the shockingly high cost of cheap fashion

Though Rana Plaza had been evacuated the day before the collapse when alarming cracks had appeared in the building, managers ordered factory workers to return to work the next day or lose a month's pay - with tragic results. The April 2013 collapse of the Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh, which killed over 1,000 people, was partially attributed to the pressure placed on the factories housed in the building to complete garment orders on time. However, even with regular improvements, there has not been sufficient supply chain management to ensure that overseas garment workers are not exploited or working in unsafe conditions. In the wake of the scandal, many clothing retailers worked to improve the conditions in their overseas factories. If you're old enough to remember wearing a 1990s Blossom-esque floppy hat adorned with a giant flower, then you might recall the huge public backlash when news broke that many major clothing manufacturers used child labor in foreign sweatshops.

However, unsafe and unethical labor practices are major reasons for the cheapness of foreign manufacturing. If factories in Bangladesh or China can make clothes for less money than factories in America, it makes sense for clothing companies to use them.

Having goods manufactured overseas is a simple exercise in economics. (As recently as 1990, 50% of our clothing was manufactured in America.) Currently only 2% of clothing for sale in America was made at home. To meet that need, it's much cheaper for clothing retailers to have their garments manufactured overseas. The rapid turnover of stock in major clothing stores like H&M, Zara, and Gap requires an incredible manufacturing output. (See also: 15 Things in Your Closet You Can Throw Out Today) 1. Here are three reasons why $14 jeans and $25 dresses cost more than you think. Cline, author of the book Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion, 'Americans buy roughly 20 billion garments per year - about 64 items per person.' That works out to more than one new garment per week.īut the ability to buy such low-cost clothing is not necessarily a good thing. Now, anyone can chase trends, even on a budget.Īnd boy, oh boy, do we chase those fashion trends. Specifically, clothes have gotten much cheaper with the rise of 'fast fashion,' and trends last weeks rather than years.

The early 2000s brought us low-rise pants, blazers, and the first incarnation of the skinny jeans phenomenon.Īnother major change in the world of fashion is the price point. My fashion heyday of the 1990s featured Doc Marten boots, butterfly hair clips, and babydoll dresses. Fashionistas in the 1980s sported neon colors, power suits with shoulder pads, and fingerless gloves. The world of fashion has changed a great deal over the past few decades.

The shockingly high cost of cheap fashion