Acclaimed Fashion Documentary True Cost
Premieres in Toronto
Movie stills from The True Cost (Courtesy of Fashion Takes Action)
TORONTO – Fresh from the Cannes Film Festival and screenings in London, New York and Los Angeles, director Andrew Morgan’s fashion documentary The True Cost will premiere in Toronto on June 24th. Backed by a stellar international production team including Livia Firth, Lucy Siegle, Michael Ross and Laura Piety, the film has garnered strong industry reactions and public interest on both sides of the Atlantic.
Co-hosted by the fashion industry non profit group Fashion Takes Action and Ryerson University’s School of Fashion, The True Cost comes to Canada at a critical time for local brands and apparel retailers. In recent years, the fashion industry has been under extreme scrutiny for its negative social and environmental impacts, culminating on April 24th, 2013 with the collapse of the Rana Plaza factory in Bangladesh. With the Canadian government now looking closely at ethical procurement guidelines, and the recent class action suits against Wal-Mart and Loblaw Companies tied to the deaths at Rana Plaza, the release of this gritty behind-the-scenes documentary could not be timelier.
“Growing up in America, I never gave much thought to where my clothes came from,” states director Andrew Morgan. “But as I began learning more about the people and places behind the labels in my closet, I was shocked by what I found. Clothing is the most labour-dependent industry in the world, employing millions of the world’s poorest workers, many of which are women. Many are paid less than a living wage, work in unsafe conditions, and are deprived of basic human rights. In addition to the human impact, fashion is now the number two most polluting industry on earth – second only to oil.”
Kelly Drennan, founding executive director of Fashion Takes Action echoed Morgan’s sentiments while highlighting the importance of the film’s screening in Toronto. “These are extremely important issues that need to be made public in order for consumers to make better informed purchasing decisions. Upon seeing this film it will be hard for anyone to ignore the facts. We are thrilled to bring this important film to Canada, in partnership with Ryerson School of Fashion, as part of our ongoing engagement and education efforts”.
Movie stills (Courtesy of Fashion Takes Action) Click to enlarge
Movie stills from The True Cost (Courtesy of Fashion Takes Action)
Given the eye-opening nature of the film, there will likely be a great deal of questions from the audience. In order to facilitate a greater understanding of the issues as well as what solutions are available, a media and industry stakeholder panel will take place immediately following the screening.
True Cost Toronto Premiere
When: Wednesday June 24, 6:00pm – 9:00pm
Where: Ryerson’s Ted Rogers School of Management
Building 55, Dundas St West Lecture Theatre TRS1067
Tickets are $5 for members of FTA and students at Ryerson; $10 for the general public.
Follow on Twitter: #TrueCostTO, #TrueCostMovie
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