The clothing industry in Istanbul in the Era of globalisation and fast fashion

Abstract

This article examines how globalising dynamics have been affecting Istanbul's urban economy. Our focus is on the part of the clothing industry which is now under tremendous pressure to meet the ever-increasing demands of international clothing retailers. While these retailers have been fuelling globalisation in the clothing industry via global sourcing for some decades now, they have recently placed new demands on their manufacturing supplier firms in Istanbul and elsewhere, and have successfully turned the question of meeting these new demands into a matter of survival. The exact manner in which manufacturers have been coping with these new demands, together with the labour force implications of their efforts (with a special focus on women labourers living in the peripheral neighbourhoods of the city) is the core of this article. © 2010 Urban Studies Journal Limited.