Geogra3: Three videos on the global fashion industry

For this week’s Geogra3 I thought I would share three video clips that can be used in lessons, specifically based on the global fashion industry.  

So let’s crack on!

1. Inside the Shein machine

Being around teenagers, we can’t help but hear and see the fashion trends they’re adhering to, some often quite debatable!  One of the things that has of course fuelled this, is the arrival of fast fashion, which has become particularly affordable through giants like Shein.  Many students talk of watching “clothes hauls” on Tiktok where influencers have literally paid £30 to fill their wardrobe.  So this programme takes a look behind the scenes of Shein, the way it works and questions the sustainability of the industry.  The programme, “Inside the Shein machine”, was originally on channel 4 and is about 45 mins in length.

2. Dumped in the Desert

This programme, from one of my favourite Youtube channels DW, explore where our fast fashion ends up.  It specifically looks at the Atacama Desert in Chile and how it has become a dumping ground.  It also looks at how refugees from Venezuela are using the clothes and how organisations in Brazil are making use of fabric scraps to create jobs.  The video is just under half an hour and provides a whole variety of discussion points.

3. Slay - the use of animals in fashion

From the makers of award-winning films Cowspiracy and What The Health, SLAY follows filmmaker Rebecca Cappelli’s journey around the world to uncover the dark side of the fashion industry. Rebecca's investigation into the animal skins trade unravels a harrowing story of greenwashing, mislabeling, animal cruelty and cover-ups from some of the world's major luxury fashion brands. SLAY provides an in-depth and eye-opening look into the realities of today’s fashion industry while pointing the way towards viable and sustainable alternatives.  It’s a longer programme of about 1 hour 25 mins and is available on the fantastic free to join site, Waterbear.

If you would like to utilise these video clips in your lessons but are limited on the time needed to prepare resources around them, you might want to have a look at the Geography Teacher Box vault.  Lesson presentations and worksheets with answers have just been added for each of these videos, so have a quick watch of the preview below to get an idea of what there is:

And that's it for this week!

PS - I love nothing more than supporting Geography teachers as we are a pretty awesome bunch.  

So here are five ways that I might be able to help you….

• The FREE resource booklet - 17 Q and A worksheets linked to documentaries
• The GTB Vault - Classroom-ready powerpoints and worksheets so you never need to feel guilty about showing a video in class again! New pick up and go lesson resources added every month and now with an option to pay in both US dollars and GB pounds!
• The Geography Teacher Box bookstore - boost your subject knowledge while supporting local independent bookshops
• Tote-ally Geography - A newly created store with tote bags designed specifically for geography teachers.
• Connect with other like-minded Geography teachers and share resources (suitable for teachers of students aged 11-18) - The GTB Facebook Group