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The impact of globalization on fashion
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Have you ever wondered to your clothes once you donated them? Probably not, since you gave them away you are hoping that someone else likes them as much as you did. Is it possible that selling secondhand clothing can hurt a country 's economy? The Global Trade of Secondhand Clothing isn’t a new thing, we have all donated old clothing to places like the Salvation Army, Goodwill and other charities. You would think that donating your clothing is better than throwing it away, but at the same time donating clothing can have a negative impact. Even if you donate it doesn’t mean it will also be donated companies have to make money so they sell them. What happens to the clothes that cannot be sold, the ones that are ratty and worn? Wholesalers …show more content…
The selling of secondhand clothing or ‘oboni wawu ’ in Ghana has only negative affected the country. Employment in textile and clothing has fallen by 80% between 1975 and the 2000s (Rodgers,2015). It seems strange that the selling of secondhand clothing can have such an effect on a country 's economy. Here in the U.S, everyone has bought secondhand clothing but at the same time the buying for the clothing hasn’t put a dent in the economy. It is almost parallel to what happened in the past, jobs disappeared in order find cheaper ways of making things. In the US, many clothing factories shut down or moved overseas leaving many unemployed and in Africa markets are selling used clothing in the effect many jobs have been lost in the clothing industry. The biggest difference, the clothing that we buy is brand new and no one has worn it whereas in Africa, they are buying the ratty, unwanted used clothing. "The long-term effect is that countries such as Malawi or Mozambique or Zambia can 't really establish or protect their own clothing industries if they are importing second-hand goods," says Andrew Brooks from King’s College (Kermeliotis,2013). The problem is there isn’t a way for the companies to compete with the second-hand trade especially if they come in at such a high volume and are sold cheaper. In order to protect their nation’s textile industries many African countries have banned the import of second hand clothing (Kermeliotis,2013). The clothing industries aren’t able to compete with the used clothing market because it is sold for
When you go to the mall to pick up a pair of jeans or a shirt, do you think about where they came from? How they were made? Who made them? Most consumers are unaware of where their clothes are coming from. All the consumer is responsible for is buying the clothing from the store and most likely have little to no knowledge about how it was manufactured, transported, or even who made the clothing item and the amount of intensive labor that went into producing it (Timmerman, 3). In my paper, I will utilize the book Where Am I Wearing? by Kelsey Timmerman and the textbook Cultural Anthropology: A Toolkit for a Global Age by Kenneth J. Guest to examine globalization in the context of the clothing industry.
In China, Kelsey Timmerman spent time with a couple who worked at the Teva factory, traveled to the countryside to meet the couple’s son, insert name, who hasn’t seen his parents in three years due to his parents working long hours and it being expensive to take a train ride. In the US, the author visited one of a few clothing factories in the US to talk to the workers about his shorts, and the decrease of American garment factories. Timmerman wants the consumer to be more engaged and more thoughtful when mindlessly buying clothes. By researching how well the brands you want to buy from monitor their factories and what their code of ethics details, you can make a sound decision on if this is where you would want to buy your clothes. The author writes about brands that improve employers lives like SoleRebels, a shoe company who employs workers and gives them health insurance, school funds for their children, and six months of maternity leave. Brands like soleRebels that give workers benefits most factory workers have never even heard of help improve the lives of garment workers and future generations. From reading this book, Timmerman wants us to be more educated about the lives of garment workers, bridge the gap between consumers and manufacturers, and be a more engaged and mindful consumer when purchasing our
In Packer’s essay, the used clothes are selling in a higher price in Uganda than they were bought from the Thrift Shop, and that is where the profits coming from. Natelie L. Hoang from Claremont College pointed out that used clothing is increasingly becoming the major source of garments in many African nations. In Uganda in particular, they account for 81% of the country’s total clothing purchases. BBC News stated that the imported clothes are so cheap that the local textiles factories and self-employed tailors can't compete, so they either close down or don't do as well as they could. Therefore, the local government tries to ban second-hand clothes, because they want to give a boost to local manufacturing, and help the
In the article, “Haiti doesn’t need your old T-shirts,” Charles Kenny explains why donating old clothes or food to countries in need doesn’t help those countries, but rather hurts their own economy. Charles Kenny is a developmental economist and has written a plethora of journal and magazine articles, books, and blog posts. Kenny is able to inform and influence his audience by including examples of the problem, people of authority, and a solution to the problem he writes about in his article.
Ravisankar concludes his expository essay by informing his audience about organizations like the University Students Against Sweatshops who are forcing corporations to source their clothes from respectful factories or they will not purchase their products.
Sweatshops, when left to operate without government intervention, are the most efficient way out of poverty especially in developing countries. This argument may feel far fetched, but when examined in the context of those working at sweatshops and the locations sweatshops are most often constructed in, the reason why this is true is apparent. The benefits of sweatshops can be found by examining how they increase living conditions, examining the locations where sweatshops are constructed, and looking at how government regulations on factories don’t help anyone.
...d up in Salvation Army bins. The U.S. textile recycling industry enables Africans to dress well for very little money. In 2003, used clothing was by far America’s largest export to Tanzania, and it ranked fourth worldwide as a customer for America’s castoffs, with competition from countries such as Beijing, and the Republic of the Congo.”
...lawsuits. Informative videos that show interviews of key players that fight to stop the illegal activities include ABC Nightline, ABC: Faking It, and Katie Couric’s segment on counterfeit fashion. It’s comforting to see that there is an awareness that is building. The contribution between eBay, the Council of Fashion Designers of America, and the major designers in world is really one of the first steps in spreading attention and understanding of fake of fashion goods. So far, each year of its planned event has found success. Consumers should take the awareness to heart and be proactive in extending it to prevent catastrophes in areas of human creativity and economy. This would also include inhibiting further subsidy of illegal activities. Counterfeiting is an undeclared war and consumers are the only ones who can essentially save the world from its negative impact.
...nd financial corruption (17). Some of the difficulties are even starting within the local market. There is a lack of raw materials inside the local market, which then causes needs of importation. Advances in technology have been made in terms of communication, emails, and business to business and business to customer interaction worldwide. Nonetheless, the local market is still being held back because of the high cost of fuel, electricity, and transport. “Given this scenario, production costs have remained high, thereby increasing the end product costs and reducing the demand for the locally manufactured products” (6). Unemployment is another factor. This means income is insufficient, which negatively affects living conditions and consequently health of the citizens. The infection rate of HIV-AIDS is 16% and citizens are only expected to live to 40 years old (17).
It is certain that people are getting more used to wasting products that are still reliable to use and, especially in fashion, not that many people are aware of the concept of sustainability. Although concept of recycling paper, plastic and glass has now spread a cross the states, people still doesn’t know how to recycle or reuse their clothing. “65 pounds of clothing and textiles a year are improperly discarded and only an eight of that goes to charities for reuse [1].” This indicates how unaware people are when it comes to taking care of their garments. Or rather, the way in which fast fashion industry promotes the value of cloth is very low, and it is because the fashion industry wants people to get rid of their clothing as soon as possible in order to sell their new colle...
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average American family spends $1,700 on clothes annually and “the average woman in England has 22 unworn items in her closet.”(Johnson) People buy a surplus of clothing, meaning factories make excess textile waste. While there have been many debates whether the clothing industry is the second most polluting industry of the world, second only to oil, there’s no doubt that the fashion industry has made an impact on the world, but not in a good
The international community have highlighted the benefits that efficient and effective trade in Africa could potentially hold; the G8 in 2005 (and again in...
Consumers knowingly purchase counterfeits products for different reasons. According to a study conducted by Swami et al. (2009), half of the respondent of a survey would knowingly buy counterfeited products. Men are more likely to buy pirated CD’s whereas women prefer to buy counterfeited clothing and accessories, that is to say luxury counterfeited products such as a fake Louis Vuitton bag or Chanel clothes for instance. The studies also showed that younger participant are the ones who buy counterfeit products while older believe that counterfeiters should be punished. In addition to this, counterfeited luxury buyers can be classified in two groups; “the wise shopper” that is to say consumers who buy counterfeit comparable to the original one but which is also superior in price. The second group are those who buy counterfeit with a lower price but can be noticed that it is not the original one. (BA, Brand management, lecture notes,
...sive, unaffordable yet basic commodities, spurring economic growth and supporting the legal economy. This is a critical provision as it fosters the aspects of trade in the world. It is also important to agree that this transaction in almost every tradable commodity and services both genuine and counterfeit supports the dealings shown in black market trade. According to Bahmani-Oskooee & Goswami (2005), the supporters of black market cite many reasons for its embracement. The fact that the trade involves transaction in almost every tradable commodity and services both genuine and counterfeit makes it very difficult to curb. This is demonstrated explicitly by the supporters of black market who cite numerous reasons for its existence. The economic support, employment creation, money circulation, and many others have anchored this trade within various world economies.
This cloth recycling process is known as the “Indian shoddy industry (where clothing is completely destroyed in order to permit the reclamation of its constituent fibres)”(Norris). A modernized and westernized India has seen a growth in western name brand clothing such as Levi’s Strauss & Co. Jeans, and other brand name clothing that are favored by adolescents of western society, and have gained increasing popularity amongst Indian adolescents as well. Western clothing has become so popular in India that its own government now considers it a part of traditional Indian clothing. This is a clear example of India's loss of culture as foreign brands are becoming more prevalent within the Indian mainstream. Not only has western clothing such as jeans and t-shirts been accepted into the Indian mainstream, but India itself has delved into the clothing and fashion industry with the creation of new designer brands that perfectly capture western clothing styles.