Alpha Consumer

Podcast: How Our Clothes Are Made

By Kimberly Palmer

Posted: December 3, 2008

LISTEN NOW: Where Do Clothes Come From?

For this week's Alpha Consumer Podcast, I interviewed Kelsey Timmerman, author of Where Am I Wearing? A Global Tour to the Countries, Factories, and People That Make Our Clothes. He visited Honduras, Bangladesh, Cambodia, and other countries on his quest to figure out just how and where his clothes were made. On the podcast, you'll learn why he doesn't like the term "sweatshops," whether you should be protesting outside big-box stores, and why Timmerman says he's not always opposed to child labor.

You can also pick up the Alpha Consumer Tip of the Week on how you can find out where your own clothes come from. For more information, check out Timmerman's website.

Where AM I Wearing in American/ Sweat Shops

I feel that The writer contradicted herself and her book. All that you have to say is that you should not buy clothes made in sweat shops because your supporting abuse and in a sense slavery. Sympathising with sweat shop labor really should not be done. I do agree however that this problem is much larger than slave labour, the origins of this situation begins with these countries governments. The U.S. should not be involved with communist countries, these governments are left unchecked and allow this to happen to their own people while they live in luxury. Now each person who has listened or read an article on sweat shops has to make a choice to either continue and ignore what is happening (simply because it is not happening to us and our families) or make a stand and by items that are made in the U.S.

John of NM @ Jun 06, 2009 03:31:33 AM

The key to our "protesting" should be about whether corporations both here and abroad are walking off with the lion's share of our dollars. We should hope for maximum positive impact to workers in whatever we choose to buy. If, for instance, the designer's name is worth three times the labor expended, we're being silly.

of @ Dec 03, 2008 12:39:57 PM

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Alpha Consumer

Alpha Consumer

Kimberly Palmer, senior editor for U.S. News & World Report, writes about how to save money, avoid scams, manage debt, and be a savvy shopper. Send your personal finance questions to her for expert money advice.


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