Fashion’s Reserve Armies of Labour: Ethno-racial Capitalism and Forced Labour

Through the years, tragic incidents surfacing to the headlines, such as the collapse of the Rana Plaza factory building in 2013, have offered an occasional window on diffused unethical practices, and working conditions tainting the global supply chains. However, widespread and consolidated exploitative practices are, on one hand, still firmly protected by the “mysteries” and “secrets” 10 that characterise the “hidden abode of production”; 11 on the other hand, they are allowed by the institutionalisation and normalisation of this exploitation. Drawing from theoretical perspectives on racial capitalism, 12 where the colony is conceptualised as “consubstantial” with capital, as well as anthropological studies, 13 the analysis addresses complex and institutionalised forms of labour exploitation within fashion, including cases of forced labour. In particular, it applies the concept of “sacrifice zone” 14 to the discussion of exploitative practices on the basis of race/ethnicity, gender, and class, and demonstrates that unveiling forms of exploitation requires an exploration of expanding capitalist and colonial frontiers, which can unmask the corporate staging of social responsibility. Benefitting from the contribution of human rights advocates and fashion activist organisations, the study also highlights the need of new mandatory standards, and addresses transparency as a key pre-requisite of sustainability and as the very foundation of accountability in terms of human rights as well as environmental issues.