Having mysteriously quit their day-jobs as retail store mannequins to spend a few weeks appearing at some of the world's most iconic locations bearing the Chinese symbol for water on their bodies, the XM3N have had a busy 48 hours laying down the "Detox" challenge to the world's biggest sports brands.
It all started when one of the tireless messengers was spotted at Wednesday morning's Beijing Press conference, where Greenpeace presented the findings of a year-long investigation into toxic water pollution. The Dirty Laundry report exposed links between textile manufacturing facilities in China and a number of international brands, including the sportswear giants Nike and Adidas, and called on the brands to work with their suppliers to eliminate these hazardous, hormone-disrupting chemicals from their supply chain and products.
So it came as no surprise to see the XM3N together with Greenpeace activists displaying a large "Detox" sign at the entrance of the world's biggest Adidas store in Beijing, or to discover that they joined models at the "Detox" Fashion show in Manila. On Thursday morning, a small group of the mannequins was also spotted near a Nike store in Basel, looking to enlist Swiss tennis ace Roger Federer in challenging Nike to champion a toxic-free future. Others were spotted in Helsinki, Copenhagen and Stockholm, all encouraging the brands to rise to the challenge.
Rumour has it that the mannequins also orchestrated the creation of an enormous human 'Detox' banner, made up of 40 activists, on the banks of the Chao Phraya River in Thailand, and had a hand in hanging out the brand's "Dirty Laundry" yesterday in Madrid. They are also believed to have coordinated the giant t-shirt banner hanging from the side of Nike's European headquarters in the Netherlands this morning, as well as the activities in Vienna yesterday. If you look closely, you can even see them watching from the stands on the side of the football pitch where a spectacular banner was laid out on the banks of the polluted Riachuelo river in Buenos Aires, demanding that the global clothing brands detoxify their production process and champion a toxic-free future.
Do you want to support the XM3N in their call for the world's favourite sportswear brands to take action to help create a better world? Then join us in challenging Nike, Adidas and all other ‘would-be champions' to lead the way towards a toxic-free future.
Here's what you can do: