The Dangers of Fashion: Towards Ethical and Sustainable Solutions

Description

From sweatshops to fur farming, from polluting chemicals to painful garments, the fashion industry is associated with activities which have had devastating effects on workers, consumers, and the natural world. This ground-breaking volume provides a framework for examining the ethical, social, and environmental dangers that arise as fashion products are designed, manufactured, distributed, and sold within retail outlets, before being consumed and disposed of. Encompassing the cultural, psychological, and physiological aspects of fashion, it offers a comprehensive exploration of the hazards of a global industry. Drawing together an international team of leading textile and apparel experts, The Dangers of Fashion presents original perspectives on a wide range of topics from piracy and counterfeiting to human trafficking; from the effects of globalization on local industry to the peer pressure that governs contemporary ideals of beauty. Rooted in research into industry and consumer practices, it discusses innovative solutions-both potential and existing-to fashion's dangers and moral dilemmas from the viewpoint of individuals, companies, societies, and the global community.

Sara B. Marcketti is Director of the Center of Excellence in Learning and Teaching and Professor of Apparel, Events, and Hospitality Management at Iowa State University, USA Elena E. Karpova is Putnam and Hayes Distinguished Professor of Consumer, Apparel, and Retail Studies at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, USA

As leaders in their field, Karpova, Marcketti, and their impressive roster of authors were uniquely qualified to take on the task of creating this compilation of contemporarily significant studies on the most pressing, interconnected challenges in the modern fashion system. Readers of The Journal of Dress History will find this book to be a valuable resource to turn to when examining garments, the conditions under which they were made, and the questions that arise from their production and consumption. * The Journal of Dress History * The Dangers of Fashion convincingly dissects the complexities of the challenges and solutions for achieving an ethical and sustainable fashion industry that spans cultures with differing values, world views, and profit motives. The authors' narratives point out that no single segment of the industry, whether fiber and apparel production, retailing, or consumption, can stand alone in effecting change. This book, with its critical integrative focus, should be required in all fashion programs. * Mary Littrell, Colorado State University, USA * This book brilliantly weaves together the fashion system's harmful and ethical uncertainties. The reader is given threads of knowledge as well as reasons for hope and urgency in what should be required reading for all. * Connie B Ulasewicz, San Francisco State University, USA * The Dangers of Fashion strays into territories all too often ignored by other texts, that of the ethics and morals of producing fashion, with chapters on counterfeiting and cultural appropriation. Texts cover topics from earth to dirt and all the processes in between through a range of contributors that span content and continents to give a complete picture of the impacts of fashion. * Sass Brown, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK *