Stop Before you Shop!

Forever 21, Urban Outfitters, Free People, Anthropologie, Gap, Nike…the list goes on and on. They are very popular today and carry the must-have clothes for each season, but what is the one dirty secret they all have in common?

You may not think of a cramped, dimly lit factory with little fresh air when you first walk into any of these stores, but the truth behind it is that each of these stores uses or has used sweatshop labor.

Sweatshop labor usually takes place in crowded, dirty and broken down spaces that can prove to be hazardous to the workers.

Usually, workers start early in the morning, have one or two short breaks throughout the day and finish at night, so the average laborer works for about 13 hours a day.

In addition, this kind of labor provides poor pay that is far below minimum wage, causing many families to fall below the poverty line. There also have been reports of physical and verbal abuse, as well as excessive mandatory overtime.

Many of the big brand companies use sweatshops because it is a means for cheap labor. Most sweatshop activity occurs in countries outside of the United States, Canada and Europe. This is because more people from countries in Asia and Latin America are willing to work in sweatshops due to the lack of jobs. They are willing to receive a lower pay over no pay at all. Because of this eagerness to work, people who are already starving and struggling to survive are coerced into taking these jobs to support their families.

That being said, there are still many factories within the United States that use sweatshop labor. Various sweatshops within our borders target illegal immigrants as a labor source because they are willing to take less than minimum wage pay over no pay at all due to their situation.

Gap is an example of a popular brand that is “responsible for a global sweatshop crisis,” as reported by behindthelabel.org.

Gap has had several incidents where its labor force has been questioned.

The most recent case occurred in 2007, when it was revealed that a factory in India was putting children as young as 10 to work for 16 hours a day with no pay. This was not just sweatshop labor; this is slavery.

These children claimed that some men had come into their village and bought the children from their impoverished parents. Once they were taken to the factory, which was broken down and filled with raw sewage from a flooded toilet, they worked. One of the children said that if any of them cried or misbehaved, he or she would be beaten and gagged.

When this was brought to light, the president of Gap closed down this factory, as well as tens of others that used these practices.

Unfortunately, this story does not end with just Gap. These large retail stores own or are owned by other big name brands, so it is most likely that if one brand in a chain of stores uses sweatshop labor, all the other stores do as well.

For instance, Gap operates the stores Banana Republic and Old Navy, which were coincidentally also involved with sweatshop labor in South America and Asia.

Another chain is Urban Outfitters, which operates Free People and Anthropologie. One might consider the irony of a store called Free People using sweatshops, but founder Richard Hayne openly admits and supports sweatshops.

He is quoted saying that his merchandise is produced in sweatshops “just like nearly all of the clothing sold in this country.” Hayne argues that if he had all the clothes made by unionized workers, it would cost too much, and the clothes would be too expensive.

Next stop is Forever 21. This brand has become one of the biggest for teens in the past few years, yet before buying clothes, you probably think more about how cheap everything was than the fact that everything you bought was made by either an illegal Mexican immigrant in an American sweatshop or a child in Asia.

Let’s face the facts. Shirts at Forever 21 go for as cheap as two dollars and $20 is the average maximum on an item. Other than using sweatshop labor, how else can a store sell its products for such a cheap price while still making a profit?

Finally, one of the biggest sweatshop scandals involves one of the most widely known stores, Nike. Nike was accused of sweatshop labor that included young children, but now, the company is closely regulating labor and is saying that it has cleaned up its act.

Most of Presentation athletic wear comes from brands such as Nike. In an interview, athletic director Ms. Mallison told the Voice that the school does not officially have a sweatshop policy, but Presentation would never knowingly order sportswear from a company that uses sweatshop labor.

Bottom line, many popular stores with the clothes girls are dying to get their hands on exploit the labor of impoverished people and young children.

If you are concerned with where you get your clothes, do the research beforehand. To find sweat-free brands or to learn more about the unethical treatment of people around the world, log on to sweatfree.org, veganpeace.com or behindthelabel.org. You will see that there are popular teen stores that many Pres girls frequent, stores such as American Apparel, that do not use sweatshops.

After all, it is hard to find clothes that are not made by sweatshop laborers, but as consumers, we have the power of choice and if we decide wisely, we will see that what we do can make a difference.

Spring Cleaning: What to Give Away

David Wolfe, one of the most revered fashion analysts, recently declared that trends are over. He went on the record saying, “Everything is in fashion!” Recently, the fashion world has been worrying less about items that are popular and focusing more on dressing for your body. Fashionistas are now choosing items from all decades: mixing ‘80s with ‘60s or ‘90s with futuristic. Therefore, if you are looking to clean out the clutter in your closet, don’t worry about the “out” items, instead consider the following:

• Start with the items that don’t fit anymore. Whether we want to admit it or not, our bodies’ change a lot during high school. Hence, anything that is too small or too tight should be the first thing to go.

• Think about cleaning out some of things that have been in your closet, unworn for the past four months. These items are probably not going to be worn in future.

• You might want to go through those items you’ve had for over four years. It is OKAY that you no longer fit into your 8th grade promotion dress. If the items do not have any sentimental value, they probably fit into one of the above categories and should be disregarded.

For all of the decent items you have cleaned out, you can make a dollar or two by selling them to second- hand stores. For anything else, consider donating clothes to shelters or community organizations.

Places to give clothes:

1. Crossroads: There are multiple locations in San Jose where you can sell your clothes. If you sell the clothes for cash, you will get less back than if you are to get a gift card back. They will, also, give you more for designer items and are more lenient on the wear and tear. They will accept anything with a label like GAP, J Crew, Banana Republic, etc. Beware: they are stingy; do not expect that much and do not expect to barter any more out of them.

959 W San Carlos St San Jose, CA 95128

2. Buffalo Exchange: Similar to Crossroads, you can trade or sell clothes at Buffalo Exchange. The company claims that most items go for about $15. It has a reputation for being a little less parsimonious than Crossroads. Any clothes that they do not buy and you do not want to take with you will be donated to a local San Francisco charity.

*for either store, call beforehand and see what they are buying at the moment, that way you can take your most applicable pile of clothes.

1210 Valencia Street San Francisco, CA 94110

1555 Haight Street San Francisco, CA 94117

3. Sacred Heart: If you are not trying to make a dollar off your old rags or they are too tattered to sell, consider Sacred Heart clothes closet.

1381 South 1st Street San Jose, CA 95110-3431

(408) 278-2160

4. Goodwill! Always a family favorite way of riding yourself of old, worn clothing.

3060 Almaden Expy San Jose,CA 95118

(408) 265-5692