Busboys and Poets Books Presents WORN OUT
Date and Time
Oct 30, 2022 6:00 pm
Location
14th & V
Oct 30, 2022 6:00 pm
14th & V
Busboys and Poets Books Presents WORN OUT
Join us to learn inside facts about the clothing and fashion industry, as well as what real change looks like.
Author Aylssa Hardy examines the underside of our historic clothing binge and the fashion industry’s fall from grace. Former InStyle senior news editor and seasoned journalist Alyssa Hardy’s riveting work explores the lives of the millions of garment workers—mostly women of color—who toil in the fashion industry around the world—from LA-based sweatshop employees who experience sexual abuse while stitching clothes for H&M, Fashion Nova, and Levi’s to “homeworkers” in Indonesia who are unknowingly given carcinogenic materials to work with. Worn Out exposes the complicity of celebrities whose endorsements obscure the exploitation behind major brands and also includes interviews with designers such as Mara Hoffman. Mara’s business models are based on ethical production standards.
Hardy believes in the personal, political, and cultural place fashion has in our lives, from seed to sew to closet, and that it is still okay to indulge in its glitz and glamour. But the time has come, she argues, to force real change on an industry that prefers to keep its dark side behind the runway curtain. The perfect book for people who are passionate about clothing and style, Worn Out seeks to engage in a real conversation about who gets harmed by fast fashion—and offers meaningful solutions for change.
Alyssa is joining on the Busboys and Poets stage to discuss her new book. She will be joined in conversation by Mekita Rivas. This event is free and open to all. Our program begins at 6:00 pm, and will be followed by an audience Q&A. Copies of WORN OUT will be available for purchase before and during the event. Please note that this event will not be livestreamed.
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Alyssa Hardy lives in New York City and is former senior news editor at InStyle and fashion news editor at Teen Vogue. She is the publisher of “This Stuff,” a twice-weekly fashion newsletter. Her work has been featured in Vogue, NYLON, Refinery29, Fashionista, and elsewhere.
Mekita Rivas is a freelance journalist who primarily covers culture, style, and politics through the lens of gender, race, and ethnicity. Her work has been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, and others. She is currently a contributing senior fashion editor at PopSugar and a contributing editor at Cosmopolitan. She lives in Washington, D.C.