(MAŠINA, 2018)
So what’s it all about?
This page sets out how a group of students engaged with just one of the many injustices that feature in the shadier depths of some of our biggest and most favoured high street brands. As part of our work, we had a look at the work of the Clean Clothes Campaign, from which we found loads of conversations about H&M, specifically their #TurnaroundHM campaign. As a group of students who have all shopped there, and with one having even applied to work there, we felt it was a good story to delve into. What this page explores is what we found when looking into the topic of the living wage – a phrase with remarkable variations and interpretations even under the single name of H&M. We decided to do a little thinking and some further research, highlighting some of the most uncomfortable aspects of this issue, that is relevant worldwide as a result of H&M’s extensive international supply chain. We made a few of our own contributions to the conversations too. We created a very simple label as a piece of art-activism, a spoof job advertisement, an Instagram page, and this website to explain what we did and why. What we believe is that we can all afford to pay a little extra, so that the many thousands of people who work for H&M making our clothes are paid enough to live on. We can make a real difference – every voice and action counts, why don’t you try some of this research yourself, and see just how easy it could be for a company like H&M to put their money where their mouth is, and pay a living wage to their workers. Throughout the site you’ll find stacks of information to keep you up to speed and to help you get involved, we would love to see what you come up with! If you do, don’t forget to tag us on Instagram @turnaroundhm (and while you’re at it give us a cheeky follow)
#TurnaroundH&M 
This is brilliant stuff. The way that you have populated the website – showing you know what you’re talking about, how to calculate living wages, how to support the #turnaroundhm campaign through shop-dropping, social media and a DIY callout, and how to support CCC more widely is exemplary. It’s a totally fascinating, exciting page, and it’s made that way because although there’s lots of text, it’s interesting to read and illustrated by embedded videos and graphics. An enormous amount of work has gone into this and, it seems, you won’t be short of things to pick up for your journal writing! There’s one thing that I thought you might want to follow up and that’s about the legality and ethics of shop-dropping. As a University of Exeter course, I have to advise you to consider the ethics of this work, and we have to be cautious about ‘informed consent’. That request opened up some interesting avenues to Head Office! But it also made me wonder what code of ethical and legal advice the CCC refer to before deciding on their actions. It would be really interesting to find out. What can you do as citizens and consumers that you might not be advised to do as students?
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