted thousands of people to visit the Fashion Revolution website. They also used their social media channels to ask #WhoMadeMyClothes to fashion brands. It provides a fascinating and eye-opening insight into the labour cost of cheap clothing. And if dialogue is the aim of Fashion Revolution Day, it seems the conversation has only just begun (Source: D&AD 2015, np link).

Definitely a worldwide hit!! People everywhere unrelated to #fashrev have been talking about the video (Source: angelicasalazarduque 2015, np link)!!

 ‘The 2 Euro T-shirt: a Social Experiment’ video went viral and has accumulated over 7 Million views to date (Source: creativeindustryhub 2016, np link).

This social experiment by Fashion Revolution is considered by many as an effective way to call out for companies and clothing lines to provide better pay for their workers. Just because you bought an expensive garment doesn’t mean the workers are also paid higher. But when the society knows what is really happening before each t-shirt is stacked on store racks, they get to ask the question ‘who made my clothes’ and be part of the solution, which is to call out clothing companies and remind them of their bigger responsibilities to their workers (Source: Media Junkie 2015, np link).

This goes to show how powerful a tool education is (Source: Froelich 2015, np link). 

I showed this in my rethinking class, but my students still think knowing is not sufficient, we need more concrete initiatives including all stakeholders (Source: Vicdan 2016, np link)!

I’ve seen the vending machine @fash_revgermany It was a powerful experiment! So, I decided to film a little documentary about your organization. … I will tell you when I am done. (Source: crossingpee 2015, np link).

We need to do more (Source: Garmendia 2015, np link)!

Shared, let’s start the revolution (Source: Chin 2015, np link)!!!

‘To me, the results show just how important transparency is in the global supply chain’, says Annett Borg, Country Coordinator at Fashion Revolution Germany. ‘Through Fashion Revolution Day and campaigns like this one, people all over the world can show, that they do care about the inhuman working conditions in the textile industry’ (Source: lbbonline.com 2015, np link).

… we are developing a strategy at the moment how to realize experiments like that in different places. As soon as we know we spread the infos on our channels (Source: fash_revgermany 2015, np link)!

Five children from Berlin did the unthinkable: They approached international fashion brands voluntarily to ask for a job. Why? Millions of children work in the textile supply chains worldwide. What is commonplace in the developing countries of the world often seems unimaginable in our society. In order to expose this double standard within the fashion industry, [Fashion Revolution Germany] carried out a field test (Source: Fashion Revolution 2016, np link).

To show that child labour is wrong, Fashion Revolution teamed up five children between the ages of 10 – 12 years old from Berlin, Germany, so that they could do the unthinkable: They asked fashion brands to give them a job. Before getting started, the children spoke openly about child labour wanting to raise further awareness. They wrote application letters, conducted telephone interviews and even directly asked numerous fashion stores across Berlin for a job. All industry reactions were recorded with hidden cameras. Not surprisingly, the children’s applications where all turned down. The reason: They are too young to work, the industry explained (Source: creativeindustryhub 2016, np link).