Devils 'really' wear Prada
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The cover of “Stitched Up: The Anti-Capitalist Book of Fashion,” written by British author and social activist Tansy E. Hoskins.
British writer and social activist Tansy E. Hoskins. / Courtesy of tansyhoskins.org
By Kim Jae-heun
American comedy-drama film “The Devil Wears Prada” (2006), starring Meryl Streep as powerful fashion magazine editor Miranda Priestly, portrays a demanding boss tormenting her new co-assistant Andrea Sachs about her dowdy fashion from the first day of work.
According to British writer and social activist Tansy E. Hoskins, fashionistas like Meryl Streep can perhaps be devils. She argues the industry is all about exploitation of labor, destruction of the environment and sex and gender discrimination.
Her book “Stitched Up: The Anti-Capitalist Book of Fashion,” first published in Britain in February 2014, has just arrived in Korea and went on sale at local bookstores on Friday. The book addresses various social issues about the fashion industry that were rarely captured in the media. Throughout the 10 chapters, Hoskins raises concerns about such issues as animal abuse, which is fairly well known to Koreans nowadays, and the inclined market structure where 35 giant brands form a monopoly to own 60 percent of the global market.
The problem of fast-fashion brands exploiting labor in underdeveloped countries to produce products at competitive prices is not a new story. But people are losing interest in the topic because of a hectic modern life. Only ethical consumers search for and purchase the brands that practice fair trade with manufacturers and laborers in the third world.
Hoskins argues that these issues not only apply to fashion lovers but also to ordinary consumers as people all wear clothes. The writer concludes that the fashion industry involves many social ills because it is operated under the capitalistic system.
The social activist alleges that the fashion media remain silent about their role as a watchdog. She said they encourage consumers to buy products in vogue. She believes fashion defines the social standing of those who wear it and thus an inequality starts with fashion.
The fashion industry employing anorexic models is another example of the fashion malady suggested in the book. She says Fashion Week in Paris and New York refuse to hire non-white people, which is a racist act. She also says it is not widely known that the founders of luxury house brands like Christian Dior, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Hugo Boss and Balenciaga were or are fascists, or at least their accomplices are.
The garment industry is the oldest and one of the biggest businesses in human history. However, it destroys the environment as it takes 2000 liters of water to make a cotton T-shirt. As a result, she says the lakes dry up and rivers get polluted.
Hoskins ends the book leaving a question about how such issues can be solved. She says “there is no way to avoid fashion on the planet.” Although she imagines a beautiful world with fashion detached from capitalism, to some extent, history shows that several attempts to correct the wrongs have failed and the industry even turns that resistance movement into its fashion products.
Her friend says “it is unethical to not do anything about it and wait for a rebellion” about ethical consuming, while the author lashes back “trying to reform capitalism only distracts people from seeing the truth.”