At What Cost? Unveiling Clothing Colonialism and the Path to a Just Fashion Industry
Beneath the glamour of the global fashion industry lies a reality that isn’t often talked about: the continuation of colonial-era systems. These systems create unfair advantages for wealthy nations while placing the biggest burdens on poorer countries. This dynamic is often referred to as “clothing colonialism.” It highlights how the fashion industry extracts resources, profits, and labour from production countries while passing on the environmental and economic consequences to them.
How the Global North Benefits Most
The fashion industry contributes significantly to global carbon emissions, with reports indicating it accounts for around 10% of total global carbon dioxide output and approximately 20% of global wastewater production. The European Union, United Kingdom, and United States are some of the largest contributors to this environmental impact due to their high levels of consumption and production outsourcing (Niinimäki et al., 2020). Additionally, they control the largest share of profits.
At the same time, production countries—like Bangladesh, Vietnam, and India—carry most of the workload. Low wages, unsafe working conditions, and low environmental regulations make it possible for brands in wealthy nations to sell cheap, fast fashion. This setup ensures that profits remain concentrated in the Global North while production countries bear the costs, both human and environmental.
Production countries like Bangladesh, Vietnam, and India bear the brunt of fast fashion's demands due to low wages, unsafe conditions, and minimal environmental regulations. Garment workers in Bangladesh, for instance, often face hazardous environments and exploitative labor conditions common in fast fashion supply chains (Doležalová, n.d.; Grimshaw & Muñoz de Bustillo, 2016). Workers endure excessive hours for wages far below living standards (Rahim, 2020; Jalava, 2015). Lax environmental regulations in these regions exacerbate the environmental toll, while profits remain concentrated in the Global North, leaving countries like Bangladesh and Vietnam disproportionately affected (Hayat, 2023; Anguelov, 2015; Sharpe et al., 2022; Nazarali, 2022).
This photo of a fashion activist was taken in Singapore by Francois Le Nguyen
Unfair Climate Responsibilities
On top of this imbalance, wealthier nations often pressure production countries to address the environmental impacts of the fashion industry, including reducing carbon emissions and waste. However, these demands come with little financial or technical support, leaving production countries to foot the bill for changes they can barely afford (Shah, 2024).
A stark example of this imbalance can be seen in Ghana’s Kantamanto Market. Each week, around 15 million second-hand garments—mostly unwanted clothes from the Global North—are sent there. Many of these items are low-quality and unsuitable for reuse, with about 40% ending up as waste (Sunid, 2024).
This increase in poor-quality clothing has overwhelmed Ghana’s long-standing culture of repairing and recycling garments. Local tailors, who used to upcycle older clothing, now face piles of items that are impossible to salvage. Additionally, the increasing pace of arriving second-hand garments reduces the available time they have to work on a single garment. As a result, fast fashion not only pollutes the local environment but also sidelines Ghana’s rich traditions of responsible clothing practices (Mieslinger, 2023).
Who Handles the Waste?
The issue goes beyond production. Wealthy nations also outsource the problem of textile waste. Countries like Ghana and Kenya receive huge shipments of used and discarded clothing, which they are ill-equipped to manage (Anguelov, 2015). This wave of second-hand clothes also forces Western fashion trends on local communities, weakening their own styles and traditions as well as local fashion brands and designers (Niinimäki et al., 2020).
Moreover, these cheap, imported clothes undercut local industries. Joseph Nyagari, of the African Cotton & Textiles Industries Federation, explained it well: “The average cost of a second-hand garment is between five and 10 percent of a new garment [made in Kenya], so [local industries] can’t compete” (Nyagari, as cited in Shah, 2024). This makes it nearly impossible for local businesses to grow or for local economies to become less dependent on imports.
This photo of an abandoned clothing factory was taken in Cambodia by Francois Le Nguyen
Flawed Policies and Exclusion
Regulations made by the European Union and the United States are often created without input from the communities that are most affected by them—such as manufacturers, waste managers, and local governments in production countries or countries receiving second-hand clothing. For example, policies like Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) fees require companies to fund waste management, but the fees are set by the exporting countries. Meanwhile, the receiving countries, like Ghana or Kenya, are left to deal with the waste without seeing much of this funding (Shah, 2024; Owusu-Wiredu, 2024).
This lack of communication and collaboration excludes valuable voices—especially those who understand these challenges firsthand and could help create better solutions (Mieslinger, 2023).
This photo of a climate change demonstration has been taken in New York City by Katie Rodriguez
Building a Fairer System
The current setup of the fashion industry remains unequal, but it doesn’t have to stay this way. Here are some ways to address clothing colonialism:
Share Financial Responsibility: Wealthy nations should support production countries by providing funding and resources to implement sustainable practices.
Include Local Voices: Policies and regulations should involve input from manufacturers, waste managers, and other affected communities in the Global South.
Reduce Overproduction: Curbing the production of fast fashion would limit waste and reduce the pressure placed on production and waste-management countries.
Support Local Industries: Promoting local garment production and reducing second-hand imports can help revive local economies and fashion cultures (Anguelov, 2015).
The fashion industry is at a turning point. By addressing these long-standing imbalances, we can move toward a system that is not only fairer but also more sustainable for everyone involved. Understanding clothing colonialism is the first step toward creating meaningful change.
References
Anguelov, N. (2015). The dirty side of the garment industry: Fast fashion and its negative impact on environment and society. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
Doležalová, K. (n.d.). Sweatshops in Bangladesh: Problems Connected with the Working Conditions and the Environmental Impact of Garment Factories.
Grimshaw, D., & Muñoz de Bustillo, R. (2016). Global Comparative Study on Wage Fixing Institutions and Their Impacts in Major Garment Producing Countries. International Labour Organization.
Hayat, F. (2023). A Critical Analysis of The Interconnectedness Between Demand for Cheap Products by Consumers in Developed Countries and The Continuous Rise in Sweatshops in The Global South.
Jalava, M. (2015). Human Rights Violations in the Garment Industry of Bangladesh.
Mieslinger, R. (2023). Fast fashion’s effects on traditional garment practices in Ghana. Journal of Cultural Sustainability, 6(2), 34–49.
Nazarali, J. (2022). The Rise of Fast Fashion and its Consequences on the Labor Force.
Niinimäki, K., Peters, G., Dahlbo, H., Perry, P., Rissanen, T., & Gwilt, A. (2020). The environmental price of fast fashion. Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, 1(4), 189–200. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-020-0039-9
Owusu-Wiredu, P. (2024). Climate change mitigation, adaptation, and finance: Rethinking the shameful trade flows of used textiles and the need to slow fast fashion. Brunel University Press.
Rahim, M. M. (2020). Humanising the Global Supply Chain: Building a Decent Work Environment in the Ready-Made Garments Supply Industry in Bangladesh.
Shah, D. (2024). Economics of fast fashion: Cost efficiency, labor practices, and environmental effects. Social Science Research Network.
Sharpe, S., Veem, K., Kallio, K., & Martinez-Fernandez, M. C. (2022). Opportunities for a Just Transition to Environmental Sustainability and COVID-19 Recovery in the Textile and Garment Sector in Asia.
Sunid, A. (2024). The apparel industry: Moving towards sustainability. University of Michigan.
Photos
Photo of a fashion activist - Francois Le Nguyen
https://unsplash.com/de/fotos/frau-im-blauen-hemd-mit-weissem-papier-sCb7anfzfew
Photo of an abandoned clothing factory in Cambodia - Francois Le Nguyen
https://unsplash.com/de/fotos/tagsuber-mull-auf-der-strasse-pouTfHUG430
Photo of a climate change protest in New York City - Katie Rodriguez