Carry Somers
Co founder of Fashion Revolution
Carry Somers is a British designer, social entrepreneur and campaigner who co founded Fashion Revolution with Orsola de Castro after the Rana Plaza factory collapse in 2013. Earlier she founded the fair trade hat brand Pachacuti, and she remains a leading advocate of supply chain transparency in fashion.
| Known for | Co founding Fashion Revolution (2013) |
|---|---|
| Earlier venture | Pachacuti, founded 1992 |
| Honours | Churchill Fellow (2023), honorary doctorate Keele University (2022) |
| Born | 1966 |
| Nationality | British |
Who is Carry Somers?
Carry Somers is an author, designer and sustainability expert whose work centres on ethical practices in textiles and fashion. She is best known as the co founder of Fashion Revolution, the global movement behind the hashtag #whomademyclothes.
Career
In 1992 Somers founded Pachacuti, a fair trade brand making Panama hats with artisans in Ecuador. Keele University describes it as the world's first Fair Trade Certified company, and it was the first business to be verified under the World Fair Trade Organization's Sustainable Fair Trade Management System, making it an early example of verified ethical sourcing in fashion accessories.
In 2013, following the collapse of the Rana Plaza factory complex in Bangladesh, which killed more than 1,100 people, she co founded Fashion Revolution with Orsola de Castro. The movement asked consumers to question brands about the people who make their clothes. Both founders stepped down from their director roles in 2022.
Her more recent work focuses on plant fibres and dyes. As a 2023 Churchill Fellow she published the report A Dictionary of Plant Fibre and Colour (2024), followed by the book The Nature of Fashion (2025).
Influence on the fashion business
Fashion Revolution grew into a network with official country offices in 23 countries and activist teams in more than 80. Its main tools have shaped how the industry talks about responsibility:
- Fashion Revolution Week, held each year around 24 April, the anniversary of Rana Plaza
- The Fashion Transparency Index, which reviews what large brands publicly disclose about their supply chains and impacts
- What Fuels Fashion?, a 2025 edition of which assessed 200 of the world's largest fashion brands on climate and energy disclosure
These initiatives helped make supplier lists, traceability and impact data an expectation for brands and retailers. In April 2026 Fashion Revolution announced the closure of its UK community interest company, citing a challenging funding environment, as the movement moves to a more federated, locally led model.
Somers' work has been recognised with a Churchill Fellowship (2023), an honorary doctorate from Keele University (2022) and the Luxury Sustainability Award at the 2020 Luxury Law Awards.
Why it matters
Transparency is now central to regulation, investor scrutiny and consumer trust in fashion. Somers helped turn a tragedy into a sustained global campaign that pushed brands to publish information about their supply chains. Her work at Pachacuti and Fashion Revolution shows how verified sourcing and public accountability can become part of mainstream business practice.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Carry Somers?
Carry Somers is a British designer and campaigner who co founded Fashion Revolution with Orsola de Castro in 2013. She previously founded the fair trade hat brand Pachacuti in 1992.
Why was Fashion Revolution founded?
Fashion Revolution was founded in 2013 in response to the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh, which killed more than 1,100 people. It campaigns for a clean, fair, transparent and accountable fashion industry.