Does Buying Less Hurt Garment Workers? / Re-Make / Heather Snowden

Remake’s #NoNewClothes campaign encourages consumers to pause shopping for three months to reflect on their relationship with the fashion industry and consumption habits. A common concern is whether buying less harms garment workers by reducing demand for their labor. However, advocates argue that this mindset supports a broken system of exploitation. The real issue lies in the poor wages and lack of worker empowerment in the fashion industry. While secondhand shopping has created jobs in its own right, the focus should be on improving wages and working conditions for garment workers, not the quantity of jobs themselves.