From neoliberal fashion to new ways of clothing

Abstract

The way clothes are produced, traded and sold today around the world reflects many of the problems capitalism poses to the working classes, with deleterious consequences on the environment as well. Global supply chains, in which non-finished goods flow back and forth around the world so that brands and retailers can increase their profits, dominate the landscape of this industry. Between 1995 and 2005, the liberalization of trade allowed garment companies to pit workers worldwide against each other. After the 2008 financial crisis, growing competition and problems in the sphere of realization forced companies to continuously expand their marketing, notably by incorporating expensive digital technologies, while on the manufacturing side, costs were squeezed to the limit. In core countries, the deregulation of labor markets through neoliberalization allowed manufacturers not only to employ low-wage labor in far-away countries, but to subcontract production to “local sweatshops,” which often employ migrants in situations of debt-peonage, forced labor, etc. in proximity to end markets, so that fast fashion retailers and brands can replenish their stores quickly and cheaply. In imagining a different way to organize production, distribution and consumption of clothing, this essay proposes a series of strategic directions. These include, among others, planning production according to needs, producing garment as close as possible to the end markets, and progressively eliminating fashion. A militant agenda to create the political conditions to put technological developments at the service of these strategic directions is needed if we are to radically transform an industry long based upon the worst forms of workers’ exploitation.