Low-cost fashion : the political economy of garment production and distribution in Latin America / Matías Dewey, André Vereta Nahoum.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Dewey, Matías, 1975- author.

Nahoum, André Vereta, author.

Series:

Cambridge elements. Elements in politics and society in Latin America, 2515-5253.

Cambridge elements. Elements in politics and society in Latin America, 2515-5253

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Fashion design--Latin America--History.

Fashion design.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (71 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2025.

Summary:

This Element analyses a fundamentally new regional configuration of the garment sector, covering much of South America. Based on ethnographic fieldwork and in-depth interviews with a wide range of actors, it examines two major circuits of informal production and distribution of affordable garments, both of which have emerged around the urban marketplaces of La Salada (Buenos Aires) and Feira da Madrugada (São Paulo). This Element examines a configuration characterized by (1) manufacturers who interact with customer preferences to produce low-cost fashion, (2) marketplaces that function as large garment distribution hubs, and (3) extensive distribution routes with regional reach. This Element discusses the role of creativity in informal production processes, reflects on the implications of both cases for our understanding of global value chains and informality, and provides empirical evidence on forbearance as an explanatory element for the emergence of this phenomenon.

Contents:

Cover

Title page

Copyright page

Low-Cost Fashion: The Political Economy of Garment Production and Distribution in Latin America

Contents

1 Introduction

2 Research Design and Variables

3 The Demand for Low-Cost Fashion: Consumers, Marketplaces, and Inland Distribution

Marketplaces

La Salada and Feira da Madrugada: Conditions behind Their Emergence

Sudden Economic Booms and Busts

Demand and Infrastructures

4 The Supply of Low-Cost Fashion: Creativity and Informal Entrepreneurship

Informality in La Salada and Feira da Madrugada

5 State and Governments' Responses

Demonization and Repression of Commercial Activities

Extortion

Forbearance

Explaining Forbearance: Forbearance as a Policy, Not a Sign of State Weakness

Public Legitimation and Formalization

6 Conclusion: Low-Cost Fashion in Argentina and Brazil, Informality, and the Limits of the GVC Approach

References.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 07 Feb 2025).

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

1-009-63411-9

1-009-63413-5

1-009-63414-3

OCLC:

1574120611