Factsheet 2: the structure of the fashion industry

The cut-make-trim (CMT) stage of garment production, where cloth is turned into clothes, is a highly labour-intensive industry: as yet, no invention has been able to compete with the speed and dexterity of a worker, usually a woman, at a sewing machine.

And since sewing machines are cheap and mobile, investors have, since the 1960s, been shifting their factories around the world in search of low-cost, competitive locations.

Today, at least 50 countries look to garments to provide valuable exports and thousands of manufacturers are vying for a place in big brands’ and retailers’ supply chains...

Back to Set 1: industry background