THE GEOGRAPHY OF CLOTHING PRODUCTION IN INDONESIA: DEVELOPMENTS IN TIME AND SPACE

Abstract

The global geography of clothing production has been largely influenced by labor-cost differences and the trade restricting policy framework of the Multi Fibre Arrangement. Although policy and geographic labor cost differences can influence the spatial pattern of clothing production on a national scale, factors such as infrastructure and proximity to final consumer markets can have significant impacts on geographies of clothing production. This is particularly the case in large developing countries such as Indonesia. Therefore, this paper aims to explore the geography of clothing production in Indonesia within a time-space analysis. This includes a general analysis of national industrialization policies on clothing production and the growth of this particular sector on a national scale. However, the main focus of this paper will be to analyze clothing production activities in Java, Bali and Sumatra since these three islands are the only significant locations for industrial clothing manufacturing activities in Indonesia.