About the Author

Maxine Bedat is the founder and director of New Standard Institute, a think and do tank dedicated to turning the fashion industry into a force for good. She is a former lawyer and the founder of Zady. She is an ambassador at the Rainforest Alliance and has spoken at the World Economic Forum, the United Nations, and the Clinton Global Initiative.

Reviews

"A sharp angle on the hot topics of globalisation and sustainability, seen through the "biography" of a pair of jeans. Bédat illustrates the environmental, economic and social pressures building up in the global fashion and garment industry and uncovers the unseen consequences of our thoughtless shopping choices." 
FINANCIAL TIMES, BEST BOOKS OF 2021, BUSINESS

"Required reading for the conscientious."
BILL MCKIBBEN, AUTHOR OF THE END OF NATURE AND NEW YORKER WRITER

“Unraveled is at once fascinating and disturbing. Read it before you buy a new pair of jeans, or anything else, for that matter. It will forever change the way you look at fashion.”
ELIZABETH KOLBERT, AUTHOR OF THE SIXTH EXTINCTION AND NEW YORKER WRITER

“Unraveled is a book for our times. Impeccably researched, with vivid storytelling, it eloquently uses the fashion industry as a metaphor for a new system of moral capitalism that putspeople and planet first.”
PAUL POLMAN, FORMER CEO OF UNILEVER, VICE-CHAIR OF UN GLOBAL COMPACT

“Unraveled is fantastic and important. This book will open your eyes to how the fashion industry perpetuates inequality and introduce you to ways we can all rise—together.”
AJA BARBER, WRITER AND CONSULTANT

“For anyone who cares about the well-being of people and planet, this book should be on your reading list. Bédat illustrates the very real complexities that exist within the apparel supply chain that contribute to why our current efforts to achieve ‘sustainability’ continue tofall short but offers practical suggestions that give us hope for positive change.”
EILEEN FISHER, FOUNDER AND CEO OF EILEEN FISHER, INC.

“Breathtaking insights into the inner workings of our contemporary world. In charting the unsavory consequences of our consumption, Bédat’s gripping narrative introduces us to a world of textile production that is both socially unsustainable and hazardous to the environment.A powerful and deeply disturbing book, an urgent call to action.”
SVEN BECKERT, LAIRD BELL PROFESSOR OF HISTORY AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY, AUTHOR OF EMPIRE OF COTTON

“Unraveled forces us to confront the history of our connection to our wardrobes in language that is at once easy to grasp and necessary to confront. Bédat provides the framework for us to balance a personal reckoning with the systemic shifts that must occur to save the fashion industry from the worst parts of itself. Whether you are an avid shopper or a critic of consumerism, this book holds truth for you.”
TABITHA ST. BERNARD-JACOBS, WOMEN’S MARCH ORGANIZER

“A clear-eyed story of unchecked corporate power, rampant consumerism, and unregulated industry that goes far beyond fashion. This is a blueprint to change all that’s wrong with our unequal and unsustainable modern world.”
ELIZABETH CLINE, AUTHOR OF OVERDRESSED

“An absolute must read, particularly for those of us who take so much joy in getting dressed.”
EMILY FARRA, SENIOR FASHION NEWS WRITER AT VOGUE