Laura Siegel's Handmade Scarves Honor the Rana Plaza Collapse Victims

Laura Siegel, an alumnus from Parsons School of Fashion in 2010, created Project 1127. An initiative to aid the families affected by the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Laura worked with a family of Indian artisans to make 1,127 scarves—one for each life lost—out of recycled saris and cotton.She launched Project 1127, a collaboration with Sreepur Village Organization to sell 1,127 handwoven scarves—one for each life lost. The proceeds from each scarf will directly assist the families of the victims, but Siegel also hopes it will revive the global conversation about garment industry issues. “I think the more you get people talking about this, the more likely you are to find a solution,” she tells Vogue.com. “That’s the hardest part. When something like this happens, you want to feel like there’s a solution so it won’t happen again. But in this case, it’s hard to figure out what those solutions might be.”The scarves are handwoven from recycled saris, cotton, and silk by artisans in rural India, whom Siegel also works with on her ready-to-wear line. “We put a lot of thought into what the scarf would be made of, and we know exactly where the cotton is coming from and who picked the cotton,” she explains. “These artisans love their jobs—it’s a labor-of-love process.”We are thrilled to share Vogue.com's coverage of Laura Siegel's (BFA '10) latest Project 1127. An initiative to aid the families affected by the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Laura worked with a family of Indian artisans to make 1,127 scarves—one for each life lost—out of recycled saris and cotton.Spring '17 collection review here:http://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2017-ready-to-wear/laura-siegelProject 1127 story here:http://www.vogue.com/13429029/project-1127-handmade-scarves-rana-plaza-collapse/Laura Siegel's website:http://laurasiegelcollection.com/