2015 2015: UMass Dartmouth professor's new book takes on dirty side of the garment industry

Assistant Public Policy Professor Nikolay Anguelov's "The Dirty Side of the Garment Industry" reveals the hidden costs of fast fashion

UMass Dartmouth Assistant Public Policy Professor Dr. Nikolay Anguelov’s newest book takes on the hidden costs of “fast fashion.” The Dirty Side of the Garment Industry: Fast Fashion and its Negative Impact on Environment and Society, out this month, looks closely into the textile industry as one of the biggest business sectors practicing labor violations and use of environmentally hazardous processes. The book presents an expert overview of the garment industry, highlighting the harsh realities of the environmental and labor problems that are associated with it.

Dr. Anguelov will discuss his new book at an upcoming lecture open to the UMass Dartmouth community October 13, at 4 p.m. at UMass Dartmouth’s Claire T. Carney Library Robert F. Stoico/FirstFed Charitable Foundation Grand Reading Room. The author will discuss how misinformation in apparel advertising cleverly conceals that the manufacturing of clothes is arguably now the most environmentally damaging industrial activity in the world. The presentation will explain how impulse purchasing of fashion and related products has proliferated an industrial psychology without the public noticing it or thinking of it as a negative phenomenon.

‌Professor Anguelov brings together research on cross-cultural communications, fashion advertising and branding, production and supply chain management, and environmental theory to underscore the true cost of our growing consumption of affordable clothes. The new book covers current regulatory policies, both national and international, on production and labor, and the author does not shy away from making recommendations for change. Readers will come away with a detailed, holistic understanding of the garment industry as well as clarity regarding the larger issue of finding balance when it comes to the ethics of consumption.

Professor Anguelov specializes in trade policy, industrial recruitment policy, and regionalization. He has a Ph.D. in Policy Studies with a focus on Rural and Regional Economic Development and an MPA as well as a MS in Applied Economics and Statistics from Clemson University. Dr. Anguelov completed his undergraduate studies at the Fashion Institute of Technology where he earned a double B.S. in International Trade and Advertising Communications and Marketing.  After his undergraduate studies Nick spent a number of years in the private sector as an international trade operative.

The Assistant Public Policy Professor is also the author of Economic Sanctions vs. Soft Power: Lessons from North Korea, Myanmar, and the Middle East, published this summer. The book examines the industrial growth of sanctioned nations in terms of their ability to foster trade partnerships with countries that choose to evade or not comply with sanctions.

UMass Dartmouth distinguishes itself as a vibrant public university actively engaged in personalized teaching and innovative research, and acting as an intellectual catalyst for regional economic, social, and cultural development. UMass Dartmouth's mandate to serve its community is realized through countless partnerships, programs, and other outreach efforts to engage the community, and apply its knowledge to help address local issues and empower others to facilitate change for all.