The Garment Industry was booming in the 1980s to 1990s, as thousands of Chinese immigrants came to New York to work in these clothing factories. However, the business could not continue as time went on. Many different factors took part in the decline of the Garment Industry, ranging from the change in immigration to the tragic destruction of 9/11.
The Garment industry was hugely dependent on immigration from China, supply the businesses with talented employees who can work long hours in the clothing factories. However, immigration became much easier, allowing for younger Chinese people to enter New York and America. With the influx in younger Chinese people, there were less and less workers who were efficient with making clothes. The newer Chinese immigrants wanted to explore their options, like find an office job, instead of working long hours in a factory for low pay. Many current employees would start to retire and the factory owners would be unable to find any sort of replacement.
The largest cause for the decline of the Garment Industry was 9/11. 9/11 was a huge disaster for the business because it stunted their productivity immensely. A lot of employees were located outside of Chinatown, where majority of the factories were. After 9/11, many modes of transportation were closed and not running, meaning that thousands of factory workers were unable to go into work. The sudden shortage of employees meant that many businesses were able to keep up with their order fulfillment to the large companies. That inability to produce products for the large retailers ruined their reputation, as many companies began to outsource their clothing.
In a year, hundreds of garment factories started shutting down because of the lack of business. The industry was no longer as successful as the 1980s. Thousands of hard working Chinese immigrants would have to find another job to support their families.
Read more about the Chinese Garment Industry here:
Citation:
Chin, Margaret May. Sewing Women: Immigrants and the New York City Garment Industry. New York: Columbia UP, 2005. Print.