According to Taiwan’s “United Daily News” report on April 24, New York’s long-established garment industry has been competing to “offshore” in recent years to develop overseas where labor and production are cheaper. However, since 2013, they have been “reshoring”. Returning to New York for development, New York’s clothing industry is now revitalized, and “Made in New York” is gradually becoming more and more impressive.
According to reports, the cause of the back-to-shore wind was the collapse of the nine-story Rana Building in Bangladesh on April 24, 2013. This accident killed 1,138 people and injured more than 2,000 people. The Rana Building is where dozens of Western clothing retailers take advantage of cheap local labor for OEM production. The shockwaves of the tragedy spread around the world, and the impact was particularly severe in New York City, which has a profound tradition of making clothes.
“The building collapsed, and the lid of the tragedy was completely lifted, which shocked consumers and those brands.” Brand, an independent fashion designer, said that before that tragedy, consumers and customers did not know the world. Behind the production process of brand clothing, how many people work hard for very low wages.
Brand felt this and planned to revitalize the American textile industry, so he established the “Made in New York” organization. This is a platform that aims to assist independent fashion designers and provide them with a shared space in Manhattan, a fully equipped professional sewing space and computers. A similar space is expected to open in Brooklyn later in 2014.
Brand said: “The Rana Building tragedy and the global violation of human rights of garment workers have directly stimulated many workers to return to the mainland. More and more designers have settled in New York and are developing. After the 2008 financial crisis, The brain drain is much smaller now.”
Regarding this statement, Libretto brand designer Victoria Watson confirmed that “Made in New York” is now a very popular selling point and marketing tool. She said: “I am ‘Made in New York,’ I love New York. I sell products in New York. Everything is in New York. This adds a lot of points to me, more than ever before.”
According to reports, at a New York City building owned by clothing brand High Production, a sign at the entrance lists workers’ rights, including a basic wage of $8 an hour, plus overtime, and a toll-free hotline that can be called in the event of a disaster. A company spokesman said: “We respect workers here, which is completely different from that in Bangladesh.”
