My main objective is to show, on the example of Paris, why is it that precisely immigrants become providers of flexibility in the garment manufacturing in that city and how does the system function. The reference to Berlin for comparison, has a double purpose: first it is a control case which...

In spite of profound industrial restructuring and access to technological innovations in various stages in the garment trades, in production, outdated industrial structures, homeworking and 19th century working conditions still exist in Paris. This paper focuses on these traditional structures...