Dear Fashion Brands,

Your clothes are awesome, don’t get us wrong. And we support all the positive changes you’re making.

For example, Nike is working to reduce waste and water use, Zara changed to paper/biodegradable bags, Hugo Boss is moving towards sustainably-sourced cotton, and many other good examples

All of you have taken a great step forward. So why are you taking two steps back?

As The Guardian and Macron confirmed this past month, one of your main manufacturers is funding terrorism. 

Turkey may have become one of the world’s leaders in the textile manufacturing market because of its cheap labor. However, it’s one of the world’s biggest threats. 

• Turkey's military expenditure climbed by 86% over the last decade, and it is not for defense. 
• Turkey used your money to wage 31 wars in 9 countries over the past 10 years. In Syria, in Libya, around the Mediterranean. And now in the Caucasus. 
• Turkey uses your money to build drones and missiles, and use them to attack children, journalists and other civilians.
• Turkey uses your money to fund ISIS, and train terrorist groups that it sends across the world to fight its wars.

Dear Fashion Brands, we’d like to think you don’t know about this. Because if you do, and still send money to the Turkish economy and government, you would not only be disappointing all of us but also… 

You’d be breaking all the local and international directives on financing terrorism, and more importantly, your own social responsibility promises, which you claim are your moral and ideological values.

Your clothes used to bring us joy. And we’d like them to do that for us again. 

We’d like to walk back into your store with our friends, and try on the latest trends you’ll create. But while our purchases at your store fund Turkish terrorism, we can’t morally, ethically, or financially support your business.

Led by Greece, France, Slovenia, Austria, EU Governments are slowly joining Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and others, who are already levying sanctions against Turkey because of this. Join them, and join your customers, in affecting positive change through our combined purchasing power.

Please stop sourcing our clothes from Turkey. 

Please stop paying the Turkish government taxes. 

Please stop funding Turkish terrorism.

 

Sincerely,

Your loving customers.

What is the international media saying?

“President Erdogan is not afraid of escalation. On the contrary. He looks for it and intensifies it.” — RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland (Oct 2020) 

“Neo-Ottomanism: The myths of the new Sultan” - Welt.de (Oct 2020)

“The U.S. State Department has said it ‘deplores’ Turkey’s decision to restart a controversial geological survey of the Eastern Mediterranean, and called on Ankara to ‘end this calculated provocation.’” — Bloomberg (Oct 2020)

“Syria’s foreign minister accused Turkey [...] of being ‘one of the main sponsors of terror’ in his country and the region, and said it is guilty of ‘a war crime and a crime against humanity.’” — AP News (Sept 2020)

“Turkey — increasingly assertive, ambitious and authoritarian — has become “the elephant in the room” for NATO, European diplomats say.” — The New York Times (Aug 2020)

“Macron says 'no consensus' with Turkey over definition of terrorism” — France 24 (Dec 2019)

“Several children killed in Turkish artillery attack in northern Syria, monitor says” - France 24 (Dec 2019)

“The US Treasury sanctioned 11 Turkey-linked entities and individuals for supporting Hamas and other jihadist outfits. The evidence keeps mounting: Turkey has become a haven for regional baddies.” — New York Post (Sept 2019)

“Turkey is now a haven for terrorists and an enabler of terrorism” - NY Post (Mar 2019)