If I buy a piece of clothing, how much does the worker receive?
Dressember Reading Day #24
Every day during the month of December, we’re answering common questions and breaking down different aspects of human trafficking on our blog and Instagram. Join us in raising awareness about the injustice of human trafficking by sharing, donating, or joining the Dressember campaign.
Fashion and Globalization
Because we live in a globalized society, even our small actions have far-reaching implications--including how we buy clothes. The way we consume and purchase garments plays a huge role in either contributing to or combatting forced labor trafficking. A statistic from Labour Behind the Label says that garment workers often will only receive 1-3% of the profit from a piece of clothing. This means that most workers live under the poverty level, some making as little as $21 a month.
Let’s define it: Fast Fashion
Today, we use the term “fast fashion” to refer to garments and pieces of clothing that are made to be cheap and disposable. Companies based in western countries such as the U.S. and the U.K. are under pressure to regularly release new clothing that stays up to date with trends but is offered at an astonishingly low price. To make this easier, they subcontract the manufacturing of their garments, offering the job to the lowest bidder, who usually comes from a country where production costs are the lowest. This means that the clothing companies might not form long-term business relationships with even the companies providing their garments, let alone with the individual workers who are responsible for producing these garments.
Why Fast Fashion is Harmful
In fast fashion, production companies have to generate a high volume of clothing very quickly, otherwise, they lose their contract. So, in order to meet these ends, companies exploit their workers and enforce dangerous expectations. In countries where laws to protect workers are not enforced, garment workers can be exposed to dangerous working conditions, are sometimes denied maternity leave, forced to work overtime or risk losing their jobs, and are unable to report or fight back against harassment in their workplaces.
How Fast Fashion Has Evolved
Before culture became dominated by consumerism and manufacturing, tailors and seamstresses were based locally, often known by their customers, and very much in control of their products and pricing. Shops offered a selection of garments based on the four seasons, and so their inventory changed only a few times during the year. And while the turning point in the garment industry cannot be boiled down to the invention of one particular machine or to one particular event, we have seen that the age surrounding the Industrial Revolution dramatically changed the landscape of clothing production. Because machinery offered quicker, more efficient production, tailors and seamstresses lost their individuality and craftsmanship, instead becoming cogs in a greater machine. Productivity and capital ultimately trumped craftsmanship and detail.
Rather than the power being in the hands of the worker, the power now lies in the hands of the retailers and traders who negotiate contracts far removed from the lives of the workers. And while retailers may claim or even strive to remain committed to ethical business practices, a recent project found that buying decisions were made with little or no awareness as to how they affected the workers at the bottom of the chain.
How We Can Respond
In order to stop contributing to the unfair treatment of garment workers, we can choose to only purchase clothing that we know has been ethically and fairly produced. Laws are being passed that put pressure on retailers to be more transparent with their practices, and companies that do engage in sustainable, ethical practices are starting to advertise this openly (think Everlane or ABLE). To make it easier to sort through the companies who do and do not engage in ethical practices, check out Dressember’s ethical fashion directory!
Further Resources:
8 reasons to rethink fast fashion
About the Author
Allison McCune is a girl of many interests. Whether it’s slinging drinks as a barista, hiking 600 miles in one summer, or dissecting poetry and literature, she brings passion and insight to everything she does. She hopes to refine her writing in the next few years while using her skills to work with non-profit groups. Her goal is to eventually return to school, complete a doctoral degree, and be able to teach at the undergrad and graduate levels.