Music
Beyonce's clothing line accused of using sweatshop labour
by Jeremy Mersereau
May 17, 2016
Beyonce's Ivy Park sportswear line is allegedly made my Sri Lankan workers earning $8 a day.
When Bey launched her new fitness clothing collection Ivy Park for UK outlet Topshop, no one expected to be able to pick up a sports bra or yoga pants for less than a cool $50. What people might not have expected, however, is that the Yas Queen would have her clothes be manufactured in Sri Lanka by workers making about $1 CAD an hour.
An unnamed seamstress employed by Sri Lankan apparel manufacturer MAS Holdings – the factory where the Ivy Park line is manufactured – says any claims by either Beyoncé or Topshop of female empowerment are just meaningless branding. As she told The Sun: “When they talk about women and empowerment this is just for the foreigners. They want the foreigners to think everything is OK.”
Another sewing machine operator at MAS said she could not survive on her wages of 18,500 rupees a month, equivalent to $158 CAD. Worth noting: this isn’t even the minimum wage in Sri Lanka. Other workers employed at MAS are reluctant to speak out for fear of losing their only means of income.
Queen B premiered the Ivy Park line, which is named after her and Jay-Z’s daughter Blue Ivy, with a YouTube video and an appearance at Topshop’s flagship London store last month. “My goal with Ivy Park is to push the boundaries of athletic wear and to support and inspire women who understand that beauty is more than your physical appearance,” Beyoncé said of the collection. “I know that when I feel physically strong, I am mentally strong and I wanted to create a brand that made other women feel the same way.”
I wonder if overworked Sri Lankan seamstresses feel that strength while they’re sewing their 700th branded yoga wrap? Protesters in London staged a demonstration against Topshop and its billionaire owner Philip Green on Saturday, with around 200 demonstrators calling for real living wages for Topshop cleaners.
[h/t The Sun]
