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Understanding the efforts of transnational stakeholders in the responsible fashion and apparel (RFA) movement post-Rana Plaza, Bangladesh Mary F. Hanlon Sociology, PhD The University of Edinburgh 2019 Declaration I declare that this thesis has been composed solely by myself and that it has not been submitted, in whole or in part, in any previous application for a degree. Except where stated otherwise by reference or acknowledgement, the work presented is entirely my own. __________________ Mary F Hanlon 24 September 2019 __________________ Date iii Abstract In the wake of the 2013 Rana Plaza building collapse in Savar, Bangladesh, transnational stakeholders and stakeholder groups working within the global movement for responsible fashion and apparel (RFA) mobilised in extraordinary ways, developing and implementing a spectrum of strategies and actions aimed at supporting garment worker safety in Bangladesh. While some focused on building infrastructure, lobbying companies and governments to improve workplace standards through policy and legislation in the country, others sought to improve voluntary corporate standards. These stakeholders make up part of a global movement of individuals and organisations engaged in efforts which aim to both challenge and disrupt conventional systems of fashion and apparel production and consumption with respect to social and environmental issues. Long before Rana Plaza collapsed, transnational stakeholders engaged in efforts directed at improving labour conditions for garment workers in Bangladesh. In this thesis, I examine how RFA movement stakeholders mobilised post-Rana Plaza and consider how fashion was leveraged across the movement as a tool to support the labour rights of garment workers in Bangladesh. Findings stem from data gathered through 42 qualitative interviews conducted with elite RFA movement stakeholders based in Bangladesh, Canada, Europe, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as a website analysis of the UK-based ‘pro-fashion’ transnational project Fashion Revolution (FashRev), which operates as an analytic entry point into the wider RFA movement. Captured within the thesis are the views of artists, activists, corporate social responsibility advisors, designers, educators, government officials, and key individuals working at local and international organisations, all connected to fashion-related efforts aimed at supporting labour rights in Bangladesh. By separating research participants into four distinct categories (fashion-based, labour rights organisation-based, industry-based and other-related stakeholders), differences and similarities between stakeholder groups emerge. Within this thesis I show how RFA movement stakeholders, despite working in diverse and divergent capacities, share a theory of change regarding aspirations to support labour rights. The thesis also reveals that across the movement, stakeholders v leverage similar tools to achieve their aims. Operating within an information provision reform pathway, research participants understood knowledge exchange and resource sharing as central in their efforts to better support garment workers. Calling for reform through voluntary and legislative means, stakeholders leveraged fashion, strategic partnerships, and digital technologies to assist them in their endeavours. Responding to the collapse, the majority of transnational efforts mimicked previous strategies and tactics. The thesis reveals that there is more nuance to efforts at work within the movement, as some stakeholders engaged with fashion as a tool for disruption to challenge conventional understandings related to fashion and apparel production and consumption under the logic of capitalism. Acknowledgements This project would not have been possible without the support of my supervisors, Professor Roger Jeffery and Dr Kanchana Ruwanpura. Their commitment to the work was unwavering; I am grateful for the careful and considered feedback they provided, and for the space they gave me to conceptualise my analysis. Their professional mentorship has taught me so much and, I am particularly thankful for the support they offered when I interrupted my studies to have a baby in May 2017. I will never forget their patience and kindness as I learned (attempted) to navigate academia and the writing-up process as a new mom. I would like to thank the confidential research participants who spared time to help me understand their efforts. Their steadfast commitments to social change was a constant source of inspiration. I am forever in debt to the friends and colleagues I met in Bangladesh. I am particularly grateful to Heather. I simply do not have the words to describe how much her friendship, company, and support meant to me. Along with Heather, I want to especially thank Nancy and Farazi for the many conversations we shared. I hope our paths cross again soon. I am also indebted to Doug Miller, who very kindly met with me at the start of the project. A delayed train meant I had the chance to pick his brain for much longer than was socially acceptable. I am thankful for his consultation, and for that delayed train. Over the course of the project, I presented initial research findings to colleagues at various conferences and workshops. I am particular thankful for the feedback I received at the 2014 New Directions conference held at the University of Edinburgh, at the Ninth European PhD workshop in South Asia Studies, hosted in 2015 at Lund University by the Swedish South Asian Studies Network on behalf of the European Association of South Asian Studies (EASAS), at the 2015 British Sociological Association Annual Conference in Glasgow, and at the 2016 RGS-IBG Annual International Conference in London. Each of these settings provided a unique opportunity to share the research, and I am grateful for the fruitful discussions they produced. vii I had the pleasure of working on numerous research projects throughout my studies. I am so thankful for the time I spent working on the Clayoquot Lives project, as well as for my time working with the Heat and the City team. I am grateful for the informal support and encouragement these opportunities offered along the way. I also enjoyed teaching on different courses at the university, and I am thankful for the mentorship I have received. For this, I would like to thank Dr Niamh Moore and Dr Isabelle Darmon, Professor Lindsay Paterson, Dr Kanchana Ruwanpura, Dr Susie Donnelly and Dr Hugo Gorringe. I am grateful for the support I received from friends. In particular, Katie Matthews, Kristen Romilly, and Melissa Luther, for their tireless cheerleading. Endless thanks go to Edinburgh friends and colleagues for their friendships and support, and for lending their ears at various times over the years of this project. In particular, I would like to thank Nikki Dunne, Martina Karels, Karthik Guevara, Maddie Simpkin, Alex Wright, Lauren Wilks, Sandra Engstrom, Órla Murray, Megan Arthur, Alice Hague, Beth Jennings, Mags Tingey, Rhys Howell, Becky Hewer, Janan Dean, Lisa Kalayji and Nathalia Salamanca-Sarmiento. I can’t imagine the PhD process without you. For supporting my studies in countless different ways, I would like to thank my office pals in 3.13, my program colleagues, the faculty in our department, the administrative staff at the School of Social and Political Science at the University of Edinburgh, the university cleaning staff, and my union, University and College Union. I would also like to thank the staff of the public crèche at the Scottish Parliament, for taking such beautiful care of my son as I worked away in the café. I would never have had the courage to visit the crèche without Alex. Thank you for going with me and for working alongside me. Throughout my entire studies, indeed throughout my entire life, including when I engaged in my own transnational efforts for social change, my family has offered me nothing but love, kindness, and understanding. My mother has been particularly relentless with this offering, and I am incredibly thankful to my father for his constant encouragement and support. I’m not sure if it was my brother, Rob, who first planted the PhD seed in my brain—it may have been the result of competition amongst siblings. I am completely inspired by his work and research. He has been an absolute mentor to me, and I look forward to learning from him for years to come. To my sister-in-law, Lisa, your encouragement throughout has been so wonderful. To Tina, Nick and Nicole, thank you so much for your love and support. I dedicate this PhD to my incredible partner, Marco, and to our beautiful son, Tommy. I would not have completed