At Joe Fresh there was denim for miles. Denim skirts, denim shirts, a denim coat and, well, jeans. Mostly it worked (faded horizontal stripes, head-to-toe!) but occasionally it didn’t (frayed cuffs on a button down had too much trash and not enough Euro).
Pops of fire-engine red and prints (zebra, snakeskin, florals that looked to China) also made their way onto the runway, though much of the non-denim offering was in a deep blue. Of the reds, we loved a cropped PVC jacket and a pleather dress with candy cane striped ribbon working its way up the sides. Athletic gear was a noted influence and was a smart match for the Chinese touches (mandarin collars with sporty piping!). A pair of past-the-knee shorts with a drawstring waist were very cool for spring (eternal pajama-loving Julian Schnabel would approve). And a flirty mini skirt executed in an iridescent oil spill of a fabric was a romp of a piece.
Most of the lengthy collection (56 looks) was just what consumers want from a fast-fashion store: fun, easy-to-wear garb served at an affordable price-point. But hey, fun fashion aside, what about the terrible collapse of the Rana Plaza factory complex in Bangladesh, in which more than 1,100 workers died while assembling garments from Joe Fresh and other labels? We got in touch to find out.
In a statement, Bob Chant, a spokesperson for Loblaw, says that they’ll be “providing long-term, direct financial compensation for the victims and their families that were producing our apparel,” in addition to “short-term financial support to all New Wave Style workers or dependents … a payment of three months wages.” (Bangladesh is currently planning on raising its minimum wage; some factory workers make as little as $37 per month.)
We’ve yet to hear back about how exactly much Loblaw plans on compensating workers per month.
Since May of this year, Loblaw reports that it has completed full audits of its vendor factories in Bangladesh. Factories that did not meet new standards have been removed from the approved list.
We sincerely hope this is the case.