Rachel Breen
Rachel Breen @rbbreen, is a visual artist and activist who uses used textiles as a medium to dismantle entrenched ways of seeing and believing, while also scrutinizing overconsumption, careless waste-making, and disregard for the labor conditions under which our clothes are made. She champions organizations like Awaj Foundation, Bangladesh Garment Workers Solidarity, Cividep, and The Or Foundation that work towards labor rights, solidarity, and collective power.
IRK: Tell us your “Why”
My interest in the relationship between climate change, overconsumption and labor rights stems from histories of Jewish activism in the garment industry, my family history as immigrants and the role of the sewing machine in these stories. A strong sense of social responsibility and deep desire to connect my work to this political moment is inextricably connected to my Jewish identity. I think expansively and ambitiously about the role artists (and my work) can play in creating change. My aim is to contribute to larger social movements addressing climate change and garment workers’ rights.
IRK: What are you most passionate about with respect to taking care of people and the planet?
I passionately believe that the climate crisis and the labor rights of garment workers are intertwined. I think that if we can pressure brands to pay workers fairly and provide safe working conditions, we will begin to slow overproduction down and contribute to lessening the extreme impacts of the garment industry on the planet. We cannot address one without the other. If we hold brands accountable to paying both the real cost of labor and the real costs of environmental degradation of their production processes, we will begin to see some key changes that we hope for.
I also passionately believe that the way to make this happen is through collective action. Individual actions are absolutely essential, but collective action is also needed to make the shifts that we hope for in regard to the climate crisis and workers’ rights. We can do this by financially supporting organizations that work to organize and unionize garment workers, by becoming educated about policy, such as the Fabric Act in the US and by joining organizations working on these issues.
IRK: What are some conscious actions you implement in your daily life?
I seek out opportunities to share my artwork as a way of expressing my ideas, concerns and beliefs about social responsibility, the need for collective action, love for people and the planet and hope for change.
IRK: What’s your hope for the future of the planet?
Resistance, Resilience and Regeneration
What Sustainable Development Goal do you align with the most? https://sdgs.un.org/goals
This is an impossible question! #1 #12, #13, #17, #10 and all of them!!!!
