The Cost of Low Costs

industry overview

The textile industry stands today as worlds largest. 1 in 6 humans globally are employed by clothing or clothing related business. Most of these workers are women, and most of them live in second and third world countries.

over seas manufacturing

Today the vast majority of textile items sold in the United States are made abroad. China is the number one manufacturer, Bangladesh is number two. In 1970, 82% of Bangladesh citizens were under the World Bank poverty line ($1.70 per day). Today that number has dropped to 7.5%. This is largely thanks to the outsourcing and globalization of textiles. Fast Fashion has stimulated economic activity in regions of the world that have forever been impoverished.

However, only so much comfort can come from $1.70 per day. Men and women sewing in Bangladeshi factories work 60-100 hour weeks. Their pay lies around $10.00 per month. Stuffed in old buildings with faulty equipment, illness, injury and disease are common. Many workers go hungry. These women are enslaved to their factory owners.

2013 Dhaka Garment Factory Collapse

In 2013 a large garment factory in the capital of Bangladesh collapsed. Over 1,100 factory workers were killed. Prior to the collapse, these sewers confronted management about the fragmented state of the building. In response, the factory owners ordered them to continue working.

After investigating the disaster, journalists found that J.C Penny, among other brands, was manufacturing in the factory. Executives for the brand denied any awareness about the issue. Nevertheless, fast fashion powerhouses Walmart and Zara donated millions help clean and mend the disaster.

This factory is 1 of 5000 in Bangladesh. Hundreds more are assumed to be in rough condition. The collapse did not initiate any significant change.

LOS ANGELES

Los Angeles remains the largest location of garment manufacturing withing the United States. Millions of jeans are washed and dyed every year in LA factories. Many small to medium size fashion labels house factories and warehouses with city limits.

However, the location of these factories does not entirely exclude them from poor labor practices. About half of all garment-district workers are undocumented. Factory owners take advantage of these workers by underpaying them. The going factory rate in LA for undocumented workers is just $4 per hour. That's less than one third of city’s minimum wage of $14.25.