3 ms·

Isn’t pretty much all clothing made that way now? No matter what brands you are buying, it’s almost all made in the cheapest third world countries with the wors

Isn’t pretty much all clothing made that way now? No matter what brands you are buying, it’s almost all made in the cheapest third world countries with the worst environmental and labor laws. I’d like to see some comparison brands that are better, and how much more they cost. Who are we talking about here?

TaylorAlexander 3y ago
It is indeed a widespread problem, but there is a sort of continuum of accountability, responsibility, and sustainability. Shein is one of the worst offenders, and certainly the largest of the worst. They seek out zero accountability and push prices down despite the consequences. An example of a company doing it right is Patagonia. Of course they have high prices, but this is more an effect of an economy so dependent on cheap goods that making anything of quality is expensive. Wages of the typical worker in the western world have been pushed lower and lower relative to productivity, and the only reason we haven’t revolted is the stream of cheap goods from overseas that allow us to survive even with low wages. If workers all over the world, both in garment factories overseas and at home in the western world, got paid fair wages, the cost of quality clothing would be bearable even by normal workers. In much the same way that a janitor could afford to buy a home in the 1960’s, a more just economy today or in the future would allow regular people to afford quality clothing. I say this about the economy because people will say “well you can’t expect regular people to afford $200 per outfit.” Well you can if the outfit lasts 10+ years and the person is getting paid a wage commensurate with productivity. That said, living wage advocates note that paying garment workers a living wage need only raise garment prices by 50 cents or so. Patagonia goes the extra mile and that is ultimately a great thing, but it’s not even necessary to at least tackle the poor wages of garment workers.

TaylorAlexander 3y ago

It is indeed a widespread problem, but there is a sort of continuum of accountability, responsibility, and sustainability. Shein is one of the worst offenders, and certainly the largest of the worst. They seek out zero accountability and push prices down despite the consequences. An example of a company doing it right is Patagonia. Of course they have high prices, but this is more an effect of an economy so dependent on cheap goods that making anything of quality is expensive. Wages of the typical worker in the western world have been pushed lower and lower relative to productivity, and the only reason we haven’t revolted is the stream of cheap goods from overseas that allow us to survive even with low wages. If workers all over the world, both in garment factories overseas and at home in the western world, got paid fair wages, the cost of quality clothing would be bearable even by normal workers. In much the same way that a janitor could afford to buy a home in the 1960’s, a more just economy today or in the future would allow regular people to afford quality clothing. I say this about the economy because people will say “well you can’t expect regular people to afford $200 per outfit.” Well you can if the outfit lasts 10+ years and the person is getting paid a wage commensurate with productivity. That said, living wage advocates note that paying garment workers a living wage need only raise garment prices by 50 cents or so. Patagonia goes the extra mile and that is ultimately a great thing, but it’s not even necessary to at least tackle the poor wages of garment workers.