Reflection Essay
The University of New South Wales Development, Human Rights and Global Health
Maria Fernandez • November 2023
Introduction: Colonial Legacies and Evolving Contexts of Inequality
When grounded in development theory, colonial legacies are often cited to frame how inequalities are instituted and sustained through systems of power (McKewon 2017; Brooks, 2019; Manieson and Ferrero-Regis, 2023; Hansen, 2004; Thomas, 2022). In the same manner, decolonisation theories take into account the inequities tied to these systems, and exist as processes that aim to remediate hierarchical imbalances (Ndlovu-Gatsheni, 2018). Anthropologists, political sociologists and even feminist figures in the creative industries attribute inequality to exploitation and its inherent links to colonial dispossession (Thomas, 2022; McKewon, 2017; Brooks, 2019; Manieson and Ferrero-Regis, 2023). Thus, theorising inequality has become a regular feature in case studies concerned with fast fashion labour practices and ensuing second-hand fast fashion imports. Both phenomena operate in tandem as evolving contexts of North-South power inequities, creating health and human rights concerns for communities in the global South (Manieson and Ferrero-Regis, 2023; Hansen, 2004). Commonly referred to as the industrial phenomenon of contemporary society, the production of fast fashion has been facilitated by low-cost outsourcing strategies sustained by the culture of mass consumerism (Brooks, 2019). It is precisely in these industrialised notions where inequalities are reproduced, reinforced and reintegrated despite obvious links to exploitation and its ethical implications. A number of researchers are now concerned with the driving forces behind excessive consumption and the blatant disregard for key issues regarding modern slavery (Stringer, 2022). As such, researchers in this area draw extensively on theories that show a tangible connection between fast fashion production and its impact on health and human rights, providing recommendations on how society can move forward.
‘Life’ in the Life Cycle of Fast Fashion
Fast fashion is the mass production and mass circulation of inexpensive textile goods designed to meet rapidly shifting consumer trends in the retail sector (Brooks, 2019; Manieson and Ferrero-Regis, 2023). Its relatively short life cycle coincides with mass consumerism, where large corporations have monopolised the industry by outsourcing inexpensive production overseas and outpacing smaller, predominantly female-run apparel businesses (McRobbie, 2002 in Chang, 2020). Rapid and cheaper production is a means to industrialise fashion’s creative industries (Brooks, 2019), making luxury-inspired fashion more accessible to the masses (Joy et al. in Chang, 2020; Williams, 2022). However, as Williams (2022) argues, the benefits of this grade of production are largely superficial; only meeting consumer satisfaction in the short term. Upon closer examination, it becomes clear that production processes need to satisfy the labour-intensive and low-cost matrix in order to meet consumer demand and maximise profits (Williams, 2022). Fast fashion is therefore a product of 'sweatshop labour’ – or ‘the production of cheap clothes under poor working conditions’ – which can involve disciplinary action leaning towards the arbitrary (McKeown, 2017, p. 35). It is a common occurrence in developing countries located in Asia’s “Sweatshop Belt” (Bangladesh, India, Cambodia and Indonesia) where cheap real estate and labour facilitate low-cost manufacturing and thus, amass profits (Williams, 2022). Human rights abuses are synonymous with the precarious working conditions in fast fashion factories, including wage theft or extremely low wages, workplace hazards, gender-based violence towards female employees and the burden of relentless workloads imposed by production quotas (Brooks, 2019). Whilst the inequalities linked to labour exploitation are obvious to many, some prominent libertarians and economists further reinforce that – despite the provision of labour – these poor working conditions are inherently compatible with economic growth for the developing world (Williams, 2022; McKeown, 2017). For McKeown (2017), these accounts fail to recognise that the labour force in sweatshops largely consists of ‘Third World racialised women’, which points to ‘structural and group-based’ exploitation from the ‘capitalist class’ (p. 35). There are clear parallels to North-South inequities that are sustained by this conduct McKeown (2017) refers to as ‘colonial subjugation’ (p. 47). These inequalities foster social and environmental costs that impact the health and human rights of marginalised communities, which Manieson and Ferrero-Regis (2023) argue is a symptom of colonial priorities concerned with industrial development.
Theorising Human Rights, Colonial Legacies and its Global Interconnectedness
In line with its visible links to labour exploitation and mass profiteering, fast fashion has become the subject of mainstream discussions, ranging from views on its overconsumption to its relentless disposal (Brooks, 2019; Hansen 2004). With this, environmental campaigns have drawn attention to the enormity of fast fashion’s ecological footprint, fuelled by its cheap production and mass distribution in the global North’s retail sector (Brooks, 2019; Manieson and Ferrero-Regis, 2023). The fast fashion business model is designed to maximise profit from mass consumption, leading to a reduction in product quality, product lifespan and the acceleration of the disposal of clothing – usually as donations or textile waste (Manieson and Ferrero-Regis, 2023). Although second-hand clothing (SHC) imports have had a long history in Africa since its colonial period, relentless SHC imports and the buildup of textile wastelands – most notably in Ghana – now operate in tandem with free market fast fashion production in developing economies in Asia (Hansen, 1999; 2004). The complexities behind its geographical expansion makes it difficult to monitor the human rights abuses that are synonymous with these trade practices, sustaining North-South power imbalances and perpetuating colonial dependency (Manieson and Ferrero-Regis, 2023). The interconnectedness of these issues demonstrate that inequality functions on a more complex global scale, impacting more livelihoods in a health and human rights context. Its shifting ‘cultural and economic nexus’ (Hansen, 2004) reinforces that these inequalities are continuously evolving and are often reproduced in line with cultural trends perpetuating North-South inequities.
Cultural Testaments to Inequality
The terms used to describe the influx of SHC in Africa is telling in that they are linguistically diverse yet merge into a definitive consensus. In Côte d’Ivoire, where SHC imports are fashioned by locals, Yougou-Yougou – or donated clothes from Europeans – shows the lasting continuum of these imports that have historically invaded local markets during the colonial period (HSMC Communications, 2020, June 3, para. 8). Obroni w’awu, meaning ‘dead white man’s clothes’ is used in neighbouring Ghana, where the proliferation of second-hand textile waste is wreaking havoc on the environment and the health of local residents (Manieson and Ferrero-Regis, 2023). Further south in Zambia, salaula refers to the action of rummaging and selecting an item from a pile of SHC, illustrating the consumer interactions that reflect an ongoing trend (Hansen, 1999). These references reveal the sociopolitical implications behind this phenomenon, as well as the complex transactional relationship between Africa and the West (Hansen, 2004). Drawing inspiration from Yougou-Yougou, Côte d’Ivoire artist Joana Choumali explores these issues in her photography project, exposing the inequalities sustained by colonial legacies, North-South power relations and global trade (HSMC Communications, 2020, June 3). Choumali’s project demonstrates how artists are using creative mediums to reflect on social, political and environmental issues that need more awareness (Tekin, 2021), which is also testament to the present human condition. On the other side of the issue, Stringer (2022) researches Australian consumers’ perspectives on the welfare of workers in the fast fashion industry. The study found that fashion consumers were able to empathise with their experience but felt culturally distant, struggling to connect with key human rights issues pertaining to the industry (Stringer, 2022). Despite knowing the ethical issues linked to labour exploitation and modern slavery, consumers exhibited an overall acceptance of these issues, citing that other influences are driving their purchase decisions (Stringer, 2022). Fashion advocate Chang (2020) is hopeful for a cultural shift in this industry that disproportionately impacts women. She particularly encourages the consumption of ethically-produced goods, as well as more awareness campaigns around fast fashion’s impact on health and human rights (Chang, 2020).
Conclusion: Internalising Values Through the Recognition of Health, Human Rights and Development (HEARD)
Apart from its aesthetic and artistic appeal in niche fashion-forward circles, clothing is regarded by many as an everyday item that seldom receives a second thought. However, given what is widely known about the injustices that stem from fast fashion production, there is now a call for more conscious action that embodies health and human rights-based approaches to remediate these inequalities. Colonial legacies are sustained by systems of influence and power and continue to drive these inequalities in the fast fashion industry. These human rights issues have the means to persist if there is little awareness around these inequalities, or if we fail to recognise its impact despite its ethical implications. The global interconnectedness of these issues requires health and rights-based approaches to address these complex issues at a more holistic level, helping us to overcome structural and institutional barriers in achieving equality. A key recommendation is to draw the focus on the agency of the consumer, of whom purchase transactions are subject to. It is clear that inequality and colonial notions of power are inseparable, and will continue to have an impact on health and human rights. Likewise, it is within us to start to figure out how – in our own lives – we can respond.
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References
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