HBO released the television series, “How to make it in America” in 2010. The basic plot of the show is two friends who grew up in New York City try and “make it” in the NYC fashion scene. One of the greatest privileges I have by living in the USA is the opportunity to “make it”. But, that’s a different blog post for another day.
Yesterday, I blogged about kickstarter. A web service, that helps budding entrepreneurs raise funding for their projects or products. After spending some time on the site last night. I came across my favorite product thus far, Flint & Tinder. It’s a underwear product that is…wait for it….made in America. I love this for a lot of reasons. But, mainly because it is easier to monitor working conditions in the manufacturing process and maintain integrity across the supply chain! See, nothing we purchase is innately cheap. Somebody or something pays a price for it somewhere. We need to be responsible consumers and ask questions of their origin stories. Lately, it’s been wildly popular to do this with food, but I see this trend making it’s way into textile products as well.
Currently, there is no underwear being made in America! Should we only buy products made in America? Yes or No? What are the pros and cons of buying products only made in America? Also, be sure to chime in on the poll below.
Check out Flint & Tinder. If it catches your fancy, support them with a couple bucks and get some great underwear in return!
I’m on the fence, because I REALLY like my current underwear (amazing quality, material, construction, and feel), and they’re cheap ($5 a pair or less from Costco). I also have a ton of clothes, which means I don’t have to do laundry super often, which means I have a ton of underwear. I’m tempted by the Flint & Tinder though, because it does sound great, and isn’t that much more, and is sustainably made. I think they’ll do well targeting designer underwear though, because it is absurd that some places charge $30 for a pair of underwear made in China for $1.
I also constantly go back and forth on whether I should care about where the stuff I buy is made. I’ve been in some developing countries, and even the most basic jobs mean so much to them. It literally could be life or death for them or their families (whether it’s for basic medical care, clean water, quality food, or education for their children). Also, the more competition there is for workers in China, the better those workers will need to be paid/treated (you can see that in China, where wages are increasing dramatically every year). At the same time, I see [some] American workers that constantly complain about the smallest inconveniences of their job, put in the bare minimum of effort, and sometimes actively cause problems through poor habits or lack of caring. On the other hand, part of the problems with American workers are caused by companies treating their workers terribly, no matter where they are. They treat their employees worse and worse (whether it’s actual abuse, or just negligent management), ending up with worse and worse employees, until eventually they “need” to go abroad. I could go on and on and on…. I think it’s something that any person in the larger business community does (or should) struggle with, if they’re aware of what’s going on around them.