Making Work Visible

April 24, 2013 the Dhaka garment factory in Bangladesh collapsed. 2,500 injured and 1,134 men and women died. And before their death? A life of exploitation, making $0.13 hourly for garments that would sell for way more. I watched the documentary “The True Cost” in my Anthropology class and the phrase “Fast fashion isn’t free. Someone, somewhere is paying” made me feel guilty. With mass consumerism around the world, fast fashion constantly surrounds us daily, and many people including myself have knowingly/unknowingly bought from a company that exploits workers and resells their cheap labor for much more.

“Made In” (8.5″ x 11″) is a piece that recognizes the cheap labor that goes on in the fast fashion industry and the Dhaka garment factory disaster. I used Prismacolor pencils to draw the man in the piece, and then collaged some of the “made in ___” labels onto his desk where he is working. The man’s shirt is not visible because many who work in these factories cannot even afford the brand they are producing themselves! We read these “made in” labels and forget that they were sewn on by individuals working in harsh conditions, risking their lives and barely making ends meet. They’re goal is survival and when we shop at these brands we are paying for their exploitation.

Creating art (in any form) about issues such as these merges aesthetics and social justice together, this is what I wanted to do with “Made In.”