For consumer brands in the age of social media and digital communications, it's a question of sink or swim.

Consumers these days are no longer strangers to the dark underbelly of the $3tr fashion industry. The textile and garment industry, second only to oil in its polluting effects, has been criticized for its labor standards, hazardous chemicals, and greenhouse gas and waste production.

Clothes shopping can be an utterly escapist experience, especially in San Francisco. One can get educated on fair trade wages and ethical fashion exponentially, but once you're surrounded by pristine, stylish interiors and lured by soothing music, all may as well be forgotten.

It's 11 a.m. on a Tuesday, and a section of Linea 1 has left their stations to form a ring on the factory floor. As their supervisor stands in the center, the workers toss a ball of blue yarn back and forth across the circle, each holding on to a segment of string to create an elaborate cat's cradle. As they pass the ball, they take turns making promises, telling each other the things they plan to say and do later. One says she'll spend more time with her family. Another says he'll speak up when he feels he's been treated unfairly.