This new generation is unlike anything that fashion has ever seen before. We want things fast and we want them now and that’s just not something that the fashion industry is used to quite yet. …show more content…
A term first coined in the 90’s as the American public become more aware of where their cheap clothes came from, sweatshops can be defined as a factory or workshop, where workers are employed at very low wages and with poor conditions. And for Americans in the 90’s the discovery that their $20 suit set came at the harm of an 8 year old? Shocking. One of America's favorite brands even fell victim to the lucrative low cost manufacturing and few labor laws that China has, Nike was found to a sweatshop company. Ashley Lutz, a retail writer, helped explain to be the effect that this information had on the company. “The public was shocked by the reports of Indonesian Nike workers earning as little as 14 cents an hour,” Lutz said, “Customers staged embarrassing public protests at the Olympics and at Nike stores. People boycotted the brand,” Lutz continued. Nike suffered from this, losing money and customers fast, the brand had to make a fast decision to sink or swim. The company’s CEO, Phil Knight began issuing apologies. Nike raised their minimum wage, improved workers conditions and suddenly people forgot that children made their …show more content…
One of the most popular items was a $36 USDA organic cotton t-shirt, which, while I support fair trade, I can’t exactly justify that much money on a cotton shirt. If you’re like me and just can’t afford to buy $36 plain t-shirts but still want to help out in the world, just look for blogs. Summer Edwards, the creator of a sustainable living blog, writes about taking the plunge and going sustainable. She writes about her struggle to go sustainable, “After extensive research I became frustrated that many of the sustainable fashion sources I was reading didn’t go into enough detail. I wanted to know everything about the products- how were they ethical, exactly why was the fabric sustainable, what sort of colouring process did they use? I found myself emailing designers to ask these questions before I would make a purchase. I began to accumulate a lot of knowledge about sustainable products that other people might like to know, and I thought it was worth sharing,” Edwards said. In order to save money and ensure she knows where her clothes come from, she often makes them on her own. There are actions you too can take to ensure eco-friendly stability. Wash your clothes with eco-friendly laundry detergent, get rid of your clothes the right way, buy pre-owned clothes, make your own clothes, buy from local shops, learn about fabrics, and above all