ASK ME ABOUT MY DRESS

By: Rachelle Deng

An estimated 40 million people today are victims of modern-day slavery, including being forced into labor, sexual exploitation, and marriage. Apparel workers, the ones who create the clothing we wear daily without a second thought, have a 98% chance of not making a living wage and being subject to inhumane working conditions. As a 150 million dollar industry with over 50,000 people trafficked in the US alone, this issue is anything but a distant one. So where does the “dress” part tie in? I spoke with Rachel Colleen, founder of Dressember at the University of Michigan, to get more insight into Dressember and its impacts on social and environmental sustainability.

What would you describe Dressember as?

R: Dressember is a nonprofit that puts on a campaign to wear a dress or tie every day of December. The dress/tie mainly serves as a conversation starter to raise awareness towards trafficking and gain donations towards your personal campaign against human trafficking. All of the dress money fundraised gets donated to the Dressember network, which consists of 18 different domestic and international organizations that Dressember has worked and is familiar with. These funds are used to fight human trafficking by advocating for awareness, prevention, and intervention. 

What are some ways you’ve incorporated environmental sustainability into Dressember’s goals?

R: Dressember has a shop that sells dresses made by human trafficking survivors who get paid sustainably. Additionally, we had a general meeting about fast fashion and the way Dressember advocates against it. We had lots of education about ethical fashion and terms like greenwashing so that members can see how it connects to human trafficking. The most important thing we emphasized is that when humans are being exploited, that means the environment is being exploited. As a club that focuses on reducing unethical labor standards, we try to go on thrifting trips in an attempt to use clothes already made rather than increasing demand. (Rachel also got a super comfy black dress from Ann Arbor PTO that she’s really excited to wear!)

Is there a time you’ve seen/felt the greatest impact of your work? What was it?

R: Seeing people show up, be engaged, and be genuinely interested/engaged at our first mass meeting and every meeting after that made me realize this wouldn’t have happened if I have not started this club. I also had a goal of raising $700 dollars last year and stayed up on New Year’s Eve contacting people to share the link with others who hadn’t donated. After intensive outreach for hours, I reached my goal on New Year’s Day!

If interested, how can one get involved?

R: Email rachelcg@umich.edu for more information and to be added to Dressember’s active GroupMe! The first day of Dressember is Dec 1 but you can get involved even after Dec 1, and anybody is welcome to come to the meetings. For those who may feel hesitant to get involved – whether it seems daunting to ask people for money or you may not want to wear a dress or tie every day of December – the discomfort in doing that is much lower than the discomfort faced by millions of human trafficking victims. Dressember is something that brings me a lot of joy because it feels like you are doing something greater than yourself and can get you out of your bubble when studying for finals and give you something new to talk about. Overall, it is a fun and easy way to do something in a community that actually helps people who greatly need it.

Click here to donate to Rachel’s fundraising page!

Click here for more information on Dressember