Being in college has been very eye opening on what has been going on in the fashion industry for a while now and the majority of it has been swept under the rug. Therefore, do you know where your clothes are made from? Most of us only know the origin of country. People may associate bad ethics with countries overseas from the United States when they look at their clothing tag and see “Made in Bangladesh”. So, what about the clothing that’s made in America?
Before diving into the chaos that the fashion industry is in today, let’s get into what built it. The fashion/textile industry wouldn’t exist without the forced labor from slavery. Enslaved people were the ones who planted cotton and spun it, providing textiles. One interesting fact to mention is how Marie Antoinette’s dress sparked the increase of the production of cotton and demand of slaves. She wore on white cotton dress that soon became a trend, unintentionally destroying the lives of those who were in fields. Later on, the working class in England became the next targets, which wasn’t surprising. Since the textile factories were dominantly women, they were paid less and then children. Coming to follow is poverty and disease such as asthma, respiratory infections, etc. This came from the dust that workers had to inhale. In the 19th century, America adopted the garment industry from England. Now, one would think, “If one grows an industry, it must improve?”, well it did not. Labor conditions were the same.
Today in America, the garment industry has barely made any improvements in my opinion. The only pro is that some factories are starting to pay their workers what they should, and practice safety in the workplace. Yet, there are many cons that caught my attention. The city that is the center for the garment industry in the US is Los Angeles, CA. Why LA? Many designers are there because the city is really close to the ports, providing a fast turnaround when producing in Los Angeles. Many of these workers are immigrants who don't really understand the legal system in America and are living penny to penny. Most garment workers aren’t citizens which means they can’t vote. When advocates go to politicians to expose these problems, they are focused on the citizens who are able to vote, giving little power. On top of that, they are being forced to work off less than half of the minimum wage in California. This is all because of fast fashion and the over consumption of clothing.
Fast fashion has increased over the years because of social media. One brand that is an example of this is Fashion Nova. In the New York Times article, “Fashion Nova’s Secret: Underpaid Workers in Los Angeles Factories'' it highlights the uprising of Fashion Nova from its CEO, Richard Saghian. Some of his statements that disgusted me were “They need to buy a lot of different styles and probably only wear them a couple times so their Instagram feeds can stay fresh”, “the company can get its clothes made “in less than two weeks,” often by manufacturers in Los Angeles, a short drive from the company’s headquarters. Because people are so caught up in how they are perceived on social media and company’s rushing to consumers ‘needs’, no one realizes the effect they have on workers. Fashion Nova has been caught ripping off workers by forcing manufacturers to make their clothing way less than what it is sold for. One woman named Mercedes Cortes stated she caught the Fashion Nova clothing she made with “$12 price tags on the tops she had stitched together for cents''. They get the max profit while people are risking their lives just to live.
Industries like the garment industry thrive off of always trying to make a profit off of supply and demand, or capitalism. It ignores the needs of people and focuses on the wealth of private companies. At first, I couldn’t think of how fashion can exist without this construct because fashion never focused on not harming the environment (textiles), its workers, especially in America, a country where its foundation is built off of the backs of enslaved people. Yet, things like this are so simple to change but politics makes it harder than it should. People could easily get paid what they should and work in clean safe conditions if others weren’t so greedy for money. The Garment Worker Protection Act is working to get justice for workers, demanding proper pay, proper working conditions, etc. I encourage whoever is reading this to please click the link, develop a deeper knowledge of the GWPA and sign the petition.
Overall, “made in America” is merely a coverup. It seems like a good thing for our economy but is just as bad as the labor abuses in countries like Vietnam and Bangladesh. These conditions should and need to change. Enough damage has already been done from centuries ago to this day in time.
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