The Clothing Industry

The clothing business and fashion industry is a truly worldwide industry. All people all over the world wear clothes for protection from the elements and to protect their modesty. Clothing is also worn to reflect social status i.e. the more expensive your clothing the higher your social standing.

Clothing can range from the cheap and functional to high couture. Dresses and suits from the big fashion houses such as Armani or Gucci can cost thousands of dollars each. The large fashion houses make millions of dollars each year by constantly bringing out new ranges of clothing. In the west fashion changes every year encouraging a disposable attitude to clothing. New clothes quickly become out of date and have to be replaced with the latest ranges. Vast amounts of money are spent on fashion shows and advertising to create demand for these new products.

The clothing industry generates billions of dollars each year. However some people benefit more from this than others. Workers in some countries that produce clothing work in very poor conditions with low rates of pay. These sweatshop workers are generally found in the third world and make mass produced garments for consumption in the Western world.

The clothing industry is a large global business employing millions of people and worth billions of dollars each year. Clothing is a necessity, people will always have to have clothes and there will always therefore be a market for clothing.