Sustainable Fashion and COVID-19

Aditi Mayer, who graduated from UCI in 2019 with degrees in Literary Journalism and International Studies, was recently featured in The Guardian on coronavirus and fashion. Here's an extended version of her comments with a focus on Los Angeles garment workers:

"Coronavirus is exposing the cracks in our system...."

Moments like these highlight particularly vulnerable communities and where the gaps have been. As business is screeching to halt, Los Angeles garment workers are facing unique circumstances. ⁣⁣

The garment worker industry is LA's second-biggest industry, employing over 50,000 individuals. The workforce is largely undocumented, making the industry rife with labor exploitation. Most garment workers a paid with a piece rate, meaning they are paid per piece they make as opposed to the hour. This piece rate is often as low as 3-5 cents per piece.

As the concerns around COVID-19 grew, mayor Eric Garcetti pointed to LA's seamstresses as one of the ways the city would address its lack of PPE material. What they failed to realize is that the majority of the garment worker landscape is sweatshops.

On one hand, many workers who were out of work (as apparel manufacturing came to a halt) were facing food insecurity, inability to pay rent, utilities, and other bills due to loss of income.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣Garment workers in LA earn an average of $6 an hour (due to piece rate), and many aren’t eligible for unemployment benefits given the largely undocumented workforce. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣

On the other hand, some garment workers return to factories that switched to creating PPE. This meant where garment factories remain open, many workers are navigating the sweatshop conditions they would face on any other day— except now, the risks of poor ventilation, dirty conditions, and no social distancing practices are further exasperating their risk of disease. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣

Garment workers are expected to come and save the day during this time of global crisis, but many are failing to realize the danger they are being put in as they toil in sweatshops. These conditions are nothing new, but COVID is putting special attention on this community at the moment and it’s important that these conditions are amplified.

To read the Guardian feature, click here.