Work Ethics in the Fashion Industry 1
WORK ETHICS IN THE FASHION INDUSTRY
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, Work Ethics in the Fashion Industry 2
Contents
Work Ethics in the Fashion Industry
Introduction
The fashion industry is experiencing tremendous growth owing to the high demand for
fashion products worldwide. Due to the expansive nature of the fashion industry, many people
worldwide work for companies that manufacture clothes and related products. In their insightful
study, Haug and Busch (2015) posit that the nature of the products manufactured by the fashion
industry has enabled the industry to grow at an exponential rate. Also, the industry entered the
market earlier than other industries, leading to people accepting the products manufactured by
the industry. Data has shown that about 430 million people worldwide work in the fashion
, Work Ethics in the Fashion Industry 3
industry. The numbers could be greater than estimated, owing to the exponential growth of the
fashion industry. Fashion United (2021) estimated that more than 395000 people are working in
the fashion industry in the UK, making it one of the biggest employers in the country. Despite
the progress that the world is experiencing in labour laws, the fashion industry is yet to help
workers realize their rights and enjoy their work.
The oversupply of labour has led the fashion industry to exploit workers. In retrospect,
the high competition in the industry has occasioned players to exploit workers in order to make
high profits. In most cases, exploitation involves overworking and paying little wages, among
other forms of exploitation. According to Kamprad (2021), Big fashion companies such as Nike,
Adidas, Fashion Nova, and Victoria’s Secret have a record of forcing people to work for them
and exploiting them to yield high results. Other exploitation expositions of the big fashion
companies include child labour, worker discrimination, sexual harassment, and formaldehyde
lawsuits.
In light of the above expositions, this research project is aimed at investigating issues of
work ethics in the fashion industry by evaluating unethical tendencies and how such tendencies
have affected workers. All forms of worker exploitation are considered to be against human
rights, and companies perpetuating exploitative tendencies are violating human rights (Crane &
Matten, 2010). Betterwork (2020) opines that all people, irrespective of their origins, gender,
colour, accent, or level of education, deserve human dignity and respect. The rampancy of
worker exploitation due to the desire for high margins is worrying, and any form of exploitation
should be highlighted so as to stop. As such, a study on work ethics is timely to ensure that there
are work ethics in all companies. The fashion industry is a good research area in that it has many
WORK ETHICS IN THE FASHION INDUSTRY
By Name:
Course:
Professor:
University:
Location:
Date:
, Work Ethics in the Fashion Industry 2
Contents
Work Ethics in the Fashion Industry
Introduction
The fashion industry is experiencing tremendous growth owing to the high demand for
fashion products worldwide. Due to the expansive nature of the fashion industry, many people
worldwide work for companies that manufacture clothes and related products. In their insightful
study, Haug and Busch (2015) posit that the nature of the products manufactured by the fashion
industry has enabled the industry to grow at an exponential rate. Also, the industry entered the
market earlier than other industries, leading to people accepting the products manufactured by
the industry. Data has shown that about 430 million people worldwide work in the fashion
, Work Ethics in the Fashion Industry 3
industry. The numbers could be greater than estimated, owing to the exponential growth of the
fashion industry. Fashion United (2021) estimated that more than 395000 people are working in
the fashion industry in the UK, making it one of the biggest employers in the country. Despite
the progress that the world is experiencing in labour laws, the fashion industry is yet to help
workers realize their rights and enjoy their work.
The oversupply of labour has led the fashion industry to exploit workers. In retrospect,
the high competition in the industry has occasioned players to exploit workers in order to make
high profits. In most cases, exploitation involves overworking and paying little wages, among
other forms of exploitation. According to Kamprad (2021), Big fashion companies such as Nike,
Adidas, Fashion Nova, and Victoria’s Secret have a record of forcing people to work for them
and exploiting them to yield high results. Other exploitation expositions of the big fashion
companies include child labour, worker discrimination, sexual harassment, and formaldehyde
lawsuits.
In light of the above expositions, this research project is aimed at investigating issues of
work ethics in the fashion industry by evaluating unethical tendencies and how such tendencies
have affected workers. All forms of worker exploitation are considered to be against human
rights, and companies perpetuating exploitative tendencies are violating human rights (Crane &
Matten, 2010). Betterwork (2020) opines that all people, irrespective of their origins, gender,
colour, accent, or level of education, deserve human dignity and respect. The rampancy of
worker exploitation due to the desire for high margins is worrying, and any form of exploitation
should be highlighted so as to stop. As such, a study on work ethics is timely to ensure that there
are work ethics in all companies. The fashion industry is a good research area in that it has many
