First I'd like to say this:
I'm thankful that my daughters have not had to work for less than $3 a day at a sweatshop in order to put food on their tables. My sister did work for an American company as a presser when she was a teen, and it was hard work, by the piece, but at least it was fair. And, the working conditions were up to labor standards, and law.
I remember when the business was moved to Mexico. I remember when a jobber told the owner of a garment factory there in Mexico, that if he, the owner, couldn't meet the now reduced piece price, that the work was going to China. And that's exactly what happened. I remember all these things because I follow trends.
I remember when the not very well disseminated plan in Iraq was to seize the oil fields and then use the revenues to pay ourselves for reparations after we'd accomplished regime change. This seems to be the way Globalization of jobs works, too. Make someone else pay for cheap oil. Someone else pays for all these cheap clothes.
Corporations named in the Documentary (link to follow) have made billions even after a thousand seamstresses died in Bangladesh when the multi storied building they were working in crashed to the ground.
The poor girls and young men who work in Fast Fashion in the "Third World" are not protected, and you will be shocked to learn that even poor, tiny Cambodia has suffered, yet again, from some huge, seemingly unstoppable foreign force that has ruined their economy except for the privileged few. People have been killed by government forces breaking up their rallies. I'm so disgusted with fashion now. I will never buy any clothing from anyone who is NOT affiliated with groups who are doing Fair Traded Fashion Designs.
Since I am a seamstress and have done alterations, Fashion Design and the clothing industry are something that always gets my attention. Since high school, having made much of my clothing for myself both because I enjoy sewing, and to save money, I had continued sewing for my DH, and for our daughters, while they were young.
So, you can imagine, this was a Documentary that I wanted to see. It was shocking to say the least.
It's available on Netflix.
Want a hard look at the so called Fast Fashion movement? Have a look
HERE.
Elle magazine calls the whole situation, and I quote: "Gut Wrenching and Alarming"
The message is, and I'm taking it, is to know what you are buying, both clothing and leather goods, and care about the welfare and hopes of the ones who are creating it for you.
