Jennifer Wascak is an American lawyer and the co-founder and managing director of Justice In Fashion. Eight years ago, she shifted her focus to business and human rights. During the pandemic, media exposés of the garment industry led her to Leicester to seek justice for the vulnerable. In this episode we explore the ideas, assumptions and beliefs that Jennifer initially held about why human rights abuses were happening in Leicester, how those changed over time, and why she now prioritises listening over prescribing solutions.

This episode is part of "The Curious Case of Leicester" mini-series. While legislation is often seen as the solution to fashion’s sustainability issues, Leicester’s apparel industry presents a paradox: despite being in a developed country, in a city acclaimed for its strong governance, labour rights abuses have persisted. This series explores how such abuses continue and what this means for using legislation as a tool to address fashion's sustainability challenges globally.

**Share your musings, ramblings, or questions on this episode - whether fully formed or half baked by leaving Kim a voice memo or posting to our Curious Case of Leicester Community Wall - where you can also swap notes with fellow listeners.

Also, join us for live virtual conversation on 3 October at 4PM CET to debrief and compare notes on these episodes. Spots are limited, and are available on a first-come first-serve basis. Register here.**

The Curious Case of Leicester has been supported by Lancaster University Management School and the Pentland Centre for Sustainability in Business at Lancaster University, working in partnership with Justice In Fashion CIC, a UK-based not-for-profit that works to address imbalances of power and resources across the fashion industry supply chain.

Find Lancaster University Management School on:
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Find Pentland Centre for Sustainability in Business on:
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Shaista Jakhura is a former garment worker who, in the recent years, has been engaging with apparel workers and the local community in her roles with Leicester City Council, Hope for Justice, and most recently as funding manager for the Garment and Textile Workers Trust.

After getting married and moving to the UK around 32 years ago, Shaishta’s entry point into apparel production in Leceister was on the production floor. A single parent eager to build a better life for her family, Shaista ultimately left her job on the production floor to pursue higher education. She went on to work as a primary school teacher when in 2020, her career came full circle and she found herself working in community engagement for the apparel sector in Leicester. She shares her thoughts on why labour rights abuses happen in Leicester, what kind of support and solutions are needed, and how recent scrutiny has impacted people on the production floor.

This episode is part of "The Curious Case of Leicester" mini-series. While legislation is often seen as the solution to fashion’s sustainability issues, Leicester’s apparel industry presents a paradox: despite being in a developed country, in a city acclaimed for its strong governance, labour rights abuses have persisted. This series explores how such abuses continue and what this means for using legislation as a tool to address fashion's sustainability challenges globally.

**Share your musings, ramblings, or questions on this episode - whether fully formed or half baked by leaving Kim a voice memo or posting to our Curious Case of Leicester Community Wall - where you can also swap notes with fellow listeners.

Also, join us for live virtual conversation on 3 October at 4PM CET to debrief and compare notes on these episodes. Spots are limited, and are available on a first-come first-serve basis. Register here.**

The Curious Case of Leicester has been supported by Lancaster University Management School and the Pentland Centre for Sustainability in Business at Lancaster University, working in partnership with Justice In Fashion CIC, a UK-based not-for-profit that works to address imbalances of power and resources across the fashion industry supply chain.

Find Lancaster University Management School on:
Linkedin
Twitter

Councillor Adam Clarke is a former Deputy Mayor of Leicester City Council. Dr. Martin Quinn is a Reader and a political economist working on regional development and the development of public policy at Lancaster University.

We begin by discussing how Leicester, a city that’s seen as a shining example of best practices when it comes to governance, can have such a long track record of human rights violations. We talk about why, despite its strong ties with constituents, local government faces barriers to engaging with the garment sector, the relationship between local government and national government and the subsequent governance loopholes that ensue, and the barriers to enforcement.

This episode is part of "The Curious Case of Leicester" mini-series. While legislation is often seen as the solution to fashion’s sustainability issues, Leicester’s apparel industry presents a paradox: despite being in a developed country, in a city acclaimed for its strong governance, labour rights abuses have persisted. This series explores how such abuses continue and what this means for using legislation as a tool to address fashion's sustainability challenges globally.

**Share your musings, ramblings, or questions on this episode - whether fully formed or half baked by leaving Kim a voice memo or posting to our Curious Case of Leicester Community Wall - where you can also swap notes with fellow listeners.

Also, join us for live virtual conversation on 3 October at 4PM CET to debrief and compare notes on these episodes. Spots are limited, and are available on a first-come first-serve basis. Register here.**

The Curious Case of Leicester has been supported by Lancaster University Management School and the Pentland Centre for Sustainability in Business at Lancaster University, working in partnership with Justice In Fashion CIC, a UK-based not-for-profit that works to address imbalances of power and resources across the fashion industry supply chain.

Find Lancaster University Management School on:
Linkedin
Twitter

Find Pentland Centre for Sustainability in Business on: