I tried to buy a bra a few weeks ago. I have to say I'm a fairly simple person, I just want a nude colored bra that isn't made in a sweatshop. There are no other specific criteria. I went to Victoria's Secret, because I have a few bras that I bought there in the past and I was satisfied with them. I've gone to other stores and walked into a fitting room with no less than 15 bras, and not a single one was satisfactory.
I went to Victoria's Secret at Newport Mall and picked out pretty much every bra that came in nude without padding. I took my time browsing, figuring that if I'm going to pay almost $50 for a bra, I'm going to make sure it's a good one. So I get maybe 12 bras, flag down a black suited sales person and walk into a fitting room. Instantly, I realize that I didn't look at the tags on any of the bras. I forgot to check where each bra was made.
So I sigh, realizing that of course, most of these are probably made in some third world country that was devastated by war and is now being devastated by neo-liberalism. I look at the tags, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Macao, Cambodia...you know, hotbeds of Democracy and workers' rights. So...I spent over an hour sorting through and choosing bras, only to have to retrace my steps and put all of the bras back. I went home empty handed. And so now, I still need a bra. American Apparel and a few other places make and sell sweatshop free bras, but they never have underwire. I can't swing underwire free. If anyone reads this and know of someone selling sweatshop free bras, with underwire, I'd appreciate a heads up.
Another problem, jeans. I can't get a frigging pair of decent looking jeans sweatshop free. Sweatshop free companies tend to sell overalls and lumberjack looking jeans. Not my style. American Apparel is supposed to come out with a denim line. Hopefully, sometime in the near future. For now I'll be trolling the aisles of my local Salvation Army looking for old Levi's.
