From Flagship Store to Factory: Tracing the Spaces of Transnational Clothing Production in Istanbul

Abstract

The globalized production of consumer goods and its specific settings and circulation routes have not yet played a significant role in research into the effects of globalization on cities and urban built structures – although industrial production for the world market is obviously shaping urban environments in newly industrialized countries across the globe. This article examines global commodity chains as an integral strand of urban research, in particular, by tracing a transnational production chain in the clothing industry and investigating the urban setting and architectural profile of selected stations thereof – from sites of clothing retail in Berlin to sites of wholesale, clothing production and home-based work in Istanbul and beyond. Aspects of representation and visibility are a primary focus: How does the position of a certain production step within the value chain correspond to its material presence in the city and the representative function of its architecture? Following commodities along their transnational production and trading routes offers a new perspective on globalization and the urban built environment. It reveals translocal connections between various urban places and exposes the spatial logic of a hierarchical production system.