Charles Kernagen’s Lasting Heritage in Fashion – WWD

Fashion grows on the power of great personalities, people who understand how image and history move mountains.

Although there are often millions of marketing budgets from within, there are over-the-top designers who have changed the industry with their eyes and eyes.

Swedeshop activist Charles Kernahan has radically changed the fashion – and perhaps even the corporate America – from the outside.

And with a lot of heart, a lot of turmoil and a very small budget.

Kernagan passed away on June 1, 2009 at the age of 74.

His work and life follow the same arc through the modern fashion industry, consumer consciousness and the activist community.

The pressure in corporate America today is more than just profit – and broader engagement on environmental, social, and administrative issues – requires the hard work of many people from many different walks of life.

But it is impossible to imagine today’s local, social, and corporate governance movement without the efforts to eliminate sweat shops.

In return, the first poster boy, without the clothing industry, would not be able to think about the sale of sweat.

And it was Kernagan who forced the fashion lab into a public debate.

A.D. He played a role in swaying Bill Clinton in the 1992 presidential election, disrupting a US-funded program for clothing in Central America, destroying Katie Lee Gifford’s factory and setting it on fire. The struggle continues today.

Kernagan’s reputation in fashion stems from the fact that he came before a better angel who chose violence, and – but – in a different way, from a roller coaster whispering in fashion.

“Continued improvements to workers’ rights have been a great encouragement to us by accelerating change, and this flexibility is accepted by the industry and encourages today’s compulsion to not erode our supply chain,” said President and CEO Stephen Lamar. CEO of American Clothing and Shoes Association Fashion Industry Business Group.

“His contribution will be with us forever,” Lamar said. “He was one of the first people to point out the problems. The creation of the whole social responsibility movement – certainly inspired, in response to Charlie Kernahan. Charlie Kernagana had a positive and lasting impact and this impact continues to grow.

Karnagan pushed the United States’ National Labor Committee, which is part of the United States’ foreign policy movement, to push for unions to respect and fight for workers’ rights overseas. After the first phase of the peace process in Central America came to an end, Kernang became independent in 1990.

Barbara Briggs, Kernaga’s partner in the struggle for fair play for almost 30 years, said: . It was embarrassing to let it all go, as if we had the level of trust and connection we had built.

“What about these growing factories? It would be a good idea to take the situation in those factories seriously, ”recalls Briggs. “People in the association told us, ‘It’s a group of little girls. Unions cannot come near. ‘ No contact with these employees, he was a 16-year-old boy.

That is what prepared Kernagne in a “60 Minutes”, presidential politics, high-intensity campaigns against Gap, the Kathi Lee Gifford Kelwood Company’s Walmart line, and other factory conditions.

A playbook was brought to Washington and beyond that helped Kernaga find the factory workers and tell their stories in the face of horrific attacks.

“This was very accurate after the press was charged,” Briggs said. “The reason we went after the press is because this information is being disseminated and social discussions are taking place.

“Instead of building an institution that will withstand Charlie’s past, the real issue is the right staff. We were slow to fly through the windows of opportunity. We were not arrested and we went to help him,” she said.

This is exactly what they did in the 2000s in Jordan, measuring production in Bangladesh. And keeping the pressure under a new monitor, the International Labor Organization and others.

“Clothing company executives hate us, but I think they realize that in some cases they are being pushed to do better.”

When Kernaga first approached fashion companies, many of the default positions were that they did not take responsibility for what happened in the factories because the brands were not their own or hired their employees directly.

Brands now accept that responsibility, establish code of conduct, and work with third-party monitoring groups.

The struggle to fight sweat shops is not over – and it may not be – but the pressure on companies is now expanding the supply chain, as brands begin to take more responsibility, for example, how fiber is produced.

Does this mean that Kernaga, who took billions of dollars from fashion companies next month while he is not sure where the rent will come next month, has finally won?

Briggs is not sure.

“I don’t know,” she said. “The struggle continues. Are the factories cleaner? I really don’t know. Workers have the right to organize? I doubt it.”

Robbie Carp, a social impact consultant and founder of Carp Randell, has a different perspective.

Carp has spent 22 years at Lease Club in Inc.

“It completely changed and burned some bridges, but who cares?” Carp said. “Winning seems universal or no idea. Yes, they have won. They have improved their lives.”

“Charlie-influenced governments and even some shareholders and company officials say, ‘Wait, are we? Haven’t we seen this issue? Is this really happening? ‘ Says Carp.

“He was brought to justice,” she said. “It has drawn people to a sense of justice.”

Many have changed.

“I was a college student when the anti-sweat movement began in the late 90’s,” said Elizabeth Klein, a Remake clothing and labor rights activist and director of advocacy and policy. Charles Kernahan was in the middle and was leading all of that. If you were a young activist at the time, I was a teenager, he is a legend, a symbol, more than life. He was like this one-man band. He did a lot on his own, he carried a lot of weight on his shoulders to continue that movement.

“He was really a good public speaker, he was a very charismatic, emotional speaker. He used these horrible stories because of the blood dripping from your shirt. ”

“It has played a big role in opening up to the challenge of how to do the global industry: it could be your neighbor, your sister, your daughter. That is still the playbook, it is naming and embarrassing the organizations because they are the ones in the supply chain …. it puts us in a promising position. You cannot get an MBA in this country without knowing what your responsibilities are.

Cernaga’s sister, Mariellen Kernagan, cited the impact on college students – who spoke out against the use of sweatpants to make school uniforms – as a key component of the legacy.

“He was really shy and quiet,” recalls Kernagan. “So he had to get up and speak. [not] Charlie was the natural way, so he really took it all in. Then it became second nature.

“Charlie was working on a shoemaking budget,” she said. “He was determined to help those who could not help themselves – and not only to help them, but also to help them, in his eyes, when they were trampled on. Big leg.

“Charlie worked on this issue seven days a week,” she said. “He allowed very few desires for himself. He led a very Spartan lifestyle. That Spartan lifestyle helped him focus his energy and focus on his work.