The Fashion Industry: What goes on behind the curtains?

 

The fashion world is known for its beautiful creations ranging from gowns to streetwear. During major fashion events such as the Met Gala or the Grammys, fashion truly flourishes. Indeed, journalists report on the outfits worn by celebrities in order to further understand the creative vision behind the creation and the designers behind the art. This represents an important publicity opportunity for designers and their brands. 

Indeed, on the surface the fashion industry is glamorous but, if you scratch the surface you discover what really goes on behind the curtain. 

 

The worker’s lives are on the line

 

One of the most dangerous incidents that happened in Bangladesh in 2013 took place in The Rana Plaza. In this incident, the whole building owned by Sohel Rana and several other clothing and retail  companies such as Walmart or Primark who also occupied it, collapsed under the workers’ feet which led to approximately 1134 deaths and 2500 non- fatal injuries. This whole catastrophe happened after workers expressed their concerns about the building's structural integrity.These concerns were ignored or excuses were made by the local employer and the government. Both said that there was either no money or that it would be a waste of money to invest in the safety of a building that could close in a few months . Then they were forced to continue working in the building under the threat of losing their jobs or not being paid if they refused. With their low incomes, it was impossible for workers to resign in protest while facing the certain fate of poverty.So they had no choice but to remain, risking their lives, everyday.

All over the world there are workers who work outrageous hours for very little in terms of salary. If we look at the ILO (International Labor Organization) statistics, 2,3 million  workers died of disease or injuries caused by their work, 160 million contract a disease due to their work environment and 313 million injuries are reported every year. Those horrifying numbers are the reason why the ILO has made this issue a top priority.

 

The negative impacts on the environment 

 

Often consumers forget or are even unaware of the work behind the clothes unveiled at fashion shows  or in the retail stores such as Zara or online stores like Shein. Shein grew in popularity at a regional level but with increasing success, the site expanded internationally targeting a young consumer base.The whole concept is to sell « trendy » items, encouraging constant sales to fit the latest media craze.The problem with this is that in less than a month the clothes that have been bought are out of style and as a result the buyers purchase more clothes to keep up with the latest trends. This whole process is extremely wasteful. For example in Europe in 2020, 4 million tons of clothes went to waste. It represents an enormous amount of waste and is even more alarming as we know that the fashion industry represents 2% of the greenhouse gas emissions which contributes to global warming. 

 

In order to reduce these alarming problems, many solutions could be implemented; such as an inspection of clothing factories every 5 years or even more often by an NGO. They would provide a report outlining potential worker exploitation and workplace safety concerns.  In terms of the environmental impact, nowadays the use of recycling has developed  internationally however there is still, as we saw, a lot of waste. To help with this problem it is important to go to the source of the problem which is fast fashion. If advertisements in favor of used clothes, thrifting or platforms who sell used clothes such as Vinted were created, published and promoted globally, it would encourage people to turn their interest in buying clothes into something positive for the planet. 

 

Many other solutions will be presented in the FerMUN 2022 conference that all aim for the same goal, to make the world a better and safer place for all.

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