Unraveled: The Life and Death of a Garment

If you might be wondering whether the ready-to-wear clothing industry is bad for the environment, this book provides the answer for you in spades. The answer is “yes.” However, this writer’s way of answering the question is overly dramatic and strident, to the point where it becomes a diatribe. Which leads to another question, “Is this a path that one wants to travel?”

Author Maxine Bedat wants the world to change! Fashion, its creation, distribution, and death, is a monster that threatens us all. Bedat has done extensive in-person research here in the US and abroad, starting with cotton farming and ending with the disposal of garments. Her strong social conscience is felt throughout the book.

The comprehension level required of her audience places Unraveled in the category of a college textbook. Perhaps Bedat’s aim is to bring the full measure of reality to the attention of people who are well-meaning but not yet mobilized according to her ideals for the process. Chapters are devoted to detailed descriptions of deplorable working conditions, shocking industrial pollution, cutthroat competition throughout a garment’s creation, and eventual distribution. There’s only so much cold, hard truth that can be endured! This is not an entertaining read.