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The topic "fashion" and an aid organisation like German Agro Action, which is striving for a world without hunger and poverty - do the two really go together?
Very well actually. After all, people all over the world want to decorate themselves with clothing and attract attention through their outward appearance - no matter whether they are poor or rich.
German Agro Action's "World Robes" campaign uses this basic need to attract attention to the problems of the countries of the South and also to highlight their riches. After all, the philosopher Immanuel Kant already recognised that "what increases the curse of poverty is the low opinion attached to its victims".
The fabrics for the "World Robes" fashion competition come from countries where German Agro Action has project partners - in India, South Africa and South America. They are treasures: artistically embroidered, printed or decorated, sumptuously coloured and produced according to age old traditions.
Up-and-coming designers deal with these textiles. They research how they were created, and examine their cultural importance and the individual manufacturing process. And they take a look at the two sides of the global textile industry: on the one hand the clothing industry is an important economic factor in many countries in the South, but, on the other hand, the pressure to produce increasingly cheaply leads to grave social injustices. The textile labour force in developing countries is frequently subjected to inhumane working conditions and paid sweatshop wages.
German Agro Action promotes the principle of sustainability: