In today 's global fashion industry, China stands as a "colossus in the field," (Cline, 2013, 164). With its large labor force and high degree of specialization, Chinese factories have sustained the fast fashion industry. However, this bulwark of fast fashion has begun to crack as an "army of consumers" in China have demanded higher pay in order to afford the products they export to other countries, leading to higher apparel prices (Hilsenrath et. al, 2011). In Over-Dressed, Elizabeth Cline highlights how changes in wages as well as living conditions in China could lead to the collapse of the international fast fashion industry. This paper will seek to highlight the defining features of fast fashion industry and the role of China in this global
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While three million people work in its clothing factories, its pales to the 15 million garment industry jobs located in China (Cline, 2013, 181). Compared to the Chinese factories, which are renowned for their quality and accessibility, Bangladesh 's garment industry is a "slipshot, fly-by-the-seat-of-your-paints affair," with "overworked factories," (Cline, 2013, 181,184). Summed up by Cline, "as the fashion industry flees China, it is finding that the other countries simply don 't have the labor supply, infrastructure, pro-business policies, and technology," (Cline, 2013, 184). Due to a physical lack of manpower and resources, garment factories across the world are trying to fill the void in production left by the exit from China by building factories in a haphazard manner while lacking the electrical and transportation infrastructure. To compound the issue, even when these factories are built to produce the volume, they cannot match China 's quality. Looking at all these factors, Cline argues, the "inflationary prices in the fashion industry" cannot be stopped, (Cline, 2013,
While three million people work in its clothing factories, its pales to the 15 million garment industry jobs located in China (Cline, 2013, 181). Compared to the Chinese factories, which are renowned for their quality and accessibility, Bangladesh 's garment industry is a "slipshot, fly-by-the-seat-of-your-paints affair," with "overworked factories," (Cline, 2013, 181,184). Summed up by Cline, "as the fashion industry flees China, it is finding that the other countries simply don 't have the labor supply, infrastructure, pro-business policies, and technology," (Cline, 2013, 184). Due to a physical lack of manpower and resources, garment factories across the world are trying to fill the void in production left by the exit from China by building factories in a haphazard manner while lacking the electrical and transportation infrastructure. To compound the issue, even when these factories are built to produce the volume, they cannot match China 's quality. Looking at all these factors, Cline argues, the "inflationary prices in the fashion industry" cannot be stopped, (Cline, 2013,