A favorite blogger of mine, pattern-making guru Kathleen Fasanella, notes an interesting trend: the price of womens' clothes have been declining since the 1970s. Mens clothes, on the other hand, are holding steady. Why would this be?
Her explanation is that womens fashion is driven by trends, while mens clothing is the same year after year. I'm not sure that explains much, but you can't argue with the statement that clothes today are cheaper than ever.
D'apres moi, this has less to do with trends than macroeconomics. In the last third of the 20th century the world entered a new phase unlike anything that had come before: a state of inequality between industrialized nations and their former colonies, combined with faster-than-ever communications. Telephones, cheap air travel, fax and the internet made neighbors of us all, making it possible to manufacture cheap goods with short shelf lives in poor countries, and then ship them around the world to the customer.
In other words, fast fashion - that ever-changing form of consumerist entertainment - is a consequence of global inequality and the information age. But you already knew that.
What few people want to discuss is that given the rapid game of catch-up countries such as China are playing with the developed world, factories are forever being moved to a further shore in search of cheaper wages. Someday, there may not be a cheaper shore - and then the cost of goods will start to rise.
There's nothing wrong with this system. Lovers of humanity condemn sweatshops, but who doesn't like a bargain? And what's wrong with creating in jobs in impoverished, benighted corners of the world like Haiti? It's worth keeping in mind, though, that your supply of cheap junk may not last forever. Enjoy it while you can.
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