Faculty Abigail Glaum-Lathbury Discusses Ethically Produced Fashion

The exploitation of workers in sewing factories remains persistent in the fast-fashion industry. Abigail Glaum-Lathbury (BFA 2006), assistant professor in Fashion Design, has been working with Blue Tin Production, a cooperative of women from domestic violence shelters, community centers, and resettlement organizations in Chicago who are skilled at sewing. Established by Hoda Katebi, an Iranian-American fashion blogger, the cooperative aims to both ethically produce a gender-neutral fashion line and support the women. Against the grain of fast fashion, Glaum-Lathbury assists in evaluating the production costs and designs for Blue Tin. Commenting on the ambiguity behind who makes shirts for retailers, Glaum-Lathbury says that, “Blue Tin helps demystify the product.” According to the article on Christian Science Monitor, "Their model upends traditional generational roles and production models."