# Sixty million people make the world's clothes. Most of the risk sits with them. > Asia's garment sector employs around 60 million workers and produces over half of global clothing exports. The ILO's own assessment of conditions is blunt. - **Publisher:** VOTVS (Fair coverage for everyone) — https://votvs.com - **Author:** VOTVS - **Published:** 2026-08-17 - **Language:** en - **Topic:** Labour - **Canonical URL:** https://votvs.com/tr/articles/who-makes-your-clothes - **Tags:** labour, garment industry, supply chains - **Facts last verified:** 17 August 2026 --- The clothes you are wearing were almost certainly made in Asia. According to the International Labour Organization, the region's garment sector **employs some 60 million workers** and accounts for **55 per cent of global textiles and clothing exports**. That figure is from an ILO assessment published in June 2022 and remains the standard reference for the sector's scale. We flag the date because the industry moves, and because a number worth quoting is worth dating. ## What the ILO says about conditions That is the ILO's own description of the sector it monitors: - **"Long and intense working hours"** - **"Poor occupational safety and health"** - Violations of fundamental rights across the industry - **Women overrepresented among the sector's low-paid workers** The ILO also records a pattern worth sitting with: the countries with the **lowest share of female workers** show **among the highest gender pay gaps**. Fewer women in the workforce does not mean better conditions for the women who are in it. ## The structure that produces this Garment supply chains are organised so that the commercial risk sits at the bottom. A brand places an order at a price and a deadline. A supplier accepts both. If the order is late, the supplier absorbs the penalty. If demand collapses, the order is cancelled. The supplier's flexibility comes from the only cost it controls: hours worked, wages paid, and how much is spent on the building. Overtime and safety are not incidental failures of that system. They are how the flexibility is delivered. ## Sources - Asia still garment factory of the world, yet faces numerous challenges — International Labour Organization (ILO), 24 June 2022. https://www.ilo.org/resource/news/asia-still-garment-factory-world-yet-faces-numerous-challenges-industry - Decent Work Challenges and Opportunities in the Textiles and Clothing Sector — ILO, March 2025. https://www.ilo.org/publications/decent-work-challenges-and-opportunities-textiles-and-clothing-sector - Textiles, apparel, leather and related products — sector overview — ILO. https://www.ilo.org/topics-and-sectors/industries-and-sectors/textiles-apparel-leather-and-related-products - Wages and working conditions in and out of global supply chains — ILO. https://www.ilo.org/media/418221/download --- Published by VOTVS. Free to quote with attribution and a link to https://votvs.com/tr/articles/who-makes-your-clothes.