The End Of Fast Fashion?

Keila Tyner suggests that our current era of cheap clothing is coming to an end:

From the 1900s to 1950s, American consumers spent approximately 12 to 14 percent of their annual income on clothing. Today, we spend about 3 percent. But our closets are actually bigger. The average American house has doubled in size since the 1950s and closet space has increased, too, particularly with the advent of the walk-in closet in the 1980s. We likely have more than five times as many clothing items as we did in the first part of the 20th century. The move of clothing production overseas where labor costs are low has made it possible for us to have large quantities of items without paying much for them. But this could be changing. …

At this point, the primary concern for manufacturers and retailers is rising labor costs. In China, manufacturing wages have increased by 71 percent since 2008 and are projected to rise by 10 percent this year. Manufacturers are searching for other production locations with cheaper labor, but wages are rising in those countries as well. For instance, the minimum wage is Bangladesh has risen by 77 percent as a result of much debate following the tragic Rana Plaza factory collapse on April 24, 2013, and Indonesian unions recently staged a strike in demand of a 30 percent wage increase.

Previous Dish on fast fashion here and here.