Is global fashion a wolf in sheep’s clothing? An industry insider takes a hard look at the apparel trade. With sales of more than five hundred billion US dollars a year, the fashion industry is one of the most important sectors of the global economy, employing millions of men, women, and often children in the developing world. And yet its record is far from pretty. The collapse of Bangladesh's Rana Plaza with some thirty-five hundred desperately underpaid garment workers inside was a shocking example of what can go wrong when manufacturers ruthlessly cut costs while turning a blind eye to labor rights and workplace safety. Written by an apparel industry insider, Fixing Fashion argues that the true legacy of Rana Plaza is increased awareness of how cheap, disposable clothing has led time and time again to serious community, environmental, and labor rights abuses. Ethical supply chain professional Michael Lavergne By taking a hard look at the very real impacts of our consumer culture's addiction to disposable fashion, Fixing Fashion challenges each of us to take full responsibility for understanding the hidden cost of our clothes. Michael Lavergne is an ethical supply chain professional committed to sustainable fashion industry and the protection of labor, environmental and human rights in the developing world.
Michael A. Lavergne is author of the newly released apparel industry insider's book 'Fixing Fashion; Rethinking the way we make, market and buy our clothes'.
A 20 year veteran of global supply chain operations and product sourcing for brands and retailers from Wal-Mart Stores to Joe Fresh International, Michael shifted careers towards addressing the social, community and environmental impacts of this $US 1 trillion industry.
I would say this is a must-read for anyone interested in learning about the dark side of the apparel industry. But don't read this book first. Read one of Lucy Siegle's books first or watch "The True Cost" and then read this book because he goes deep into a lot of the issues, but is kind of all over the place at the same time (so watching/reading one of the suggestions would fill in any gaps). Excellent, though!