Giulia Mensitieri Exposes Fashion's Exploitation in New Graphic Novel 'La mode : le plus beau métier du monde'
On October 1, 2026, anthropologist Giulia Mensitieri, alongside illustrator Dani Collaterale, launched a graphic novel titled La mode : le plus beau métier du monde, published by Éditions La Découverte and Delcourt. The work delves into the concealed labor conditions prevalent in the fashion sector, which Mensitieri refers to as a "condensé du capitalisme." In an interview with RFI on October 7, 2026, she highlighted the disparity in wealth distribution impacting garment workers, models, and embroiderers, many of whom are unpaid or compensated with products. She condemned exploitative situations in places like Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya and within the Fédération de la haute couture et de la mode, asserting that similar injustices are found in fields such as journalism, cinema, music, video games, and architecture, advocating for fair compensation to diminish the wealth of the ultra-rich.
Key facts
- Giulia Mensitieri published 'La mode : le plus beau métier du monde' with Dani Collaterale on October 1, 2026, via La Découverte/Delcourt.
- The graphic novel exposes exploitation in fashion, including unpaid or underpaid models and garment workers.
- Models often incur debt as agencies advance expenses for flights, visas, and housing, a practice Mensitieri calls illegal.
- Casting in refugee camps like Kakuma, Kenya, targets Sudanese women; one model, Nyabalang, was returned with debt.
- Mensitieri argues fashion operates on an economy of promise and prestige, not just money.
- The Fédération de la haute couture et de la mode is a employers' union, not a workers' advocate.
- Bernard Arnault of LVMH is cited as an example of fashion's political and economic power in France.
- Mensitieri claims exploitation is central to capitalism, affecting sectors like journalism, cinema, and architecture.
Entities
Artists
- Giulia Mensitieri
- Dani Collaterale
- Bernard Arnault
- Nyabalang
Institutions
- La Découverte
- Delcourt
- RFI
- Fédération de la haute couture et de la mode
- LVMH
Locations
- Paris
- France
- Kakuma
- Kenya
- Europe