OPINION: Case of Ethical Clothing

I am currently in the middle of reading 'Women in Clothes' by Sheila Heti, Heidi Julavits and Leanna Shapton.  This book is a collection of surveys, conversations and photos of women and their relationship (or lack thereof) with their clothing. One conversation left a profound impression on me: A conversation between human rights journalist Mac McClelland and one of the book’s authors, Sheila Heti titled “If Nothing Else, I Have An Ethical Garter”. 

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To summarize the conversation quickly, McClelland mentioned that she became aware of the abuses taking place in overseas factories after watching a documentary. Her then favorite store was The Gap and immediately boycotted. McClelland was one day soapboxing to a woman who had worked in Cambodia for years. This woman responds to McClelland: “When people boycott those factories or get them shut down, all those workers lose their jobs”. Apparently, this woman had worked with women who after losing their jobs in these factories had no other option than to become prostitutes. The woman concludes with “Buy anything you want from the Gap. Fuck it.”

In juxtaposition to my new found awareness, on Thursday Morning July 2nd, 2015, almost 400 workers fainted in four separate garment factories through Cambodia. According to Cheavv Bunrith, a rep from the Ministry of Labor’s National Social Security Fund, “The workers fainted because they had weak health. First they were dizzy, then they had problems breathing, and then they felt no energy in their arms and legs”. The victims will be sent to the local clinics and will receive medical attention at the NSSF’s expense.

Bunrith said that an investigation will now take place in these factories and if rights violations are found to be present, “production will be shut down”. I’m burdened with sympathy for these extremely hardworking people, who will never be able to afford the clothing they are making; not even the cheap stuff. To add more injury, I can only imagine that this disruption of workflow is only a nuisance to the workers that were not affected. Their livelihoods are now threatened.

Sustainability is currently a hot topic. It’s one of those idealist conversations where the solution seems absolutely feasible, and yet light years away; hurdled by physical, legal and cultural distance.  American men have been to the moon and back for 46 years to date but the apparel production process still manages to be incredibly labor intensive with unsafe conditions. It’s a real world materialization of Fritz Lang’s film Metropolis right before our eyes.

 The ideal scenario for a sustainable apparel industry would be retailers being are held accountable for their entire supply chain with ethical and just practices along each step. But until we get to this absolute, I cant help but wonder when will we get to the tipping point?  How far are we from change? Will the powers that be ever give in and raise the wages and better their working conditions? This would only increase the operating costs, and in turn would only leave room for competitors swoop in to provide “better” prices. 

Will First World shoppers ever care enough to demand a change from retailers? Is the general public even aware? This incident in Cambodia is a fortunate case, in which, no one died (which may justify why I haven’t seen any coverage on this incident except on WWD.com). There have been other incidents, as in the 2013 Bangladesh Factory Collapses, where over 1,000 people died. In response, there wasn’t been a dent in retail directly related to a public reaction to this tragedy; at least not one notable or poignant enough to make retailers take notice.

I cant help but wonder will there ever be change? Will it even matter?

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In Case You Missed It:
VICE founder Suroosh Alvi traveled to Phnom Penh,Cambodia to speak with former and current sex workers, officials, and labor organizers to investigate what is happening to those swept up in the country’s trafficking crackdown.

This story has a slightly different message, but all things considered, should give you a closer look at the 'high cost of cheap clothes'.