Contents History > The Evolution of a Garment
-- How the Sweatshop System Worked > Roles within the Tenement
Sweatshop > Seasonality in the Garment Industry > Contemporary
Sweatshops > Triangle Shirtwaist FactorySeasonality in the Garment Industry
Generally the garment industry responded to the seasonality
of the fashion industry, in which there was a "high"
and a "slack" season. (Researchers for the sourcebook
were unable to determine whether the seasons of the garment
industry adhered to the actual calendar months, or followed
only the trends of supply and demand.) During the high season
contractors forced workers to labor for even longer hours than
usual, in order to meet the demand that had been created by
the issue of the latest fashion. During the slack season, sweatshop
workers would find themselves jobless or sitting around idle,
unable to earn wages because a lack of pieces that they could
complete.
