From sweatshops to fur farming, from polluting chemicals to painful garments, the fashion industry is associated with activities which have had devastating effects on workers, consumers, and the natural world. This ground-breaking volume provides a framework for examining the ethical, social, and environmental dangers that arise as fashion products are designed, manufactured, distributed, and sold within retail outlets, before being consumed and disposed of. Encompassing the cultural, psychological, and physiological aspects of fashion, it offers a comprehensive exploration of the hazards of a global industry.

Drawing together an international team of leading textile and apparel experts, The Dangers of Fashion presents original perspectives on a wide range of topics from piracy and counterfeiting to human trafficking; from the effects of globalization on local industry to the peer pressure that governs contemporary ideals of beauty. Rooted in research into industry and consumer practices, it discusses innovative solutions-both potential and existing-to fashion's dangers and moral dilemmas from the viewpoint of individuals, companies, societies, and the global community.

List of Illustrations
Notes on Contributors

Part 1 – Moral and Ethical Dangers in Fashion 
1. Introduction Sara B. Marcketti and Elena E. Karpova 
2. Moral Dilemmas in the Fashion Business Jung Ha-Brookshire 
3. Sustainability [Must] Drive Design Elizabeth Bye 
4. Stealing Fashion Designs Sara B. Marcketti, Jean Parsons, and Hallie Erdahl 

Part 2 – The Dangers of Making Fashion
5. Fibres and Materials: What is Fashion Made of? Huantian Cao 
6. Fashion: An Unrecognized Contributor to the Climate Change Kim Y. Hiller Connell and Melody L. A. LeHew 
7. The Dangers in the Fashion Supply Chain: Offshore vs. Domestic Sourcing Ting Chi and Sheng Lu 
8. A Look at Labour Issues in Manufacture of Apparel through the Perspective of Human Trafficking and Modern-Day Slavery Marsha Dickson and Hayley Warren
9. Exodus to Elsewhere: Exploring the Effects of Fashion Industry Globalization on Local Communities Nancy Hodges

Part 3 – The Dangers of Consuming Fashion 
10. Taking offense: A discussion of fashion, appropriation, and cultural insensitivity Denise Nicole Green and Susan B. Kaiser  
11. Striving to Fit In Kelly L. Reddy-Best
12. Pain in [From] Fashion Ellen McKinney and Eulanda A. Sanders 

Part 4 – The Dangers of Caring for and Disposing Fashion
13. A Consumer Perspective on Clothing Care: Economic, Environmental and Social Costs Pam Norum and Rachel LoMonaco-Benzing 
14. Disposing Fashion: From the Ugly… Jana M. Hawley and Elena E. Karpova 
15. Disposing Fashion 2: …To the Good Elena E. Karpova and Jana M. Hawley 
16. Conclusion Elena E. Karpova and Sara B. Marcketti  

Index

“The Dangers of Fashion convincingly dissects the complexities of the challenges and solutions for achieving an ethical and sustainable fashion industry that spans cultures with differing values, world views, and profit motives. The authors' narratives point out that no single segment of the industry, whether fiber and apparel production, retailing, or consumption, can stand alone in effecting change. This book, with its critical integrative focus, should be required in all fashion programs.” –  Mary Littrell, Colorado State University, USA

“This book brilliantly weaves together the fashion system's harmful and ethical uncertainties. The reader is given threads of knowledge as well as reasons for hope and urgency in what should be required reading for all.” –  Connie B Ulasewicz, San Francisco State University, USA

“The Dangers of Fashion strays into territories all too often ignored by other texts, that of the ethics and morals of producing fashion, with chapters on counterfeiting and cultural appropriation. Texts cover topics from earth to dirt and all the processes in between through a range of contributors that span content and continents to give a complete picture of the impacts of fashion.” –  Sass Brown, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK