the shockingly high cost of cheap fashion

News recently reported that the Gap is looking to move some production to Myanmar (a country not exactly known for a stellar human rights record), and H&M is expanding to Ethiopia. Why is so much clothing manufacturing is going on in Bangladesh? Mainly because rising wages and inflation in China have made producing clothing there prohibitively expensive for manufacturers who seek to feed U.S. The faulty wiring, lack of exits, crowded conditions, and poor construction are reminiscent of New York City’s Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. This was highlighted by the catastrophic Dhaka fire in 2012 and the 2013 Rana Plaza building collapse, which killed a combined total of over 1,200 Bangladeshi apparel workers and injured many more. The push to quickly create clothing that costs buyers as little as possible leads, predictably, to factories that put production schedules and companies’ demands ahead of safety or workers’ rights. Rather than having long-term relationships with the factories, companies are comfortable with abrupt break-ups - so if they want something faster, the factories have to keep up or lose their contracts.

How do they do it? By subcontracting manufacturing overseas to the lowest bidder - generally in countries that already have some of the leanest production costs on earth.

Practically as soon as photos from fashion week go up online, there’s an immediate chain reaction of fast fashion stores rushing to duplicate the trend. Now, fast fashion chains like H&M and Zara introduce new styles as often as every two weeks. (This is still the way most high fashion labels work - the clothes that are on the New York runways in October showcase what will be available for spring of the following year.) Garments might take up to a year to actually be produced, and if an apparel company wanted something faster, they’d have to pay up. Fast fashion stores are particularly culpable here, due to their drive for lower-than-ever prices and the frequency of their demand for new goods.īack in the day, companies ordered clothes for each season. Remember the boycotts against the Gap and Nike back in the 90’s for using sweatshop labor? Today, business practices have gotten even shadier - and perhaps because clothes are cheaper, shoppers seem to care even less. All of those inexpensive finds might seem easy on your budget, but the world is paying a high price for fast fashion. How can a retailer sell jeans for $7.80 and still make money? You don’t want to know, but it’s vital that you find out. Already known for low prices, these stores would offer clothing at costs that make Goodwill seem pricey - jeans for $7.80, tanks from $1.80 to $3.80. Not too long ago, fast fashion megastore Forever 21 announced plans to launch a new brand called F21 Red.

The shockingly high cost of cheap fashion