New board game explores truth about our T-shirts
Do you know who made your T-shirt? Or how it was made? Checking the tag may not tell you enough to know if it was made ethically, or if it was made under exploitative working conditions. Here’s another question: What happens to it when you no longer want it?
With the launch of Fast Fashion: The T-shirt Board Game, a new educational game and resource created by MCIC in partnership with Anna-Marie Janzen of Reclaim Mending, players assume the role of T-shirts. Along the way, they discover the realities behind the fashion industry and its impact on people and planet. Players roll the dice to enter different pathways a T-shirt may take, like getting a tear, or being donated to a thrift store.
The board game was created for use in schools and other educational settings to help teachers and students learn more about—and take action on—sustainable fashion. It includes a focus on the Sustainable Development Goals such as Gender Equality, Decent Work & Economic Growth, and Climate Action, among others.
"Because the garment industry is so interconnected, it is also such a vital place for people of all ages to engage and work for change. This is why this game is so important. I'm excited for people to learn more and be empowered to make choices and take actions to help make the world a more just place." - Anna-Marie Janzen, owner Reclaim Mending and board game co-creator
Players are asked to think beyond their fashion inspiration to uncover both helpful and hurtful realities of the fashion industry. One of the more important realities is where our clothes end up when we no longer want them. Spoiler alert—everything ends up in the dump!
Rather than leaving with the heaviness of the negative impacts of the fast fashion industry, players will finish the game with a sense of empowerment and positivity as they discover ways to take action in their own lives. In the game, the best place to be is in the Wear Cycle and each roll of the dice determines how long the player stays there, and how many Wear Tokens they receive. The more times a T-shirt is worn, the better! Everyone feels like a winner when a player can stay out of the dump as long as possible.
Most consumers do not know where their clothes come from, how they are made, or who makes them because big fashion brands don’t want you to know. The process of creating garments, and their life cycle including when they reach the landfill, creates many environmental, economic, and human rights concerns. In the game, decisions about the T-shirts are determined by rolling dice, but the goal is to inspire players to make responsible fashion choices when the decisions are up to them!
MCIC’s vision is a just world, and that people can all contribute to a better, more sustainable world. We make fashion choices each day, young and old alike. The objective of this game is to promote positive change through learning, and games always make learning easier and more fun!
A do-it-yourself version of this game and accompanying lesson plan can be accessed, along with other education resources, CLICK HERE. You can also book us for a workshop where we come to you with all the game supplies and facilitate the workshop.
To contact MCIC for more information about the board game, or if you are interested in obtaining an official game box set, contact us at info@mcic.ca.
What educators and students are saying about Fast Fashion: the T shirt board game
“The thoughtfulness and care that went into the creation of this game is incredible! I have helped guide several groups of students through this game alongside MCIC and the student comments that were made during the game were authentic, insightful and necessary. This game helped facilitate conversations about the relevant world issue of the lack of sustainability in the fashion industry. This is a game for everyone!” – Tara Tuchscherer, St. James Collegiate
"MCIC's Fast Fashion board game presents the global issues arising from the fashion industry in a very engaging, interactive, and tactile way. It cleverly leverages the joyful nature of play to offset a heavy topic, leaving its participants informed and with hopeful suggestions for generating change. We are very grateful for the opportunity to take part in the launch and look forward to future workshops!" – Kimberly Bryson, Linden Meadows School
"The board game is a fun way to learn about fast fashion because if you don't know much about it, it helps you learn in a good way." – Kami, grade 8 student
"The board game is a fun, more upbeat way to learn about fast fashion and how it's affecting our world. It also gives you lots of other ideas for where your clothes can go besides filling the landfills." – Willow, grade 7 student
About the photos:
Top picture - Quote reads "The most sustainable garment is the one already in your wardrobe." by Orsola de Castro, founder of Fashion Revolution
Second picture - a group of students play The T-shirt board game.
Third picture - MCIC staff play the T-shirt board game