A look at who is making those Zara clothes - YouLookFab Forum

Category

General

Welcome! Read about what to wear and how to wear it on the YLF Blog. Join the YLF Forum to ask specific questions or just chat about fashion and personal style. Or check out the curated list of things we love in YLF Finds.

Outfits Ensembles Trends Advice

A look at who is making those Zara clothes

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I know this is not new to many of us, but this is a good piece.

https://www.elle.com/culture/c.....rike-zara/

General

41 replies

Latest reply was from taylor

Helena

Veteran

This is excellent, in that it shows the complexity of the problem - clearly the conditions are horrendous; on the other hand, these textile jobs have empowered these women and have the country on a trajectory towards a middle class. So, what do we do? Buy American/Canadian does nothing to help these people ... nor does refusing to buy from certain countries. Complain to the retailers? I don't know the answer ... Trying ....

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I know, Helena. I think pressure from customers can help make a difference, if enough people speak out, but it’s hard to say. No easy answers from a consumer standpoint.

kkards

Veteran

Janet thank you for posting this...
TG...it is a issue that has so many complex and intersecting things to think about....i'm not sure what the "right" answer is, but i'm working on and trying to define what my answer is....

Avdan

As someone who is on a low budget for clothes shopping, I often struggle with this kind of thing.

I sometimes feel like I have no choice but to just buy fast fashion as I don’t have the money to get higher end.

I hope that the fact I shop very little reduces my contribution to the problem. However I understand that even €1 spent is unethical.

I own very few clothes. If my budget increases, I will buy better, more ethical; not more in quantity.

I would love to learn more about ethical shopping on a tight budget. And will look into it. Thanks for posting this article. It is the important reminder I needed.

Is there a list of more affordable stores with significantly more ethical practice than H&M and Zara?

How about Marks & Spencer- does anyone know if they have a decent track record? I could afford getting my basics there if I make the extra effort to cut back on other expenses.

ChristelJ

Veteran

I appreciate this. It’s a good reminder that “fast fashion is inherently violent”. The article mentions visibility as key- consumers demanding brands publish which factories manufacture their clothes. A place to start...

nemosmom

Veteran

Ugh that is heartbreaking... I bought a few REALLY great pieces from Zara last month, now I feel horrible that I didn't know about the abuse then

I echo the others with the question of what to do as a consumer. Ethical shopping gets trickier all the time - sexual harassment at higher-end brands (Ted Baker)... worker abuse at Zara... it is so tricky.

kkards

Veteran

Avdan...unfortunately is not that easy to know....for example at the time of the bangladesh factory collapse some of the companys whose product were found at the factory had what they thought were ethical manufactoring standards, but the factory that they contracted with had subcontracted out...also, many of the smaller direct to consumer brands that claim "good/ethical" manufactoring do not supply actual factory name making it hard for their claims to be independantly audited...
https://www.theguardian.com/su.....esponsible

my personal approach to this....try to buy "stuff" that is made in countries that i feel had the best record of worker rights...so yes, i spend a lot of time looking at labels becuase the same company can and does manufactor in different countries...try to buy from businesses that are run by women (this is just my personal response to the #metoo movement...) ...remember that if it costs very little, then the people who made it get paid very litte....

there are websites/apps that grade ethical manufactoring, you can give them a look....i recommend consulting a few and cross referencing....also hard becuase many are regionally centric
but also it take time for you to read thru what they are using for their criteria....
try the "good on you" app
these websites may help
https://thegoodshoppingguide.com/fashion-retailers
https://baptistworldaid.org.au.....ion-guide/
(thanks fellow fabber Anne for introducing me to this one)

gryffin

Veteran

I wish I had an answer to this problem. I don't buy fast fashion in general. I like the look and the style but I'm really looking for a different quality of garment because I keep my pieces a long time. OTOH part of me wishes that I did because of course I want to support women/all people working so hard to make an honest living and care for themselves and their family. I know peruvian connection works closely with workers so you feel that you are helping workers when you buy a piece. Unfortunately there is not too much in my style, but I do have a couple of pieces and feel good about them. Everlane, EF, I try and support ethical practices but I wish there were a better way to support the workers trapped in the "zara" type system. Boycott and they lose jobs which doesn't help them, buy and they are pushed harder to work for little in a danagerous environment. It's the worst catch 22 ever.

rachylou

Veteran

You know, the thing about it is, I’m not sure it’s that different here (in the US). Even at $15 an hour in the SF Bay Area... it costs $900 to rent a ROOM. But how much is anyone willing to pay for tangible basic goods, like a loaf of bread? People feel Twittering all day is a job worth more money than the things that keep us alive and well. And besides, shouldn’t anyone be able to buy the basics (meaning the price of basics SHOULD be low)?

And even if you could and were willing to pay what it would cost to give someone a livable wage, how many companies would actually pass that on?

Right now, I’m following the price of insulin (and other medicines). It’s doubled in the last 5 years. It costs $3 to make (albeit the initial investment is huge for a factory) (but then again, it was invented almost a 100 years ago) (and has not been improved upon for 30 years). The price is over $300 a vial. People are literally dying because they can’t pay for a drug whose patent was sold for $1 in hopes of circumventing that kind of price gouging. The people who work those factories, they’re on food stamps. Because anyone, right, can push a button and broom. Who and what is all that money going to?

I once upbraided a client, yes a client. Well, he went to my church sort of (so not just a client). But I did it on the job, which is pretty bad. I did it because he said women should stay at home and raise the kids. Aside from the misogyny... I asked him how many of his factory workers got full time and thus health benefits? Yeah, shut him up and he eventually left his company for mine.

Anyways, yeah, I follow Patriotic Millionaires on Twitter... because frankly, I think it’s a problem of oligarchy...

kkards

Veteran

rachylou....yes, i've been made aware of the insulin issue in past couple of weeks...its mindblowing....wish i know what to do about it....(and yes i vote and send letters etc...)

Anonymous

Oh boy, don't get me started on Zara. They've been on my boycott list since forever. I welcome this story on the dark side of fashion. People need to know that that hot fashion item they just have to have often comes at a very high human and (especially in Zara's case) environmental cost.

Thanks, Janet, for sharing this.

rachylou

Veteran

Kkards - yeah, it’s really mindblowing. And terrifying. And to learn that not only the people who need it but also the people who actually do the making of it are being exploited without regard to life or limb...

Runcarla

Veteran

Does anyone remember when Lands' End merch was Made in America, and if it wasn't, it was indicated in the catalogue as 'Imported'? Now everything is imported. What happened?

Clothing aside, the whole 'what is something worth' and 'what is a living wage' is conflicted. I used to belong to a quilting guild that was invited to a curated Christmas arts and crafts show and sale that was to be held at a museum. The show was high end (25 one of a kind vendors) and the guild members brought out their best. None of us expected to see our work properly compensated. Sad. As hobbyists, a sale would facilitate the purchase of more fabric and our presence would raise the guild's profile. I was staffing the booth when a woman looked at an exquisite hand quilted baby quilt - a steal at $80 - and said "I could get one at Walmart for $40." Gah!

I think about this when I 'score' a pair of great white jeans (Calvin Klein - made offshore) at Winners for $29.99CA or whinge when broccoli goes over $2 a bunch. How much am I a part of the problem? Does shopping at the local independent bookstore or farmers roadside market absolve me of my shopping sins? What is a 'fair' price? What will provide a fair wage to the maker or grower? The transportation folks? The store worker's?

kkards

Veteran

yes...Runclara...i find myself conflicted...i've reached the conclucion that there is not one "right" answer, but there are right answers for me...

Helena

Veteran

Perhaps (my optimistic self hopes) all our collective attempts at "right" (flawed though they may be) are what slowly bends the moral arc of the universe towards justice ...

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

The question of ethical fashion is very, VERY complicated. You will go down the rabbit hole over and over again, (which I do).

I have been in the Rag Trade for 27 years - and many of those years were spent as a retail buyer. I've visited many, many factories in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the US. I have been exposed to more than the regular fashion and style blogger and I'm grateful for that. The question of ethical fashion has been on my mind for almost three decades and continues to be. I think about it all the time.

At the end of the day, you have to decide what does ethical fashion mean to you? I'm nodding along with kkards, Rachy and RunCarla. Love your thinking.

You can't believe everything you read, first of all. There is a lot of sensational reporting that is suppose to get you angry - and it does! Me included.

Consider the following for some perspective:

Zara for example, is one of the top sustainable manufacturers in the world because of their very vertical supply chain in Spain. Fast fashion and all. How ironic is that!

Chanel is one of the least sustainable manufacturers. Yet when you buy a Chanel bag, you have it for life. It's highly unlikely to end up in a landfill.

Growing cotton - a natural fibre most of us love - is not environmentally friendly.

The leather tanning process is absolutely hectic - and most of the world's leather is tanned in India - (Around 90% of it according to the National Geographic, which is a source I trust). Items can be "ethically sourced" but the leather part was tanned in the same horrific environment in India.

How far do you take the question of what is ethical fashion? And how about ethical decor, ethical eating, ethical grocery shopping? Almonds - a so called super food that is in all sorts of recommended diets - are a very un-eco friendly crop. Where does it all end, and what do you do.

If we believe and listen to everything we read and hear, we will never eat, buy or do anything again! (That's an exaggeration of course - but you get the point).

YOU have to decide what ethical fashion means to you. Do what you can manage, and run with it. Don't judge others negatively when their actions are different to yours.

For me, ethical fashion means a few different things than the norm, and here are some examples:

I will not support luxury or regular brands whose designers behave badly, and go against my life's work of being a Style Activist.

I will not support any form of real fur, lamb leather, or calf leather.

For the last five years, I have eliminated cow leather from my life as far as I can. I do what I can manage. It is a work in progress.

Anyway, very interesting discussion as always. Thanks, ladies and Janet.

Anonymous

Angie, isn't the fact that you're in the Rag Trade giving you a bit of a bias?

Thanks, but you won't be seeing me in Zara any time soon.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Xtabay, maybe. I manage what I can with the knowledge that I have and get. I draw my own conclusions and continue to grapple with these hard questions, and what they mean to me. And you are within your right not to shop at Zara. It's a personal choice.

Helena

Veteran

Appreciate hearing your perspective on it Angie; it's really helpful.

kkards

Veteran

Xtabay...if you’re interested. Major other brands that manufacturer in Bangladesh. But as I mentioned upstream many/most retailers & brands make things in many countries, so if you are concerned I’d check the label of the item your thinking of buying

https://newthread.biz/10-fashi.....angladesh/

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

TG, your first comment is pretty much a lecture my grad school colleagues and I gave/give on globalization at the various universities where we went on to work. The third wave of colonialism.

I think the diamond industry has cut back on abusive practices. That might be a model for fashion to look at, but of course there are many, many more producers, and capital can move factories overnight, unlike mines.

Sal

Veteran

There is no easy answer that fits us all - but i also think our current consumption patterns will be forced to change.

My main goals are
- try to buy items with longevity both in terms of construction and style. I don’t get this 100% right
- not over consuming
- buying NZ made new- or second hand (from anywhere)
- reheeling, repairing and being happy with wear on items.

These are small steps and I do believe probably insufficient. I am better at this with homewares than I am with fashion.

anne

Veteran

Did I miss something? I did not see a reference to Zara in the article.

Eta. I know it's in the title, but there should be much more of a link

Jenni NZ

Veteran

Hi, I have contacted TEAR Fund ( that writes our ethical fashion guide ) where Zara does well, right away, as follows:

"Hi Claire, Happy New Year. It has concerned me that a “fast fashion” chain
should get an “A “ anyway- surely not combatting any materialism or
environmental concerns- and this looks really bad, could you look into it from
Tearfund’s viewpoint please? Regards Jenni ( surname)

https://www.elle.com/culture/c.....rike-zara/ "
Ours is based on the Baptist World Aid Australia one- mentioned by kkards above, obtained from Anne- which also gave Zara an "A". I feel a bit happy I only have one Zara piece, bought in Melbourne in 2015 before it came here to NZ in I think 2016. However, I agree with Angie and kkards that we each can try to make our own ethical attempts, and also try not to judge each other. I lived with so much guilt before I essentially left Christianity 10 years ago- some of which I dub "Protestant guilt", kind of like what gets called "Catholic guilt"( which I don't really understand, never having been a Catholic). Someone could easily criticise me for my excessive number of shoes. I am trying in many ways, and all kinds of information helps, so thank you so much Janet for posting. Cheers Jenni

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Anne, from the article:

“Bobita works for the NASSA group, where she is responsible for sewing up to 80 pockets an hour on women’s jeans for ZARA.”

Jenni NZ

Veteran

You know what also hurts a lot- the girl in the article is 22 years old, which is the age of my son. When I think of how good his life is compared with hers, through mainly an accident of birth ( also through our efforts, which I am not downplaying, but essentially just happening to be born in this country and to us), it just feels so sad. And she is one of probably millions of young people aged 22 who suffer in this world so much. We did sponsor one (one!) in Thailand, a girl who is the same age and now at university just having finished the sponsorship programme on 22nd birthday. It feels small

Anonymous

80 pockets an hour . Oh boy - this is so overwhelmingly sad when put that way and yet - that’s reality for any garment manufacturer . It’s called piecework and it’s the way it is .

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

I am with Angie and Toronto Girl in the sense that I hope if we all make some turn toward demanding sustainability and humanity from the world the collective effort will have an effect. If we turned a flashlight on all the injustice in the world we would drown in despair and nothing would change.

anne

Veteran

Thanks Janet

12