Hot Topics in the Fashion Industry

Debbie Shaw

Professor Kevin Oberlin

English 289

25 January 2012

Hot Topics in the Industry of Fashion Design

1) Sustainability – Like so many other industries, the fashion industry is plagued with issues revolving around sustainability. Fiber technology has created some very nice fabrics from which many of us benefit – fabrics that wick away sweat, and cool us during exercise; fabrics that save us time and energy in their wrinkle resistance; fabrics that are stronger and more durable; or fabrics that protect firefighters from extreme heat and/or flame. Unfortunately, many of these carry with them environmental concerns that coincide with their creation process. There can be similar issues with regard to natural fibers like cotton and wool, as well. What chemicals are necessary to produce the best cotton crop, or to protect it from insects and disease? What type of additives might be a necessary part of the sheep’s feed, to produce superior wool? The wonderful advances brought about through industrialization and the post-World War II manufacturing boom have left us with toxic fallout that must be addressed. The interesting part of this topic is how do we maintain and even continue to improve existing fibers and create new ones and at the same time deal with the environmental dangers?

2) Fair-labor practices – globalization has some wonderful benefits, but a significant downside has been the lack of control that American designers can have over fair-labor practices in foreign countries. Cheaper labor at first seemed like a good idea for everyone. The manufacturer was able to produce the goods at a lower cost, thereby increasing profits, and the end consumer was able to buy at a cheaper price. A by-product has been that designers can later on learn that their goods are being produced in foreign sweatshops where workers might be underpaid, overworked, and/or worked in sub-standard conditions. Even worse, is the knowledge that these business practices sometimes involve the use of children. How does the industry somehow govern these unacceptable situations, or reverse the practice of outsourcing manufacturing in order to better oversee who they are involved with, and at the same time create affordable goods? This is particularly pertinent in the existing economic climate.

3) Knock-offs – a huge concern in the industry is the problem with pirated designs and the sale of knock-off goods. This situation has not only cost the design industry in the billions of dollars, but also includes some of the other issues noted earlier. In the instance of counterfeiting, it is not likely that anything is being done to look at environmental concerns or humanity issues in the manufacturing of counterfeit goods. Making the assumption that the general issue of pirating designs needs to be dealt with first, what has been done so far, and what needs to be done to police and squelch problem?