The dollar a day dress

BBC One, Sunday, 6 March 2005, 22:15 GMT

Panorama travelled the world to create "The dollar a day dress" - a symbol of how the world trade system harms the poor. Reporter Steve Bradshaw travelled from the Sahara to the Andes to discover some of the harsh truths about free trade and its impact on the developing world.

In each country he collected fabrics for an outfit which symbolises the plight of the millions who live on less than a dollar a day - designed and made by a group of top London fashion students and modelled at London Fashion Week by Red Cap and former Eastenders star Tamzin Outhwaite.

Click here to see a guide to the dress

In 2005 Britain will chair the G8 and try to lead the world in the fight against poverty. Many believe the best way to help is to ensure a free and liberal world trade system - so the poor can work their way to prosperity rather than relying on Western aid.

But Panorama's report argues that unregulated free trade may do more harm than good unless the rules of the game are changed to put the needs of poor countries first. On the journey Panorama discovered that