Tansy E. Hoskins: “Fashion is still an industry based on exploitation”

Fashion has always been political, and over the years, it seems to have become even more so, not only on the red carpet but also in online commerce. This is what journalist Tansy E. Hoskins argues in her book Anticapitalist Fashion Manual , whose Spanish translation has just arrived in bookstores thanks to Capitán Swing. How do big brands encourage us to buy? “In every possible way. The main one: by affecting our feelings. Subliminal advertising and all that kind of thing,” she answers La Vanguardia via video call from her home in the United Kingdom.

You've never worked in the fashion industry. When did this interest arise?

I write to try to answer questions. In 2011, I started asking a lot of questions about this sector, related to body image, labor rights, animal rights, the environment, racism… And precisely because I don't work for the industry, I had the freedom to write without constraints and be completely honest about what was happening. Everything is always easier if you're an outsider .

The book is now available in Spanish, but it was originally published in English in 2014. Has anything changed?

The truth is no, because fashion is still an industry based on exploitation. In fact, the billionaires at the top are getting even richer. I'm talking about Jeff Bezos, Amancio Ortega, Bernard Arnault... And while this is happening, workers at the bottom of the pyramid are becoming poorer, as their wages are becoming less and less decent. Brands like to cross borders. Sometimes they work in Myanmar, and other times in Bangladesh or India. And although costs are lower there, they pay far less than they should.

And, as he argues in his book, at the expense of the environment.

They treat the environment as if it were an all-inclusive resort—everything, from the land to the water, including coal and oil—as if it were inexhaustible, free, and without consequences. Someone might say they're living in ignorance, but they know exactly what they're doing. Looking the other way is, again, cheaper for them. It's their fault, but also ours as consumers, since we allow it. I think we should consider fashion as a whole, not just its visual appearance, but also its treatment of the environment, its models... and the fact that its foundation is sustained in the 21st century, among other factors, by racial exploitation.

Does it make sense that 80% of all Bangladeshi exports are clothing?

Not at all, as this makes the country's economy very vulnerable to fluctuations in the fashion industry, such as what we're seeing right now with the implementation of Trump's tariffs. This is also happening in Cambodia and India.

How has the pandemic influenced?

It showed how little things change even when everything is shaken. In fact, they're getting worse, because millions of workers were abandoned by the brands. It was a truly shameful time for the industry.

In its pages, it also debates the existence or absence of ethical fashion, noting that it only represents one percent of global production and sales.

What would make clothing more ethical would be to pay garment workers a living wage, and this isn't happening. And then you'd have to drastically reduce the amount of clothing you make because overproduction and excess supply are a huge problem for the ecosystem. Is it possible to do both? Of course, the tools are there, but again, given the cost, it's not worth it.

What role can fashion journalism play in raising awareness?

It could change everything and open minds. Unfortunately, this rarely happens. This would require a more independent funding model for fashion media. Currently, much of the fashion press relies on advertising revenue from the people and companies it's supposed to cover. I would put more faith in schools—those of designers and, also, of journalists. I trust that future generations will allow us to see changes.

Do you consider yourself an optimist then?

I'm confident that will happen, but I don't know if I'll be alive to see it. And I'm not that old either.

How can we rethink the industry? What can we do as consumers?

I think the best thing people can do is get involved in textile solidarity and dignify the work of garment workers. This can be done by joining one of the hundreds of campaigns against sweatshops. We must keep in mind that there are very real threats to them all the time. The right to unionize is constantly under threat, so we can help them with that. It's also helpful to denounce fast fashion and the climate situation it causes. And, of course, to shop consciously.