I am going on a global quest to answer the question: Where am I wearing?
Check the label on the shirt you are wearing. Where was it MADE? China? Indonesia? Macau? Chances are it’s somewhere you’ve never been. You may not even be able to place it on a map. Do you wonder what the country is like? Who made your shirt?
Read the tag. Let your mind wonder. That’s what I do. My feet are about to follow.
A pile of unfolded laundry has set my course:
• T-shirt: MADE IN HONDURAS
• Blue Jeans: MADE IN CAMBODIA
• Boxers: MADE IN BANGLADESH
• Lucky shorts MADE IN USA
And no list of where I wear could be complete if I didn’t include the staple of my wardrobe:
• Flip-Flops: MADE IN CHINA
I will visit these countries seeing what there is to see; doing what there is to do. Once I have a feel for the country, I’ll seek the factory where the item of clothing was made and, ultimately, the people who made it.
And then I’ll tell their story.
WHY?
I’m doing this to explore the global marketplace while bridging the ever-widening gap between producer and consumer. That, and because putting myself in random situations and trying not to look like a complete fool makes for great writing fodder. And great writing fodder helps put food on my table.
I’m a freelance writer that has contributed to publications such as the Christian Science Monitor, Transitions Abroad, the World Vision Report (Radio program), and of course BootsnAll. To read some of my writing visit www.travelin-light.com or my other blog Touron Talk.
HOW?
I’ve already completed the Honduras portion of my quest. It was a kind of trial to see if the quest was worth pursuing.
It is.
This spring I will complete the quest by visiting the factories in Dhaka (Bangladesh) Guangzhou (China) Phnom Penh (Cambodia) and finally the factory that made my lucky shorts in the USA.
I will work with local university students and labor rights organizations to establish contacts with the factory and/or workers.