LABOR: Taking Sweat Out of Style

Taking Sweat Out of Style

Her sportswear is renowned for its sexy variations on the sweatshirt, but lately Designer Norma Kamali has been perspiring about her unwanted association with a different fashion tradition: the sweatshop. Last week the New York State department of labor said it had slapped Kamali with a record $10,000 fine for illegally employing workers to cut and sew garments for her at home. It was the first time a big-name designer had been singled out for breaking the state's 1935 sweatshop law. Kamali stopped using the homeworkers, mostly Hispanic and Asian, when state labor officials began in December to look into complaints...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!