Status markets and standard markets in the global garment industry

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the social construction of order in two adjacent markets in the production flow of the global garment industry. The consumer market is identified as a status market, while the production market is defined as a "standardʺ market. In a status market, order is maintained because the identities of actors on both sides of the market are ranked according to status, which is a more entrenched social construction than the commodity traded in the market. In a market characterized by standard the situation is reversed: the commodity is a more entrenched social construction than the identity rankings of actors in the market. The study ties together production and consumption through an analysis of commodities in the market. The results are based on extensive fieldwork and interviews, as well as textual material from four countries: India, Sweden, Turkey and the UK.