The fashion industry is not without its vices. There are reports of starving models and animals being harvested for their fur but these are not the only problems plaguing that industry. There's also the issue of questionable work ethics where the garment workers sometimes work too long and get paid little while fashion models, especially if they're female, manage to earn a lot. When it comes to demanding new colours and fabrics for each item of clothing it can cause a big strain on the manufacturers where they have to use up resources and sometimes waste and abuse them carelessly. This results in problems like deforestation, polluted waters and clothes being wasted once they become rubbish.
There's no doubt that something new and different will come along and affect any industry. In the clothing industry, there's the introduction of new textiles, fabrics, designs, patterns, colours and ways to manipulate clothing but in other cases that comes at a price when it comes to pressuring oneself to be in with the latest trends. While dumping clothes because they're outdated is one half of the problem, the other half involves toeing the line between inspiration and plagiariasm. Some designers are indifferent to it while others encourage it. Then are the designers who don't want to be plagiarised at all but part of the problem would be that items like clothing are considered utilitarian so it's fair game to copy what's coming out of the more exclusive brands like Chanel.
The less expensive brands would have it keep up which means they have to adapt or sometimes copy. This is how trends are made and propagated but this also puts a lot of pressure on the garment workers, the traders and fashion designers to keep up with everybody else. I won't be surprised that there are some fashion designers and seamstresses who rebel against this trend by offering longer lasting, timeless and higher quality clothing. Customers can't also be bothered to keep up with the latest trends either especially whenever they don't have the time and money to do so. Only a few of them are willing enough to modify existing items of clothing. Which leads to further disposability of clothing as I have mentioned twice.
Not only that you also have lawsuits claiming that Brand One plagiarised Brand Two. These are innumerable examples if you a thing or two about fashion. This would make designer collaborations with clothing retailers to be the lesser sin because at least customers can have access to their designs at a lower price. There's no need to rip off the latest trend from the catwalk when you have something working with you. But there's still the possibility that what if this is the tipping point of a longstanding problem. You've got allegations of unfair labour practises in sweatshops with the Rana Plaza incident being a bad example of it. Then you've got a counter movement known as slow fashion.
These are all signs that the fashion industry is going change if these problems are going to get worse. Some fashion brands do try to change their ways but who knows if it's stop to undo their prior problems or if it's just a publicity stunt. It's however tough to know what time will everything be enough. There's already too much pressure being put on those who work in the fashion industry in one way or another and even the fashion editors and consumers can't be bothered to follow them that much either.
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Behind the Seams
Non-FictionA report on the fashion industry's vices that don't always have to do with starving models and animal fur.
