Dh was in desperate need of some work clothes, we've been budgeting for it as we knew it would be an expense for the fall, and to make the most of our wee budget we of course went to TJMaxx, one of our favourite pre-China-free stores.
I wandered around in the kids toy section with the boys while B looked for some clothing. My goal was to find anything not MIC (Made-in-China). Success! ONE book about Lightning McQueen which was "manufactured in Mexico" (am I a conspiracy theorist? why does "manufactured" make me suspicious... ) and to my absolute JOY I discovered that every single book by Sandra Boynton was "Made in USA". We LOVE Boynton in our house and this is going to help out a lot to know that her stuff isn't on the MIClist.
Back to the clothes shopping however.... funny how I so rarely read the label on clothing.... there was a hefty Asian contingent in the men's shirt department. Vietnam was pretty popular as was of course our good friend China. Thailand made some appearances as did India, Korea and Indonesia.
I would say our foray was about 75% successful. Certainly it was much easier to avoid China, but of course then you're just going to other Asian countries which may or may not have better work standards, and still face the same environmental concerns. One of his shirts was by Luciano Ceccarelli - guess where that was made. ;-) We couldn't find a single thing made domestically in the dress shirts and pants department. We couldn't find a single tie not made in China, either. Looking for some options in that regard.
So, we're not batting 100%. But luckily for us this isn't about achieving absolute perfection. :-) This was a real eyeopener and really showed me how difficult finding locally or at least domestically made clothing is going to be. But we shall find it! (with your help, dear readers! please post your tips and links in the comments section)
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6 comments:
OMG! How are you going to do this? I'd say concentrate on toys Krista. Clothes? Cheap clothes no less? Here's a sampling from my closet:
Foxmen polo: Made in China
Old Navy polo: Made in Pakistan
Old Navy T-shirt: MIC
Gap shorts: Indonesia
Fruit of the Loom Tee: Mexico
Urban Renewal Tee (brand sold at Urban Outfitters): USA
Coca-Cola brand Tee: USA
Old Navy Jeans: Sri Lanka (that's just so wrong)I'll bet you Levi's are still made in USA
Banana Republic pants: India
Banana Republic button-up shirt: Hong Kong
BDg Zip-up sweater: Taiwan, finish in China
There seems to be no escape, unless you want to give up GAP, Banana Republic, and Old Navy (all the same company, but that's the way it goes). You could try Eddie Bauer maybe, but that will probably stretch the budget too far. You might have a better shot at Urban Outfitters, but who knows if you can find work-appropriate clothing there.
Hey I didn't say it would be easy. ;-) The most likely consequence of this will be: we buy less.
But your post inspired me to google a bit and I came up with this:
http://www.usstuff.com/shirtdrs.htm
I'll be adding that to my list very soon. :-) And I'm going to check on Levi's for sure.
Try shopping at Goodwill, Salvation Army, or St. Vincent De Paul ("thrift stores") in one of the more upscale neighborhoods. Try Loveland (I know there is a Goodwill there), or poke around Kenwood. You'd be surprised what people give away. Matt has found some really good buys on men's clothing (like Docker's, Eddie Bauer, etc.).
While you may not be successful in avoiding the MIC dilemma, you at least aren't directly paying for items that are MIC. Plus, the money made at these resale shops goes to the charity. I'm pretty sure the money from SVDP goes to serve the needy in nearby communities.
I'd suggest that ties probably aren't hard to sew, but I know what would happen to that suggestion. :)
I'd suggest that ties probably aren't hard to sew, but I know what would happen to that suggestion. :) Besides, where on earth would you find fabric to sew them out of that wasn't MIC? Especially if you want silk ties (and who doesn't?).
I don't think Levis are made in the United States.
Bills Khakis of which I own several are made in Reading, PA. Often seconds can be found on ebay for not too much money.
As far as shirts - Brooks Brothers are mostly made in NC, except for their non-iron line which I believe is made in Malaysia.
For shoes the only real choices left are Allen Edmonds or Alden. Long-standing American shoe manufacturers such as Cole Haan, Johnston Murphy, and Florsheim have shuttered and gone overseas.
I have personally surrendered trying to find non MIC electronics. They often can't be found at any price made elsewhere.
I would suggest giving up any label that makes you think of a shopping mall. Gap was recently discovered to have kids making kid's clothes. How FUBU!
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