I was truly amazed today when we out shopping. We were on the search for a great pair of jeans. We looked at so many stores, and on our search found lots and lots of jeans... really expensive jeans. Every pair of jeans I picked up, I looked for the label; something I have not done before. The most expensive pairs of jeans were made in countries like Mexico, China, Sri Lanka and so on. Although I'm truly not educated on the labour laws and working conditions in these countries, neither one of us could understand why these clothes were priced at $260, $240 and $150 when some of these countries are considered third world. Even jeans we thought were made by a Canadian company were made in China. The scary thing is that our consuming society will pay $260 for one piece of clothing... a piece of clothing made in a third world country. Again, I've just started to educate myself, but one thing I know for sure is that that $260 for a piece of designer clothing is not going to the people who made it - it's going to the designers who live in a first world country.
Check out and read more on the International Labour Organization website. It's linked under the heading Knowledge is Power.
I also added a mini movie on Child Labour under the same heading. It is a MUST SEE!
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How is it that nothing I am wearing right now was made on Canadian soil? And only I am to blame for this.
The bulk of what our home contains was made in China, but not only there. The countries on my closet include Thailand, India, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Turkey, Korea, Taiwan, Mexico, Guatemala, even Losotho in South Aftrica (a place I admit I did not know but when googled, the first thing that comes up is a headline reading "Famine in Losotho").
In the 30 mins. I spent riding our closet (and I did not get through everything) I came across only 12 items whose labels read Made in Canada. The most (5 items) were from Tristan & Iseut- although I also found other items by them made in other countries- only 1 item from Smart Set (and I shop there often for the "affordable" clothes), 1 item from Fidel, a Montreal company, and the remaining 5 items were by small, random Canadian designers.
Is that the way to go? What can we really call "affordable"? Can we "afford" to allow children to be bonded in to labor, or support comanies who employ migrant labourers to work for close to nothing under inhumane conditions?
It may be what we consider less "affordablle" to buy locally, but what are we really contributing to if we go the other way?
"Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it."- Mahatma Gandhi
Does anyone have other specific suggestions for some really good local businesses they've come across? I just had coffee at Pane from Heaven on Cypress in Kitsilano and they serve fair trade coffee, locally baked goods, sandwiches, etc. My neighbor also knows the owners because their kids go to the school where my neighbor works.
The best thing to do is to ask. Its amazing when you ask around to friends, collegues, and family, what information you can find out. I know that Bean Around the World on Main is locally own, and bake all their own goods. They also carry fair trade coffee. Another good coffee place is Continental Coffee on Commercial Drive. There are lots of locally owned businesses in Vancouver that are trying to do the right thing. It is our responsibility as consumers to ask the questions, and choose wisely..... xoxoxo
You know what I found that really sad that those jeans cost that much and look it who makes them. I can see if the people who were making them got paid good money but you guys are probably right. So where do you find places that make jeans in Canada or even the US
I'm currently on the search for a company or companies who make their jeans here in Canada or in the US. Let me tell you, they're not easy to find.
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