ABSTRACT
The chapter investigates the impact of institutions on mass fashion workers’ lived experiences. The analysis of interviews shows important differences between Milan and New York.
Concerning job insecurity and workforce turnover, the comparison revealed the “beneficial effects” of the more rigid Italian labor legislation. Indeed, in Italy, fixed-term labor contracts are considered exceptions to open-ended labor relations. They can be used by retailers only with a limited percentage of their employees, who represent the peripheral labor force and who are the ones bearing the burden of job instability. On the contrary, in the US—home of the “employment at will” principle—such instability concerns all the mass fashion workers, and it makes them feel used by managers as replaceable units, negatively impacting their dignity at work. Moreover, workers are constantly worried about not having enough working hours, which are set by supervisors weekly.
If the beneficial constraints translate into better lived experiences of Milan mass fashion salespersons in comparison with New York ones in terms of job insecurity, they seem ineffective as regards the de-skilling trend that has been taking place in the sector. Labor force characteristics matter, making New York workers more vulnerable than their Milan counterparts.
