Exploitation, child labour, pollution, overconsumption. The fashion industry is quickly associated with these kinds of terms and is labelled one of the most destructive industries on earth. Professor Ben Wubs, a fashion historian at Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication, was a guest at Studio Erasmus to discuss the fashion industry and his forthcoming book, "Capitalism's Favorite Child: Global Fashion Business Since 1850". For the complete interview at Studio Erasmus, scroll down.
"Capitalism's Favorite Child"
Wubs wrote the book together with Pierre-Yves Donzé from Osaka University. According to Wubs, this was necessary because little has been written about the business history and industry behind fashion. "Capitalism's Favorite Child" describes the development of the global fashion industry since 1850. That year was chosen as a benchmark because a global distribution chain has existed since around that time. The second reason is the invention of the sewing machine, which enabled clothing to be produced on a mass scale.
Multidisciplinary
Fashion is not only an industry, but also culture, identity and politics. That is why Capitalism's Favourite Child takes a multidisciplinary approach. Wubs and Donzé describe the history of the fashion industry from historical, economic and sociological perspectives. It also shows the dark side of the industry: clothing that contains toxins, is produced for a few pence, is transported around the world in polluting ships and can be thrown away after being worn a few times.
Awareness and political involvement
Wubs does not necessarily want to tell a pessimistic story, but neither an optimistic one. He sticks to the historical context and mainly shows that the fashion industry since 1850 has been a story of continuity. The fast fashion we know today dates back to the 19th century, when fashion was also produced in sweatshops. Wubs believes that this grim history and current situation must be told in order to bring about change. The pursuit of a socially and ecologically sustainable fashion industry is not naive, but it is good to raise awareness and get more political involvement in this industry, he says.
Horizon proposal
Together with seven universities and ten companies, Wubs has submitted a Horizon research proposal to the European Union in the field of industrial transformations. His aim is to assess the developments in the fashion industry over the past 50 years and eight ecosystems in terms of success stories and failures. The underlying question is whether Europe is capable of reindustrialisation. This does not mean that it has to return to how things used to be, but rather that production in the textile industry can return to Europe, shortening supply chains and boosting the local manufacturing industry.
Ben Wubs in Studio Erasmus
- Professor
