Category: Clothes

Clothing over Time: Essay

Talking about clothing and ethical issues within the fashion industry. Evidence of clothing can be found and dated back all the way to prehistoric time periods. Some of the first humans to have ever walked the earth used animal skins as clothing with the purpose of protection from weather conditions. Whether it be because of “​the influence of climate, fashion, religion, [or the] ecosystem,” ​as time went on variations in clothing began and continued to appear. One example is the evolution from Greek and Roman unsewn fabrics to the intricate clothing designs in northern Europe during the Iron Age ​(​History of Clothing). Today, however, because everyone wants to look good and feel good, there is higher consumer demand for clothing than ever before, thus, making fashion one of the most important and influential aspects of everyday life.

Rather than being a necessary object used for protection, clothing is now seen as a luxury. It is used as a form of expression on a day-to-day basis. In addition, clothing is used as a way for people to show off their social and economic status within a society. These changing patterns of consumption have led people’s desires to change and cultures to evolve, therefore, leading to higher consumer demand for the product. Additionally, when considering fashion, most people fail to give thought to where and how the garments that they purchase were made. Most consumers only look at the price of a garment without considering the circumstances under which it was produced. These changes, the ever-increasing consumer demand for new clothing, and consumer ignorance of garment production have all brought about major problems and have contributed to the ever-increasing problems with the clothing industry.

Many manufacturers “produce[ing] garments very quickly, in small batches, at low cost to the producer” (​Global Shift, ​2014, ​pg. 455). This trend is known as “fast fashion” and in order for manufacturers to produce clothing at low costs to appeal to consumers they often “utilize dubious labor practices” (​Global Shift, ​2014, ​pg. 455). These practices include worker and environmental mistreatment, more specifically, low wages, child labor, health risks, and environmental degradation. It is evident that these unethical labor practices continue to persist because “domestic sourcing of clothing has virtually disappeared,” which is due to the fact that in order for producers to manufacture garments at the lowest cost possible they outsource their product production to other countries where production costs are much lower (​Global Shift, ​2014, ​pg. 463).

Because most manual labor for production is done in underdeveloped and developing countries, laws and regulations are not as strict and enforced as they would be in a developed country. These underdeveloped and developing countries will do whatever is necessary in order to improve the economic standing and standard of living within the country. Therefore, worker mistreatment is not uncommon, and “sweatshop conditions are almost the industry standard,” thus, making worker mistreatment and lack of safety precautions one of the main issues in this industry (​Global Shift, ​2014, ​pg. 459). In addition to this, most of the laborers who work in these sweatshops are women and children who have little to no protection, can be hired and fired easily, and are paid very low wages.

Although “a factory job does provide otherwise unattainable income and some degree of individual freedom,” workers should not be mistreated, overlooked, or underpaid, children should not be carrying the family pressure of a job, and workers’ safety and health should not be compromised by sweatshop factory conditions (​Global Shift, ​2014, ​pg. 460). This argument is too often used by buyers and retailers as an excuse to avoid responsibility for these conditions, however, it is necessary that both consumers and producers, especially, are held accountable and responsible for events such as the ​building collapse at the Rana Plaza complex in the Savar district of Greater Dhaka in 2013, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911, and long term health issues that workers face (Hobson, 2013).

Bangladesh is one of the world’s largest clothing manufacturing countries today. The government admitted that over 90 percent of the buildings in Dhaka are not built correctly. The collapse of the Rana Complex is clearly evidence of worker mistreatment and lack of attention toward the health and safety of the factory’s workers because the building was not built to code and had obvious signs of structural unsafety. In addition to this, factory fires are not uncommon in Bangladesh, proving that there is a need for input of safety precautions. Other than factory issues, workers in the clothing industry are also put in compromising positions because of their exposure to harmful materials and chemicals that can be detrimental to their health. Polyester production can be detrimental to laborers’ health because it can cause respiratory disease. ​This is because the manufacturing of polyester requires ​“large amounts of crude oil and releas[es] emissions” (Luz, 2007).

Another problem with the clothing industry is its toll on the environment. The increase in consumer demand and retailer production of clothing has led to economic growth dependent “on continued marketing of new products and disposal of old ones that are thrown away simply because stylistic norms promote their obsolescence” (Luz, 2007). According to ​International Retail Marketing, ​“across nearly every apparel category, consumers keep clothing items about half as long as they did 15 years ago.” This is evidence of how wasteful people have become and how fashion products have become so cheap that buyers can purchase many products that they will only wear several times and then dispose of. This post-consumer waste enters directly into the global waste stream, thus, contributing to the growing global problem of pollution and waste collection issues. Another way that “fast fashion” negatively impacts the environment is through its factories and production techniques. Wastes and chemicals from factories often runoff into nearby water sources. All in all, whether it be the outcome of the industry or the process of production, the “fast fashion” industry is very harmful to the environment.

To conclude, the harmful and negative outcomes of the clothing industry and its growth greatly outweigh the positive outcomes. C​consumers and producers must ask themselves: Is this ethical? Is it socially acceptable for children to be working, for women to be overworked and underpaid, and for lives to be put at risk just so that a low wage can be made in a foreign country and a garment can be purchased at a lower price in a developed country? Whether it be poor labor conditions and treatment, or environmental degradation, the corporations in this industry need to take responsibility for their actions immediately. If responsibility is not taken in order to solve these extensive problems, worker mistreatment and environmental degradation will continue to persist and grow proportionally as the consumer demand for more clothing increases.

Bibliography

1. Global Shift, Seventh Edition: Mapping the Changing Contours of the World Economy​, Guilford Publications, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ufl/detail.action?docID=1760738
2. “History of Clothing – History of the Wearing of Clothing.” ​History of Clothing – History of Fabrics and Textiles, ​www.historyofclothing.com/.
3. Claudio, Luz. “Waste Couture: Environmental Impact of the Clothing Industry.” Environmental Health Perspectives, vol. 115, no. 9, 2007, doi:10.1289/ehp.115-a449.
4. John Hobson, To die for? The health and safety of fast fashion, ​Occupational Medicine​, Volume 63, Issue 5, July 2013, Pages 317–319, https://doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kqt079
5. Shaw, Dierdre, and Dominique A.C. Tomolillo. “Chapter 8 Undressing the Ethical Issues in Fashion: a Consumer Perspective.” ​International Retail Marketing, by Christopher Moore, Routledge, 2015, pp. 141–147.
6. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ufl/detail.action?docID=1760738
7. http://www.historyofclothing.com/
8. https://doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kqt079

Use of Second-Hand Clothes in Modern Times

People with a compelling need for uniqueness uncovered that non-traditional consumer choices, like purchases of apparel on second-hand chains rather than conventional ones, were much more likely to demonstrate their individuality. The interest in collecting and wearing vintage because of its unique qualities, according to Palmer (2005), is increasing. Special product characteristics, such as unique textiles, a certain style, or hue, also enticed consumers to buy second-hand clothing.

Studies on second-hand buying were related mainly to clothes and regarded motives of that behavior. Xu et al. (2014) discovered that social norms influence customers’ SHB behavior Among many motivators, environmental concerns also appeared. Nowadays, consumers want to have an impact on overproduction.

In the study conducted by Hobbs (2016), he concluded that consumers who are socially influenced are more likely to shop on popular second-hand websites, identify branded clothing as best for them, and engage in social media while shopping on the internet.

Notice a strong trend towards higher social influence as second-hand apparel shopping online is perceived as environmentally friendly. People who spend more time online in their free time are more inclined to shop on socially popular sites and buy brand-name apparel. A clear pattern shows that shopping for value increases the enjoyable aspects of buying second-hand clothes. Overall, a general trend of price comparison to save money and finding the best value while being financially savvy is evident.

Additionally, the more shoppers view second-hand items as higher quality, the more they prefer the environmental and clothing origin benefits. It appears that increased environmental and ethical interest decreases shopper risk aversion and increases impulse buying. Those with shorter lengths of residence time, search more for fashion items that are useful and reasonably priced. Those who watch their expenditures moderately correlate with more time spent online in their free time.

Williams (2003) examined reasons for consumers participating in alternative retail channels, second-hand being one of them. For the lower-income populace, participation in alternative retail channels is a necessity due to low income. On the contrary, for people with a higher income it is a choice and about the search for fun, sociality, distinction, distinction, and display.

Second-hand clothes are becoming increasingly fashionable these days. Second-hand clothes could take part partially (substitute) in dressing. With second-hand, we can save resources and reduce the number of residues. I think that second-hand might be some kind of interpretation of sustainable consumption.

According to Slotterback (2007), the 1990s marked the start of a new age in the consumption of second-hand clothing. Second-hand clothing trading became common in the 1990s. Almost every country has taken note of it. Becoming deeply interested in second-hand clothing around the world traders or customers in the industry.

Today, second-hand clothing is no longer seen as a low-level fashion brand but as a global brand with customers from different backgrounds, and it offers something of value to everyone. The number of used merchandise retail establishments has increased at a rate that is approximately ten times that of other stores (Solomon and Rabolt, 2004). Clothing continues to be a key commodity in second-order marketing schemes, despite the large variety of products available (O’Reilly et al., 1984). Instead of buying new branded clothes, for the most part, the use of second-hand clothing is considered to be a sustainable alternative to minimize the production of new ones (Sing et al., p.25).

As stated by Watson et al. (2016) in their analysis of the used clothing industry in Nordic countries, second-hand clothes provide environmental and socioeconomic benefits to global society. Second-hand clothing benefits the environment by saving 18 billion gallons of water and approximately 200,000 tons of CO2 per year by offsetting the use of new textile materials.

In summary, using of second-hand clothes is a simple method of reusing to stop the overproduction and minimize textile waste. Since garments are more durable in which it is usually thrown up, reusing them instead of producing new ones to prevent the waste of the textile. Famous brands like H&M group, Zara, Levi’s, Madewell, etc. launched programs as their contribution to environmental causes involve the collection of used clothes for reuse. Second-hand clothes save money, offer unique, rare, and vintage products, and give people a stylish appearance and higher self-image.

We Must Take Control of Our Clothes: Argumentative Essay

Clothing is a basic need for all humans. We wear clothes every day. As it is so important why isn’t shopping for clothes as easy as walking into a shop, buying some clothes and leaving in a matter of seconds? One main factor of this is because of sizing. It is near to impossible for someone to be the same size in two different shops. This proves that we need to take action on our clothing guides, placing stricter guidelines to have a women’s size 8 set as a specific size across every store in the United Kingdom followed by every other size. If we do this shopping could be done with ease and without stress and would get rid of UK wide changing rooms of people endlessly queuing to try on the same item in multiple sizes. We also need to tackle another problem within clothing sizes and that is how everyone desires to be labelled as ‘skinny’ rather than just average, which can damage our mental health.

It is well accepted that popular high street brands are labelling their clothing with differing sizing guides causing confusion amongst shoppers. However, they are doing nothing wrong as there are no official sizing guidelines for clothes in the United Kingdom so all the major clothing brands across our nation think it is just fine to size this clothing as they please; with no regard to their loyal customers. Brands are always changing sizes as they please: since 1958 what would have been a women’s size 12 is labelled as a size 6 in the day and age. One of Arcadias best-selling brands – Topshop, a store we all love, has a women’s size eight waist measurement of 64.2cm. Now compare this with the second biggest market shareholder Next with their size eight waist being an astonishing 3cms more at 67.5cm even though the label tells customers these are the same size – an 8. Much frustration is suffered by consumers when buying clothes. This is felt twice fold when shopping online even if you buy your usual size, it may not be similar in real centimeters from an online brand; resulting in it having to be returned and a new size being delivered, and we all know this is never quick or painless. Surely, we need laws immediately to save ourselves.

To save ourselves is exactly what I mean – it is our fault that we desire to fit into smaller sized clothes. Unrealistic mannequin sizing and models have been promoting an unhealthy body image. According to Victoria’s Secret supermodel Adriana Lima, she had to go on a liquid diet for nine days as ‘she needed to lose weight’ after having her first child. Liquid diets can be unhealthy as replacing your meals can cause you to miss out on vital proteins only found in food. Dietitian George Moore says that carrying out a liquid diet can cause the body to ‘go into ketosis’ which is when a person’s organs start to fail due to a lack of carbohydrates. I can assure it is simply not worth risking your life for ten minutes of fame. This proves in itself that we must stop being paranoid over what size we are labelled as and learn to be confident within that size. Models constantly have to wear high heels usually ones with a five-inch heel. It has been said from a study by the Journal of Orthopaedic Research that wearing high heels over three and a half inches tall can cause osteoarthritis, an incurable disease which is the highest cause of disability in women. All of this goes to show that Victoria’s Secret needs to be stopped as they are using stick-thin models to make even the average-sized woman feel self-conscious about their size and confuse them when buying clothes from brands that only promote models in sizes are vastly lower to their own. Mannequins are also being used to display the same toxic body traits as models. Mannequins have one job – to display clothes for people to buy but how can they be displaying them for real people when some shops have their mannequins so ridiculously skinny. Researchers from the University of Liverpool stated after looking through fashion displays in shops in different cities they were able to say that not even one store had a female mannequin with a ‘normal’ body size. These kinds of displays with the apparent ‘ideal weight’ can be a cause of eating disorders such as body dysmorphia. Clothing sizes have been said by people who suffer from body dysmorphia to cause anxiety and this can be due to seeing tiny figures everywhere when they may be shopping for larger sizes. This all proves that both mannequins and models should all be changed to being of varied, more realistic body sizes so that we can learn that we do not need to be stick thin to be the ‘perfect’ body shape and size.

Many companies have been undermining normal woman by branding average sizes as extra-large. Clothing brand ASOS, which stands for ‘As Seen on Screen’, was criticized on Twitter by a customer for branding a size fourteen as an ‘extra-large’ causing outrage against the brand. The average size of a woman in the United Kingdom is a size sixteen so by the logic of ASOS’s branding they would rule this as an extra, extra-large which is absolutely ridiculous! A 16 should be at least a medium being average, but the best solution would be for the brand to just get rid of small, medium, large altogether. Another brand abusing clothing sizes is the American brand Abercrombie and Fitch who have a size zero available in their U.K. stores, a giant eight times less than the average size. It is unbelievable that this is legally allowed to happen, especially after the ban on size four United Kingdom models due to the tragic death of young model Luisel Ramos, who died after eating only lettuce for months to achieve that tiny look. This highlights that laws need to be put in place to stop more terrible events, like this one from happening.

It may be true that some people aren’t that affected by both unrealistic models and mannequins as well as the confusing sizing difference from shop to shop because they can deal with it. However, we should not be simply having to deal with this easily solved problem. The solution is simple, we just need stores to have the same size of clothing as well as making their models more realistic. This could also mean brands like Victoria’s Secret can lay off their models allowing them to live normal live alongside their job not constantly training themselves and fixing their looks. These laws could make life just that little bit easier for everyone.

Overall, it has been made clear that there are no rules in the world of clothes and this has to be dealt with for the sake of the customers. Incredibly, this is still a problem regarding how far the human race has come. We all need to fight against this problem and take control of our clothes.