Ethically made clothing is produced in a way that treats garment workers with dignity. Often, when we work to match the current season’s trends without paying close attention to the clothes we purchase, we are unknowingly contributing to the fast fashion industry. This inexpensive clothing is produced by mass-market retailers in response to the latest trends, like those that will be revealed during New York Fashion Week. Perhaps the simplest way to produce fashionable and inexpensive clothing quickly is to make that clothing without paying garment workers a living wage -- thus, fast fashion is often “unethically made.”
On average, garment workers work 96 hours per week, often in unventilated spaces where they are forced to breathe in toxic substances. When garment workers fail to meet daily quotas, they may be denied breaks or forbidden from drinking water.
It may seem that this is happening far away, largely with respect to the hangers in your closet filled with “made in Bangladesh” labels. But the reality is that even garment workers in the United States are often not treated with dignity. A Los Angeles study showed that workers in the area have been subject to rodent-infested and dusty working conditions, frequently locked doors, 12-hour workdays, 6- or 7-day work weeks, and sexual harassment.
If garment workers are undocumented, they may work under threat of an employer reporting them to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) if they choose to report subpar labor conditions. Workers may also have used labor brokers which lead to debt bondage, a form of labor trafficking in which workers are required to pay fees to secure employment.
The story of one trafficking survivor, Flor Molina, illustrates the problem well: Molina took sewing classes in an effort to gain the skills to start her own business. A trafficker promised that she would have opportunities to make more money in the US. When she arrived, however, she was met with a large debt and a high-end dressmaking job where she worked 18-hour days and was forced to sleep on the factory floor with one other survivor. Dressember works to fight for the dignity of these workers and to end labor trafficking.
