Though mechanization transformed most aspects of human industry by the mid-20th century, garment workers have continued to labor under challenging conditions that demand repetitive manual labor.
Mass-produced clothing is often made in what are considered by some to be sweatshops, typified by long work hours, lack of benefits, and lack of worker representation.
While most examples of such conditions are found in developing countries, clothes made in industrialized nations may also be manufactured similarly, often staffed by undocumented immigrants.
Coalitions of NGOs, designers (Katharine Hamnett, American Apparel,Veja, Quiksilver, eVocal, Edun,...) and campaign groups like the Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) and the Institute for Global Labour and Human Rights as well as textile and clothing trade unions have sought to improve these conditions as much as possible by sponsoring awareness-raising events, which draw the attention of both the media and the general public to the workers.
Outsourcing production to low wage countries like Bangladesh, China,India and Sri Lanka became possible when the Multi Fibre Agreement(MFA) was abolished.
The MFA, which placed quotas on textiles imports, was deemed a protectionist measure.
Globalization is often quoted as the single most contributing factor to the poor working conditions of garment workers.
Although many countries recognize treaties like the International Labour Organization, which attempt to set standards for worker safety and rights, many countries have made exceptions to certain parts of the treaties or failed to thoroughly enforce them.
India for example has not ratified sections 87 and 92 of the treaty.
Despite the strong reactions that "sweatshops" evoked among critics of globalization, the production of textiles has functioned as a consistent industry for developing nations providing work and wages, whether construed as exploitative or not, to many thousands of people.
“I suspect that it will continue for a while, I think that what you will be more likely to see is people who are offering a sort of hybrid, sort of like what Walmart does,” Ellickson says.
“I think that sort of hybrid model of having the physical outlets and then being able to return [online items], you’ll see a mix of those things.”
 

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