Clothing Poverty - The Hidden World of Fast Fashion

By Andrew Brooks

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 recycling are interconnected. Andrew Brooks shows how recycled clothes are traded across continents, uncovers how retailers and international charities are embroiled in commodity chains that perpetuate poverty, and exposes the hidden trade networks which transect the globe.

In this new and updated edition, Brooks retraces his steps to look at the fashion industry today and considers how, if at all, the industry has changed in response to mounting consumer pressure for more ethical clothing. 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.

Dr. Andrew Brooks is a Lecturer in Development Geography at King's College London. His research examines connections between spaces of production and places of consumption and particularly the geographies of economic and social change in Africa. He has researched the clothing sector through case studies that link the Global North and South and Andrew's research has taken him to Southern Africa and included extensive investigations of markets in Malawi and Mozambique and Chinese investment in Zambia.

Zed Books, 2015, softcover, 7 7/8 x 5 1/8 inches, 296 pages.