Clothing Poverty: The hidden world of fast fashion and second-hand clothes

Description

Have you ever stopped and wondered where your jeans came from? Who made them and where? Ever wondered where they end up after you donate them for recycling? Following a pair of jeans, Clothing Poverty takes the reader on a vivid around-the-world tour to reveal how clothes are manufactured and retailed, bringing to light how fast fashion and recycling are interconnected. Andrew Brooks shows how recycled clothes are traded across continents, uncovers how retailers and international charities are embroiled in commodity chains which perpetuate poverty, and exposes the hidden trade networks which transect the globe. In this new and updated edition, Brooks retraces his steps to look at the fashion industry today, and considers how, if at all, the industry has changed in response to mounting consumer pressure for more ethical clothing. Stitching together rich narratives, from Mozambican markets, Nigerian smugglers and Chinese factories to London’s vintage clothing scene, TOMS shoes and Vivienne Westwood’s ethical fashion lines, Brooks uncovers the many hidden sides of fashion. Front Cover About the Author Title Page Copyright Contents Acknowledgements Introduction 1: A Biography of Jeans Jeans: A Social History Designing Denim Growing Cotton Ginning, Spinning and Weaving Manufacturing Jeans Advertising and Retail Today’s Jeans Systems of Provision Theorizing Production and Consumption 2: Clothes and Capital Bra Wars Crises of Capitalism The Origins of Clothes and Uneven Development Clothing in Ancient Society Protected Trade in the Feudal Era Capitalism and the Industrial Revolution Capital and Colonial Expansion Capitalism Adapts in the Twentieth Century The Multi-Fiber Arrangement and the Growth of Fast Fashion 3: The Shadow World of Used Clothing Clothing in Papua New Guinea Second-Hand Clothing in Historical Contexts Waste and Clothing Consumption Second-Hand Clothing Charities in the UK The Commercial Trade in Second-Hand Clothing Oxfam Wastesaver: Processing Clothes for Export The Second-Hand and New Clothing Trades in Global Context 4: Cotton Is the Mother of Poverty Africa and Global Markets Cotton in Colonial Mozambique Cotton and Structural Adjustment in Côte d’Ivoire Economic Liberalization and Cotton Subsidies 5: Made in China and Africa Chinese Economic Expansion African Attempts at Industrial Modernization China’s New Investments in Africa Casualization and Labour Abuses at Mulungushi Textiles Discipline and Profit Labour Discontent and the Closure of Mulungushi Textiles 6: Second-Hand Africa Super Bowl’s Other Winners Second-Hand Clothes in Africa Used-Clothing Assignments Nigeria: Economic Turmoil Used Clothing Imports and the Decline of African Clothing Industries 7: Persistent Poverty Growth Without Development in Mozambique Second-Hand Clothing Imports and Wholesale Work in the Second-Hand Clothing Sector The Unusual Case of Humana–ADPP Shopping for Second-Hand Clothes in Mozambique 8: Old Clothes and New Looks The M65 US Military Field Jacket Vintage Fashion in Cities Japanese Jeans Used Clothing Markets in the Global South Upcycling 9: Ethical Clothing Myths and Realities Toms Shoes Ethical Consumption in Theory and Practice Valuing Fairtrade Clothes Vivienne Westwood and Political Consumption Marketing ‘Made with Love in Nairobi’ Ethical Recycling and New Cycles of Consumption Sustainable Fashion Perspectives on Ethical Consumption 10: Fast-Fashion Systems London Fashion Week Making Markets for Second-Hand Clothes Post-Consumption Can Production Be Fixed? Conclusion Notes Further Reading Index Back Cover