Allbirds Backs Reintroduced FABRIC Act
One month after the Fashioning Accountability and Building Real Institutional Change (FABRIC) Act was reintroduced in Congress, the garment worker rights legislation has gained new industry support.
San Francisco-based footwear and lifestyle brand Allbirds is backing the bill, a spokesperson told Sourcing Journal this week. “Allbirds supports the passage of the FABRIC Act and its goal to position the United States as the global leader in responsible apparel production,” they said.
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“This is a complex, nuanced subject matter that is best tackled collaboratively by the industry, rather than having individual approaches,” Allbirds added.
The FABRIC Act would federally mandate the end of the piece-rate pay model, ensuring that all garment workers in the U.S. are paid in accordance with minimum wage laws. “We believe in progress over perfection. Adding this transparency to the industry isn’t a silver bullet, but would certainly reflect progress,” Allbirds said.
Reintroduced by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) in September, the bill also aims to bolster domestic fashion manufacturing through $50 million in annual industry grants. Similar to California’s Garment Worker Protection Act, which passed in September 2021, the FABRIC Act would make brands responsible for labor compliance in their supply chains instead of simply blaming contracted manufacturers for labor lapses.
The legislation has gained industry support since it was introduced, with hundreds of signatories including stakeholders from Everlane and Portland Garment Factory to Saitex and Glasgow Caledonian New York College backing it. Whether the sector will galvanize again on behalf of the FABRIC Act—and get it over the finish line—is yet to be seen.
Long-term supporters like Manhattan designer Mara Hoffman are attempting to mobilize support again. “We have the opportunity to harness our power collectively and stand united for the protection of garment workers, for the empowerment of women in manufacturing’s future, and to demand that living wage is the only wage,” she said last month.
