The Fashion Industry and Its Effects
The Fashion Industry and Its Effects
Written By: Aparna Syam
What is the Fashion Industry?
The fashion industry is one of the fastest growing industries with an annual growth rate of 21%. It is an industry worth 30 billion dollars and employs millions of people all over the world.
An industry as big as this is bound to have a profound effect on the lives of a “normal people” everywhere but the manifestation of those effects can vary depending on the socio-economic factors that one experiences.
The Fashion Industry and the Socio-Political Ramifications
Most industries fuelled by multinational corporations are notorious for the exploitation of their factory workers and the fashion industry is no different.
Brands such as Zara, H&M and many more who market themselves as “affordable” often cut corners by forcing their workers to work incredibly long hours for less than a minimum wage. These workers may even be minors struggling to support their families, and often go directly against the UN’s labour standards.
Furthermore, the unionisation of such workers is violently opposed as worker’s unions have led to empowerment of workers which may result in the profit margin of these large corporations significantly thinning. These companies also sacrifice the environment for the sake of producing cheap clothes that go out of fashion by next season which leads to more pollution in the form of landfills brimming over.
Fashion and the Individual
The cultural ramifications of fashion vary far and wide.
It can even be seen as an act of rebellion in the face of an authoritarian government. Far too often the mere act of wearing and celebrating traditional attire in the face of cultural cleansing can be a political statement in itself. The effect of fashion as it relates to youth culture and non-conformist leftism should not be forgotten.
Many working-class youth cultures such as skinheads, mods, and punk often use fashion as an indicator of their objection to the status quo that is the capitalist system at play. Gender non-conformists and transgender people often use fashion and clothing as an expression of their perceived true self and as a way to express their dissatisfaction within the hetero-normative patriarchy we currently function within.
The Consequences of Luxury
Luxury brands often have a problematic past that participates in not only worker exploitation and anti-unionisation but also enabling and acting as a complacent partner within the system of violent sexual misconduct that habitually plagues the employees as well.
This is generally seen at all levels in the industry from the factory workers to highly paid models with international contracts. Many companies also take part in blatant cultural appropriation that often means to profit off of the culture and traditions of a marginalized community while refusing to serve the community in question in any productive manner. There is also an abundance of allegations of animal cruelty within the fashion industry specifically the cosmetic industry that tests its products on animals that are fundamentally unable to consent.
Is Change Possible?
The fashion industry is home to a multitude of sins, but it still stands true that clothes are some of the most popular instruments of self-expression and it is our duty to participate in it with a responsible and sustainable intent. We can achieve this through a mixture of individualist actions combined with a call for systematic change.
We must try to opt for second-hand or thrifted clothing or even repurpose old clothes. This reduces the demand for clothes and further forces companies to take a long, hard look at themselves in the mirror.
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