The fashion world is much more multifaceted than simply fabrics and price tags. There are driving forces that push trends and set prices. Currently, fashion’s state of globalized markets compounded with consumer’s desire for cheap and on-trend clothing has led to the extremely rapid growth of fast fashion. As explained by Megan Lambert, fast fashion is a business model which “[aims] to provide low-cost, low-quality, trendbased clothing to consumers at unprecedented speeds” (Lambert 2). Lambert’s definition of the fast fashion business model explains how the popular model is unsustainable and unethical.
The goal of fast fashion is to produce “low-cost clothing collections that mimic current luxury fashion trends” (Joy 1) at a very high rate of production. The issue with production on trend is that trends are constantly changing. Companies like H&M, Zara, and Forever 21 (to name a few) are in a constant state of mass production and mass sales of affordable/trendy clothing. Mass production, combined with the low-quality of fast fashion garments, has led to a “disposable fashion” culture.
- Consumers purchase affordable, trendy, low-quality garments
- Garments are either disfigured due to their low-quality or they are no longer trendy due to quickly changing trends
- Garments are discarded, disposed, and likely end up in landfills
- The cycle of consumption is repeated
Aside from its ecological detriments, the effects of fast fashion extends into the exploitation of human populations. The goal of many businesses, namely fast fashion firms, is to maximize profits off of the cheapest production available. This leads to industrialized nations --in which fast fashion firms most abundantly exist-- outsourcing to developing nations for textile labor. Fast fashion “firms exploit vulnerable populations through low wages and inadequate safety investment” (Lambert 12) in order to meet the high demands of on-trend fashion. Textile workers in countries such as Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka experience brutal, inhumane work environments in which they are stripped of humans rights. In addition, fast fashion power houses “subcontract production to manufacturing companies, or suppliers, that are not officially authorized by or affiliated with the fast fashion brands... Without authorization or affiliation, fast fashion brands carry no legal obligation to ensure decent working conditions in the bottom tiers of their production network” (Stafford). Essentially, fast fashion firms have strategically placed themselves at the top of the economic model. They are legally non-binded to the harsh exploitation of developing populations that benefit them.
It would be impossible to discuss the exploitation of fast fashion textile workers without discussing the intersectionality of the gender, class, and nationality. The exploited are majority low class working women from developing nations who are managed by their male superiors. She works in environments in which she “[experiences] physical, verbal, and sexual violence… Disciplinary measures disproportionately inflict physical, mental, and sexual harm on women” (Stafford). A worker from an H&M supplier factory speaks about her experience as a textile worker under the H&M umbrella:
“We are not allowed to go to the toilet, the targets are so high. The in-charge things like, ‘if you go to the toilet, who will do the work? Who is going to complete the target? Go to work and finish it.’ If I take even a bit too long returning from bathroom, the supervisor will take away my machine coil. I have to go and ask him for it. Then I have to tell him why it took me so much time in the bathroom.” (Stafford).
The cruel, dehumanizing power dynamic between demanding fast fashion firms and developing nations clearly illustrates the tyrannical exploitation behind the price tags and the fabrics sitting on the shelves and racks of developed nations. From a conflict theory perspective, the structure of fast fashion is set up to benefit developed nation’s firms while exploiting developing nations --disproportionately, the women of developing nations.
Citations
Joy, Annamma, et al. “Fast Fashion, Sustainability, and the Ethical Appeal of Luxury Brands.” Fashion Theory, vol. 16, no. 3, 2012, pp. 273–295., doi:10.2752/175174112x13340749707123.
Lambert, Megan. “The Lowest Cost at Any Price: The Impact of Fast Fashion on the Global Fashion Industry.” Lake Forest College Publications, 1 Dec. 2014.
Stafford, Victoria. “Factory Exploitation and the Fast Fashion Machine.” Green America, 8 Aug. 2018, greenamerica.org/blog/factory-exploitation-and-fast-fashion-machine.
“The Price of Fast Fashion.” Nature News, Nature Publishing Group, 2 Jan. 2018, www.nature.com/articles/s41558-017-0058-9.
Wallander, Mattias. “Why Ban Textiles From Landfills?” HuffPost, HuffPost, 30 Apr. 2012, www.huffpost.com/entry/why-ban-textiles-from-lan_b_1308038.
I quite enjoyed your post and found it compelling about how trends are established through this mindset by clothing manufacturers. Though sweatshop use is a well known topic throughout the clothing industry, little is said about reasons for it other than for increasing profits. I found it interesting that there are people who follow fashion trends to the point of getting rid of clothes when they are not trendy anymore, yet do not invest in higher quality clothing than these large outlet stores. This incentivises this behavior and it seems difficult to change this approach. Unfortunately, I don't see behaviors like this changing without outside influence which is certainly difficult to find in our current political situation.
ReplyDeleteLove this! I think it's really important to have conversations about the fast fashion industry because of its extreme prevalence in today's fashion trends and society as a whole. The intersection between environmental awareness and human rights is a really interesting and important one, as you point out. Looking at this from a conflict theory perspective is immensely helpful and allows one to see clearly that 'underdeveloped' nations are being exploited by 'developed' nations for the sake of cheap and easy clothing which will end up being thrown away shortly after purchase. I also want to say thank you for talking abut this topic both here and in climate science last semester because I am now hyper aware of where my money goes for clothing and I even ended up doing further research because of how important and disturbing this industry is.
ReplyDeleteYou make some great points here, and I completely agree with regards to the harm caused by the fast fashion industry. I'm not sure what is more to blame here: the hype culture of modern fashion such as Supreme, Gucci, etc., or fast fashion companies that directly lead to poor working conditions and increased waste. You could argue that although companies such as Zara or H&M are directly responsible, it is high fashion that creates the culture of hype and the rapid evolution of trends. It's natural that there will be huge demand for a more reasonably priced category, and some people could say that Zara, H&M, etc. are simply products of the current market. Either way, it's definitely a problem that may not be getting as much attention as it should be.
ReplyDeleteWhat made this post so compelling was the fact that it touched on multiple issues: the exploitation of the environment as well as the exploitation of people. I had never even considered how the culture of consumption in the U.S. was affecting the environment because of how clothing fits into the picture. I had mostly thought about plastic and animals as being the major factors. This post certainly brought to light a new form in which we hurt the Earth. What I am curious about, is whether the trash that we produce is then placed into impoverished countries, countries that could be producing the very clothing that we threw away. I am also interested in how this problem could be remedied. With the fashion industry ever evolving, is there any style that people feel won't go out of fashion? Is it possible to cycle clothing so that it doesn't go to waist? This post also shows a great example of a conflict theory perspective: Americans benefit at the hands of exploited workers and the destruction of the planet.
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