Made in the USA. What does that really mean?

I have always wanted to make a documentary about this. The documentary starts out with a person walking down the street. As we zoom in on what they are wearing. We zoom in on the shirt.  Then we cut to the person buying the shirt. We trace back how that shirt ended up in the store, all the way back to the factory where it was made. How many people did it take to make that shirt. What kind of conditions was it sewn in. Was the person treated well who sewed the shirt. Did they get paid a fair wage? What environmental impact does this item have on the planet. ETC ... Maybe one day we will have an APP for that. Wouldn't it be awesome to see that before we bought something. Many think made in China is bad, unless it is their iPhone, that's okay. I understand why so many  Americans have this mentality about China. Our economy is hurting, many jobs have gone overseas and with so many out of work we need to blame someone or something.  However,  good paying apparel manufacturing jobs left the USA a long time ago and what replaced them was fast fashion factories. The majority of apparel manufacturing in the USA means made by illegal immigrants in poor working conditions getting unfair pay.

Manufacturing is difficult. Whether you’re a small hand craft business or a huge corporation, producing something and getting it to market is challenging and very competitive. I started out hand sewing each bungalow360 bag. I was selling at local craft fairs and farmers markets for many years. When I started getting interest from stores, I found myself sewing from 8 am - 10 pm to fill the orders. I know first hand how painful and exhausting and boring sewing work is when you are sewing 60 units of the same thing. Soon I was no longer able to sew enough bags myself and I had to get help. I knew of a bunch of factories in LA but my biggest concerns were sweatshops and quality.  I found a group in Los Angeles that was against sweatshops. I emailed them and asked for a list of non-sweatshop factories in the LA area. They replied: “there is no such thing”. I went and explored the factories in LA and contracted some of them who claimed not to be a sweatshop. They all say they are not. What I found was very disturbing. The working conditions and pay are awful. Most are illegal immigrants who are Hispanic or Korean, many are teenagers. The manufacturers exploit illegal immigrants for higher profits because they can.  With fast fashion companies driving down prices and the public loving it, I don’t see and end to this type of manufacturing anytime soon. What’s ironic is that the workmanship and working conditions are better in China.

There is one company who I thought had figured it out, American Apparel. I had visited their factory many times when I was making T-shirts. American Apparel is one of the largest t-shirt manufactures in the US. This isn’t your typical factory and not just because the building is pink. The employees seemed happy on my visits. I heard they paid well and that they have very good working conditions. Just recently I saw that they are having financial troubles due to loosing around 2,000 undocumented workers, the majority of their work force. When you see the lines of unemployed people in America you would think there would have been a line around the corner to fill these jobs. That did not happen. Many Americans don’t want these jobs. I wish the laws where different and a company like American Apparel could have kept their workforce somehow integrated there employees into becoming legal citizens. Another recent example happened in Georgia, they made the laws very strict on immigration and most of the immigrants fled the state. The majority being  illegal farm workers. Then they found that they couldn't get anyone to  pick the food and the crops began to rot. They eventually brought in prisoners to pick the crop. Americans don't want certain jobs.  I have no doubt Americans want to work, just not low paying hard labor jobs. How many college students do you know going to college to become a factory worker?

Our factory: We have used the same family to oversee manufacturing in China since we started making our bags there. I enjoy doing business with them and I am thankful for what they do. They have helped us grow our business. The workers are proud to have manufacturing  jobs. It is very respectable in China. They are allowed naps, lunches and even have Karaoke nights. I am more concerned about the how then the where. We are one planet, one world, one people. We are all interconnected. We can all learn from each other. It is a global economy, not us against them. If the USA fails, China fails, if China fails, the USA  fails. I am for letting Americans do what they do best: design and create and letting China do what they do best.

It is hard to not use products from China. My sewing machine, thread and fabric all are made in China. I support local business and buying local.  However, you have to put some perspective on it all.  And for the ones who say "I don't buy made in China items because they occupy Tibet”, the US occupies foreign countries.  If you don't buy “Made in China” items how do you live? .... Okay, just got another idea for a documentary. Let’s show someone living in the USA that doesn't buy ANYTHING made in China or a by-product of China and the Amish don't count.