Where am I Wearing?: A Global Tour to the Countries, Factories, and People That Make Our Clothes

Timmerman is still married to Annie. However, in 2009, Adidas moved its production overseas, resulting in 100 job losses at ACO.

In November 2011, Timmerman returns to Honduras and meets Amilcar’s mother. He gives her a copy of Where Am I Wearing? pointing out the dedication to Amilcar and his other interviewees. Amilcar’s sister, Karla, works at a garment factory, earning $54 to $65 a week. Although this wage is higher than in other Central American countries, a 2010 study concluded that over seven million Hondurans did not make enough to meet their basic needs. Many workers have formed unions, but Karla has not joined one since she fears that it will harm her employment prospects. Timmerman learns that Amilcar has children but now lives in California after making the journey through Guatemala and Mexico.

Karla takes Timmerman to her home village and introduces him to Amilcar’s daughters and their mother, Jolanis. Jolanis reveals that she and Amilcar were childhood sweethearts but separated due to his drinking. He sends them money every month from California, and Jolanis wants him to return so that they can reconcile. She hands Timmerman a letter to give to Amilcar.

In 2007, Amilcar made the 2,000-mile journey from Honduras to the United States. He traveled with two friends and his cousin Edwin. Migrants are a target of drug cartels, and on the first night of the journey, robbers broke into his hotel room and stole his money at knifepoint. Amilcar’s dangerous journey involved running and jumping onto a high-speed train known as “the Beast”—a feat from which many migrants are killed or lose limbs. He also trekked across the Mexican desert. On crossing the border, Amilcar became one of the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants in the United States.

Timmerman meets Amilcar at a gas station in California. Amilcar reveals that he has a pregnant American wife, Mayra. On arriving in the United States, he shared a small house with three other men and worked at a granite countertop factory. He then became the manager of a shoe store. The job paid for the construction of the $8,000 home where Jolanis and his daughters live, but the shoe store closed down. Four years after entering the country, he faced imminent deportation but became a legal citizen when he married Mayra. After hurting his back, Amilcar now lives on his disability check and what he earns as a mobile shoe salesman. The couple shares an apartment with Mayra’s uncle. Amilcar admits that Jolanis does not know about Mayra.

Timmerman, who is also now a father, shows Amilcar the pictures he took of Amilcar’s family while in Honduras. They have a photograph taken together, and Timmerman gives Amilcar the letter from Jolanis.

Timmerman visits Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to see Bethlehem Tilahun, the founder of the shoe company SoleRebels. She shows him around the factory situated in her house and explains that the shoes are made from old uniforms and recycled flat tires. SoleRebels has 330 employees and exports to 14 countries. The workers have health insurance, maternity leave, and a fund enabling their children to attend school.

Timmerman argues that poverty is the root of the garment industry’s ethical problems. The desperation of apparel workers gives them few options. He suggests that the industry needs more businesses like SoleRebels that empower local people. For instance, if workers can send their children to school, future generations have a route out of poverty. A similar example is the brand Alta Gracia, based in the Dominican Republic, which manufactures T-shirts and sweatshirts for university bookstores. The workers are paid three times more than the average wage in the country, and visitors are welcome at the factory. Timmerman points out that the success of such companies depends on Western consumers caring enough to pay more for products. He asserts that the distance between producers and consumers must be bridged to make this happen.

The author provides an example of bridging the producer-consumer gap. In 2008, an American discovered a photograph of a Chinese factory worker downloaded on his new iPhone. The image went viral when he posted the picture of the smiling Chinese woman giving a peace sign. An international quest to discover the identity of “iPhone girl” began, and she was located in the Foxconn factory in Shenzhen. Timmerman argues that the desire for a connection between buyers and producers is illustrated in the growing popularity of farmers’ markets and online stores where products are bought directly from the maker. However, most large companies want to maintain “the producer-consumer divide” (256).

Research indicates that at least a third of buyers are prepared to pay more for products made under fair working conditions. Nevertheless, Timmerman asserts that it is almost impossible to know if one is shopping ethically when buying off the rack from a clothing store. Consequently, Timmerman argues that clear labeling is needed. In response to public demand, a labeling system is being developed to show a garment’s environmental impact. He suggests that a similar system should be devised to reflect labor practices. However, to do so, people must first define “good” working conditions and decide how standards are enforced.

Timmerman suggests that the current perception of all overseas factories as sweatshops makes improvements to the industry seem impossible. Efforts to improve workers’ conditions are rarely highlighted, and wages are not contextualized within a country’s economy. He argues that consumers must recognize that garment workers need to keep their jobs while also being treated fairly.

Timmerman encourages readers to think more deeply about what sort of consumer they want to be. Some may seek the lowest price regardless of how the workers are treated. Others may boycott outsourced clothing and buy only from All American Clothing. “Low-impact” consumers buy secondhand or make their own clothes. Meanwhile, consumers concerned with the welfare of overseas workers can purchase ethically from retailers like Maggie’s Organics/Clean Clothes. Timmerman admits that until he began his book, he was not “an engaged consumer” (262). Now, before buying, he researches a company, assessing its production methods, monitoring processes, transparency, and ethical policies. Patagonia Inc. is an exemplar of transparency, with an online feature where products can be traced from their raw materials to manufacture and distribution. Timmerman advises readers to start examining the tags of their existing clothes and research ethical brands. He also encourages individuals to pressure the institutions with which they are involved to support ethical companies.

The book concludes by arguing that everyone is affected by globalization since the local cannot be separated from the global. Timmerman advocates becoming a “glocal”—a good global and local citizen. In addition to being mindful of his global impact, he has endeavored to become a better local citizen by volunteering to help the poorest people in his community. He asserts that wealthy societies like the United States have a responsibility to help less privileged developing nations. While globalization cannot be prevented, individuals can control their own impact on the world.