There was a time when Kathie Lee Gifford was America’s sweetheart. But once the news broke that Honduran factory workers were producing clothes for her eponymous Wal-Mart collection under sweatshop conditions, her reputation never quite recovered.

However, one could argue that the sacrifice of Ms. Gifford’s celebrity served a higher purpose. The scandal turned the spotlight onto foreign labor issues and gave the National Labor Committee — the reform group that publicized the plight of the factory workers in Honduras and later El Salvador — a national platform to speak out against sweatshop labor.

We compiled some of the most notable crimes against fashion, and the positive outcomes of discussion and advocacy that each of them inspired.

Click on any image below to launch the slideshow.