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steph-kr-blog · 8 years ago

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Our Clothes Cost Lives

For the past century, fashion has been a way to express and differentiate ourselves, communicate with the world and make a statement about our beliefs and values. However, is this really what fashion is all about today? Nowadays, it seems that we are constantly trying to find pieces of clothing in cheap prices without giving a damn about where they comes from. But sit down and think for a second, before you go to the next store and buy something new. Who is making your clothes? What are your clothes are made of? And finally, are we aware of ethical guidelines in the fashion industry?

In the 60’s we were manufacturing the 95% of our clothing, but today this percentage has decreased into 3%. The rest of the 97% is manufactured into the west developing countries because of cheap labor. And just like that, the fashion industry changed the meaning of fashion overnight by creating “fast fashion”. For fashion retailers, this meant that they must respond faster to the demands of the fashion industry by producing more clothing in a month or even in weeks. But “fast isn’t free”, Kate Fletcher, a design activist, said, “someone, somewhere is paying.”

Sweatshops are defined by the US Department of Labor as “a factory that violates two or more labor laws” such as poor working conditions, unfair wages, unreasonable fairs, child labor and lack of benefits for workers. Research suggests that 85% of the workers are women trying to find jobs and feed their children. Many could argue that the fashion industry is helping people to find a way out of poverty but this, is pure propaganda. It seems on the other hand, that the only people benefiting from cheap labor is fashion entrepreneurs. In 2011 a report called “Stitched up”, regarding sweatshops in Bangladesh, showed that the salary for a garment factory helper is £25 a month and for a sewing operator £32 a month, which is not even close to the average monthly payment. People are working overtime, up to 140 hours a month without any breaks and under a lot of pressure as the production target raises according to consumer’s demand. In some working factories, the production target is 20 lady shirts per hour. Thus, people are working under risky and poor circumstances.

The most crucial incident that happen in the history of fashion industry was on 24th of April in 2013. In Savar, Bangladesh the building of Rana Plaza collapsed with over 1,000 people being killed or injured. It is said that the building was housing workers that worked for industries such as Primark and Benetton.

There are around 260 million children around the world that are employed and 170 million of them are engaged in child labor within the fashion industry. Child labor is defined, from the International Labor Organization, as “work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity, and that is harmful to physical and mental development.” As fast fashion pressures a lot of companies to increase their production, employs search for cheap working hands. Children mostly living in countries such as Bangladesh, India and Uzbekistan are forced to work under unsafe and unhealthy circumstances, for long working hours and low salaries. Since the fashion supply has a complex process, it is difficult for companies to control most of the stages of the production. Therefore, most of them are not aware that their supply chains implement child. However, children are usually picked from factories, since fashion doesn’t need skilled work and some tasks as they are more suitable for children than adults. For example, employers prefer to hire children for cotton picking as their small hands can’t harm the crop.

Consistent with Sofie Ovaa, a global campaign coordinator of Stop Child Labor, children are so helpless because “there is no supervision or social control mechanisms, no unions that can help them to bargain for better working conditions. These are very low-skilled workers without a voice, so they are easy targets.”

Today we are living in a materialistic world consuming carelessly and producing endlessly, neglecting how our clothes carry a story. Even if it’s not obvious, we are closely connected to our clothes. From the inspiration, to the manufacture, our clothes make a journey to arrive to our stores and then to our wardrobe. So, how fair is, not only to the people making them but also to us, to buy a pair of jeans for £25? Who wants to know that their clothes have passed through abused working people and the small hands of a young child just for a low price?

“Lack of transparency cost lives. The public does not have enough information about where or how their clothes are made. Shoppers have the right to know, that their money is not supporting exploitation of human rights abuse.”, fashion designer, Carry Somers said. People must get more conscious of what they buy and where they are investing their money in.

Bibliography

11 facts about sweatshops (no date) Available at: https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-sweatshops (Accessed: 19 January 2017).

BBC (2013) Bangladesh factory collapse toll passes 1, 000. Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-22476774 (Accessed: 16 January 2017).

Child labour in the fashion supply chain (no date) Available at: https://labs.theguardian.com/unicef-child-labour/ (Accessed: 30 January 2017).

eyeswideopenincali (2011) The top 6 fabrics you should avoid wearing and why. Available at: http://bodyecology.com/articles/top_6_fabrics_you_should_avoid_wearing.php (Accessed: 29 January 2017).

Fashion victims - the facts (2015) Available at: http://www.waronwant.org/fashion-victims-facts (Accessed: 25 January 2017).

Harper, J. and Nivelo (2006a) Ethical fashion forum. Available at: http://www.ethicalfashionforum.com/resources/4-eco-fabrics (Accessed: 29 January 2017).

Harper, J. and Nivelo (2006b) Fast fashion, ‘value’ fashion. Available at: https://www.ethicalfashionforum.com/the-issues/fast-fashion-cheap-fashion (Accessed: 25 January 2017).

Harper, J. and Nivelo (2006c) Organic & eco fashion. Available at: http://www.ethicalfashionforum.com/the-issues/organic-eco-fashion (Accessed: 29 January 2017).

Harper, J. and Nivelo (2006d) What is ethical fashion? Available at: https://www.ethicalfashionforum.com/the-issues/ethical-fashion (Accessed: 13 January 2017).

Hymann, Y. (2016) Child labour in the fashion industry. Available at: http://goodonyou.org.au/child-labour/ (Accessed: 30 January 2017).

Kristen Leo (2015) THE TRUTH ABOUT LEATHER WILL SHOCK YOU. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WB7ekqInfc&index=3&list=PL24zxFHJX5pn2eePsCTu6-K9HrKVNopx7 (Accessed: 13 January 2017).

Kristen Leo (2016) WHAT THE F**K IS ETHICAL FASHION?💡✂️. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoRGOcR5ZH0 (Accessed: 13 January 2017).

Mustafa, S. (2013) Dhaka factory collapse: Can clothes industry change? Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-22302595 (Accessed: 16 January 2017).

Rothe, N.E. (2015) Uncovering the true cost of fast fashion with Livia Firth in Cannes. Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/e-nina-rothe/uncovering-the-true-cost_b_7500590.html (Accessed: 16 January 2017).

The true cost | A documentary film (no date) Available at: http://truecostmovie.com/ (Accessed: 30 January 2017).

Torrance, J. (2016) Do consumers really care about ethics in fashion? Available at: http://www.managementtoday.co.uk/consumers-really-care-ethics-fashion/article/1392154 (Accessed: 16 January 2017).

Victoria, Museum, A., Museum, O. and Team, W. (2013) Ethical fashion - Victoria and Albert Museum. Available at: http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/w/what-is-ethical-fashion/ (Accessed: 13 January 2017).

Citations, Quotes & Annotations

11 facts about sweatshops (no date) Available at: https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-sweatshops (Accessed: 19 January 2017).

(11 facts about sweatshops, no date)

BBC (2013) Bangladesh factory collapse toll passes 1, 000. Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-22476774 (Accessed: 16 January 2017).

(BBC, 2013)

Child labour in the fashion supply chain (no date) Available at: https://labs.theguardian.com/unicef-child-labour/ (Accessed: 30 January 2017).

(Child labour in the fashion supply chain, no date)

eyeswideopenincali (2011) The top 6 fabrics you should avoid wearing and why. Available at: http://bodyecology.com/articles/top_6_fabrics_you_should_avoid_wearing.php (Accessed: 29 January 2017).

(eyeswideopenincali, 2011)

Fashion victims - the facts (2015) Available at: http://www.waronwant.org/fashion-victims-facts (Accessed: 25 January 2017).

(Fashion victims - the facts, 2015)

Harper, J. and Nivelo (2006a) Ethical fashion forum. Available at: http://www.ethicalfashionforum.com/resources/4-eco-fabrics (Accessed: 29 January 2017).

(Harper and Nivelo, 2006a)

Harper, J. and Nivelo (2006b) Fast fashion, ‘value’ fashion. Available at: https://www.ethicalfashionforum.com/the-issues/fast-fashion-cheap-fashion (Accessed: 25 January 2017).

(Harper and Nivelo, 2006b)

Harper, J. and Nivelo (2006c) Organic & eco fashion. Available at: http://www.ethicalfashionforum.com/the-issues/organic-eco-fashion (Accessed: 29 January 2017).

(Harper and Nivelo, 2006c)

Harper, J. and Nivelo (2006d) What is ethical fashion? Available at: https://www.ethicalfashionforum.com/the-issues/ethical-fashion (Accessed: 13 January 2017).

(Harper and Nivelo, 2006d)

Hymann, Y. (2016) Child labour in the fashion industry. Available at: http://goodonyou.org.au/child-labour/ (Accessed: 30 January 2017).

(Hymann, 2016)

Kristen Leo (2015) THE TRUTH ABOUT LEATHER WILL SHOCK YOU. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WB7ekqInfc&index=3&list=PL24zxFHJX5pn2eePsCTu6-K9HrKVNopx7 (Accessed: 13 January 2017).

(Kristen Leo, 2015)

Kristen Leo (2016) WHAT THE F**K IS ETHICAL FASHION?💡✂️. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoRGOcR5ZH0 (Accessed: 13 January 2017).

(Kristen Leo, 2016)

Mustafa, S. (2013) Dhaka factory collapse: Can clothes industry change? Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-22302595 (Accessed: 16 January 2017).

(Mustafa, 2013)

(Rothe, 2015)

The true cost | A documentary film (no date) Available at: http://truecostmovie.com/ (Accessed: 30 January 2017).

(The true cost | A documentary film, no date)

Torrance, J. (2016) Do consumers really care about ethics in fashion? Available at: http://www.managementtoday.co.uk/consumers-really-care-ethics-fashion/article/1392154 (Accessed: 16 January 2017).

(Torrance, 2016)

(Victoria et al., 2013)

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