Synopses & Reviews
You look good in those jeans. But are those jeans themselves
good? Have you ever looked into where they came from and who made them?
Andrew Brooks has, and with Clothing Poverty he takes readers on a global journey, from fabric to fashion show, to reveal the worldwide commodity chains and hidden trade networks that transect the globe and perpetuate poverty. Stitching together rich narratives from markets in Mozambique, Nigerian smugglers, Bolivian traders, London vintage shops, and growing ethical fashion lines like Vivienne Westwoods, Brooks draws connections and shines light in the worlds dark cornersand forces us to think anew about fashion, ethics, and our role in global production and exploitation.
Review
“
Clothing Poverty takes us on a fascinating global journey that provides powerful new insights into how fast fashion and charitable donations of second-hand clothes are connected with persistent poverty in Africa and elsewhere. By bringing global systems of clothing provision into clearer view, the book offers valuable resources for vigorous debate over what an alternative world might look like.”
Review
“Andrew Brooks's
Clothing Poverty is a lively exploration of the hidden world of fast fashion and second-hand clothing that invites us to think of where our clothes come from. The book reveals a complicated geography of wealth and poverty that make Western consumers complicit in creating a clothing production system that gives people in the global South few chances to escape poverty.”
Review
“A mind-opening tour of global clothing systems, from recycling flows to radical advocacy. Andrew Brooks has created a book that sparks with intelligence, mapping a world that connects inequalities, Vivienne Westwood, post-consumption and second-hand garments.”
Review
“
Clothing Poverty takes the reader on a global journey to expose the inequalities and injustices that exist within the second-hand clothing trade and the manufacturing of garments destined for Western markets. Thought-provoking and insightful, Brooks highlights a long overdue need for 'radical advocacy' to improve social justice within the supply chain, and between producers and consumers. A fascinating, must-read text for those interested in the ethics surrounding sustainability in fashion and design.”
Review
“This engaging and well-written book significantly contributes to our knowledge of the second-hand clothing trade in Africa. It focuses on some of the least explored outcomes of the fast-fashion system we all live in—that is, what we increasingly and quickly cast off.”
Review
“Every once in a while, a book is published that cuts across disciplines and world regions for a refreshing and engaging read. Such is the case with UK geographer Brooks's
Clothing Poverty.…Although written in an accessible way, Brooks frames book content with sophisticated theoretical explanations of colonial history, unbridled neoliberal capitalist expansion, environmental damage involving chemicals and water waste, and the search for “spatial fixes” of labor and new commodification....Highly recommended.”
Synopsis
Have you have stopped and wondered where your jeans came from? Who made them and where?
Following the journey of a pair of jeans Clothing Poverty takes the reader on a vivid around the world tour from manufacture to fast-fashion and clothing recycling. Andrew Brooks shows how recycled clothes are traded across continents and uncovers how fast-fashion retailers and international charities are embroiled in commodity chains which perpetuate poverty and exposes the hidden trade networks which transect the globe.
Stitching together rich narratives from Mozambican markets, Nigerian smugglers, Bolivian female traders, to London's vintage clothing scene and Vivienne Westwood's ethical fashion lines Brooks uncovers the many hidden sides of fashion.
Synopsis
'An interesting and important account.'
Daily Telegraph
Have you ever stopped and wondered where your jeans came from? Who made them and where? Ever wondered where they end up after you donate them for recycling?
Following a pair of jeans, Clothing Poverty takes the reader on a vivid around-the-world tour to reveal how clothes are manufactured and retailed, bringing to light how fast fashion and clothing recycling are interconnected. Andrew Brooks shows how recycled clothes are traded across continents, uncovers how retailers and international charities are embroiled in commodity chains which perpetuate poverty, and exposes the hidden trade networks which transect the globe.
Stitching together rich narratives, from Mozambican markets, Nigerian smugglers and Chinese factories to London's vintage clothing scene, TOMS shoes and Vivienne Westwood's ethical fashion lines, Brooks uncovers the many hidden sides of fashion.
About the Author
Andrew Brooks is a lecturer in development geography at King's College, London.
Table of Contents
Introduction
1. A biography of jeans
2. Clothes and capital
3. The shadow world of used clothing
4. Cotton is the mother of poverty
5. Made in China and Africa
6. Second-hand Africa
7. Persistent poverty
8. Old clothes and new looks
9. Ethical clothing myths and realities
10. Fast-fashion systems