Faces of fast fashion
Into the lives of those who make our cheap clothes
This series shows a glimpse into the lives of power loom workers, small units-, and homeworkers in Bhiwandi and Bangalore (India).
It also follows Sangeetha to the countryside, where she lives as a free woman after escaping modern slavery in the cotton mills. Her story is one of the many village women who are lured to the city under false conditions and promises.
The last part of my research I spent with garment workers with children.
Mothers with young children often struggle to balance their work and family lives. Despite Indian law obligations, most garment factories do not provide childcare facilities, and even if they do, they often do not meet safety standards. Dangerous working conditions prevent the children from going outside. There are no teachers to educate them or people or toys to entertain them.
Most mothers do not want to send their children to factory crèches because rumor has it that children get sleeping pills to keep quiet.
As a result, many young mothers decide to become homeworkers or to work in small garment units, where the rules are not that strict. The downsides, however, are the lack of safety precautions and the absence of bargaining power. Small units and homeworkers receive outsourced work from the big companies: if they disagree with their terms, the work goes to someone else. Because they operate below the radar, they never get audits or safety inspections.
