Americans have been shocked by media reports of the dismal working conditions in factories that make clothing for U.S. companies. But while well intentioned, many of these reports about child labor and sweatshop practices rely on stereotypes of how Third World factories operate, ignoring the complex economic dynamics driving the global apparel industry. To dispel these misunderstandings, Jane L. Collins visited two very different apparel firms and their factories in the United States and Mexico. Moving from corporate headquarters to factory floors, her study traces the diverse ties that link First and Third World workers and managers, producers and consumers. Collins examines how the transnational economics of the apparel industry allow firms to relocate or subcontract their work anywhere in the world, making it much harder for garment workers in the United States or any other country to demand fair pay and humane working conditions. Putting a human face on globalization, Threads shows not only how international trade affects local communities but also how workers can organize in this new environment to more effectively demand better treatment from their distant corporate employers.
"Making Sweatshops reveals the inexorable movement towards an open trading system, the shifting alignments of actors pushing for or opposing openness, and, most centrally, how trade policy promotes the globalization of apparel production, filling a gap in our understanding of these dynamics."—Richard P. Appelbaum, coauthor of Behind the Label: Inequality in the Los Angeles Apparel Industry "A detailed examination of the role that trade policy plays in the process of globalization. Rosen provides a meticulous historical analysis of the textile/apparel industry, one of the world's most globalized industries and one of its most hot-button issues."—Stephen Cullenberg, coauthor of Transition and Development in India "Rosen shows how politics have always shaped the trade agenda from beginning to end, and she presents a most compelling case that if trade and the global economy are to foster justice and equality for the people of our world, we will need to rewrite the existing rules of global trade."—Charles Kernaghan, director of the National Labor Committee "This book delves deep into the industry's trade journals, congressional testimony, newspaper accounts, and economic and political scholarship of the last fifty-five years to tell the story of U.S. trade policy and the decline of labor standards in the apparel industry. This patient and voluminous examination systematically reveals, for the first time, how the U.S. sacrificed its apparel workers on the altar, first of the anti-Communist crusade, and then of free trade ideology."—Robert J.S. Ross, PhD, Professor of Sociology and Director, International Studies Stream, Clark University "Making Sweatshops is, in part, a history of the apparel and textile industries in the U.S. and the world. But it is much more than that. It is also about power and globalization. Rosen explains how the former shapes the latter, and how workers around the world suffer because of it. Activists, policy makers, consumers--anyone interested in understanding why sweatshops exist--should read this book."—Bruce Raynor, President, Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees (Unite) "Rosen convincingly demonstrates that it is the transnational corporations rather than the consumers, and certainly rather than the workers, who benefit from trade liberalization, whose rules the lobbyists for these very coporations more or less write for supine politicians. This is a book in the great tradition of solid scholarship allied with deep commitment to the cause of global economic justice."—Leslie Sklair, author of Globalization: Capitalism and its Alternatives
Information Systems for the Fashion and Apparel Industry brings together trends and developments in fashion information systems, industrial case-studies, and insights from an international team of authors. The fashion and apparel industry is fast-growing and highly influential. Computerized information systems are essential to support fashion business operations and recent developments in social media, mobile commerce models, radio frequency identification (RFID) technologies, and ERP systems are all driving innovative business measures in the industry. After an introductory chapter outlining key decision points and information requirements in fast fashion supply chains, Part One focuses on the principles of fashion information systems, with chapters covering how decision making in the apparel supply chains can be improved through the use of fuzzy logic, RFID technologies, evolutionary optimization techniques, and artificial neural networks. Part Two then reviews the range of applications for information systems in the fashion and apparel industry to improve customer choice, aid design, implement intelligent forecasting and procurement systems, and manage inventory and returns. - Provides systematic and comprehensive coverage of information systems for the fashion and apparel industry - Combines recent developments and industrial best-practices in apparel supply chain management in order to meet the needs of the fashion and apparel industry professionals and academics - Features input from a team of highly knowledgeable authors with a range of professional and academic experience, overseen by an editor who is a leading expert in the field - Reviews the range of applications for information systems in the fashion and apparel industry to improve customer choice, aid design, implement intelligent forecasting and procurement systems, and manage inventory and returns
Over 95% of today's textile and apparel products are globally sourced, making sourcing one of the most important business functions in the industry. Global Sourcing in the Textile and Apparel Industry,2nd Edition examines this crucial function in the textile and apparel industries, providing practical insight into both how and why global sourcing is pursued. Chapters include step-by-step global sourcing procedures and explore the theoretical, political, economic, social, and environmental implications of global sourcing decisions with an emphasis on sustainability. A real-world approach using current examples and hypothetical company called Amazing Jean helps students see how sourcing tasks are completed in the fashion industry. New to this Edition - New cases studies at the end of each chapter offer real-life scenarios that today's sourcers may face - Emphasis on sustainable implications of global sourcing integrated throughout - Current trade data, agreements, and examples of industry trends throughout the book - Added coverage of trend analysis and forecasting in sourcing (Chapter 5) - Significant updates to the future of global sourcing section, including technology, UN's sustainable development goals, and on- or near-shoring trends (Chapter 12) - 25% new color images - New glossary includes essential terms and definitions from the book Teaching Resources: Instructor's Guide, Test Bank, and PowerPoint presentations available.
In a study crucial to our understanding of American social inequality, Edna Bonacich and Richard Appelbaum investigate the return of sweatshops to the apparel industry, especially in Los Angeles. The "new" sweatshops, they say, need to be understood in terms of the decline in the American welfare state and its strong unions and the rise in global and flexible production. Apparel manufacturers now have the incentive to move production to wherever low-wage labor can be found, while maintaining arm's-length contractual relations that protect them from responsibility. The flight of the industry has led to a huge rise in apparel imports to the United States and to a decline in employment. Los Angeles, however, remains a puzzling exception in that its industry employment has continued to grow, to the point where L.A. is the largest center of apparel production in the nation. Not only the availability of low-wage immigrant (often undocumented) workers but also the focus on moderately priced, fashion-sensitive women's wear makes this possible. Behind the Label examines the players in the L.A. apparel industry, including manufacturers, retailers, contractors, and workers, evaluating the maldistribution of wealth and power. The authors explore government and union efforts to eradicate sweatshops while limiting the flight to Mexico and elsewhere, and they conclude with a description of the growing antisweatshop movement. Los Angeles Times Best Nonfiction Book of 2000
This textbook describes the structure of the industry in the UK and globally, and explains the current problems and strategic responses to global shifts in production. The new edition has been updated throughout to include the lastest available data, and takes account of the acceleration of the decline of manufacturing in the UK since 2002, the rapid expansion of production in China, and the final demise of the system of quota control. Essential subject for students at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. An expert guide to a bewilderingly complex industry. No competition. Addresses global issues, the opportunities and threats, with strategies for survival. Author is Editor of International Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management.
This report describes the plight of America's textile industries threatened by imports from countries paying lower wages to workers. S/N 052-003-01064-0: $7.50.
This book deals with the fundamental principles of statistical methods and their applications in textile production, including fiber, yarn and fabric manufacture and across the allied processes such as dyeing, printing and finishing.
