Wear & Tear
Wear and Tear series: The women who make our clothes
Across Women’s Lives’ “Wear and Tear” series traces the roots of women in the garment industry from textile mills in North Carolina to sweatshops in Los Angeles to crowded factories in Bangladesh, where the memory of the deadly Rana Plaza disaster lingers but real change has been slow.
Her job at the mill bought her a new, better life
H&M's statement about sexual harassment allegations in Bangladeshi factories
These women in the Philippines scour a dump site for trash to turn into 'something beautiful'
How good is H&M’s clothing recycling program?
The world's biggest fashion retailer wants you to help them “close the loop” by donating your unwanted clothes. But only a small percentage of those cast-offs become new clothes.
An Argentine startup that makes shoes from discarded tire scraps and employs single mothers
Xinca currently employs 25 women from rural areas, where much of the production is done.
Working in a garment factory may not bring this mother and daughter long-term economic stability
Rongmala Begum, like many of Bangladesh’s garment workers, doesn’t know how old she is. She doesn’t have a birth certificate, which is common for the rural poor here. She thinks she’s in her 40s. She has an identification card, but she can’t read it. Begum is illiterate.
Are factories better in Bangladesh after Rana Plaza? That depends on who you ask.
The Rana Plaza collapse made companies and consumers more aware of working conditions in the clothing factories. In some places, reforms have made workers safer, but the changes are far from universal.
How do consumers make good choices about clothes? Spider silk and brand transparency.
We know that fast fashion is polluting the Earth, clogging landfills and underpaying workers. What can consumers do to make better choices?
How we can create fashion that is inclusive and adaptive
One company currently trying to situate itself at the intersection of adaptive clothing technology and on-trend fashion is Tommy Hilfiger.
How a sweatshop raid in an LA suburb changed the American garment industry
In the early hours of Aug. 2, 1995, authorities raided an apartment complex in El Monte and found 72 Thai workers, including Rotchana Sussman, living in virtual slavery while making clothing.
How fair is your fashion? Take the quiz.
Fast fashion is polluting the world's air and water, filling landfills and overworking and underpaying workers. How does the shirt on your back contribute?