People of Bottles And Chains, I have a dilemma. I need your help, advice and knowledge.
Bottles And Chains hoodies and t-shirts are very close to being available for pre-order, but I’ve hit somewhat of a snag. Getting hold of sweatshop free gear that’s ideally made in Australia has been a major factor as far as getting things up and running. Previously I’ve used Qualitops gear, which is Australian made and owned, and certified No Sweat Stuff. The garments aren’t bad by any means, but the cut leaves a little to be desired.
For those who lean towards the barrel-chested or erm…squat body shape, then they’re not to bad. For those of us who suffer from puny upper bodies and spindly arms, they aren’t so great.
When it comes to a good cut, Gildan shirts seem to fit the bill perfectly. It’s good quality gear and looks the business. The thing is, they’re not an Australian company and I really can’t seem to figure out if their current clothing production is completely sweatshop free.
So, does anyone know if all the talk on the Gildan website actually means anything, or is it just the usual side-stepping and self-monitoring that most of these big companies do?
More ideally, does anyone know of a good quality, reasonably priced sweat-free clothing manufacturer? Based in Australia would be for the best, but at the moment I’d be happy with anything. American Apparel is no good, as their pricing is just a bit too high.
If you can offer any advice, please e-mail me or leave it in the comments!
The info on the Gildan website sounds like they are legit but I guess you never really know. There is Print Side Up who are Australian and also a good cause. Not sure how they go on pricing though.
Gildan have had strong rumours about their factories in Honduras and Haiti being dodgy as far as workers’ rights go – although naturally they deny it.
Stay Human have reasonable prices – they also print on shirts. They’re based in Melbourne.
http://ethical-entrepreneur.net/index.php?option=com_facileforms&Itemid=115
This is an interesting (although who knows how on track it is) article about the Gildan factory in Haiti.
http://www.zmag.org/znet/viewArticle/5178
And another:
http://www.zmag.org/znet/viewArticle/8154
Hope this helps a little
L-dub
Cheer Liam. The Stay Human stuff is done on Qualitops gear, so no good there unfortunately.
I’ll check the other links when I finish work.
All the literature regarding Gildan’s sweatshops seems to be at least four years old. It’s hard to know if their current policies are actually legit. The lack of publicity seems to suggest so, but it’s hard to tell.
I’ll be gettin a kit if you get the ethics cleared
I’ll ask some mates who are way into this stuff for you mischa and I’ll get back to you. You can put me down for a hoodie and a shirt as well.
Give these guys a try
http://www.nosweatstuff.com.au/
apparently call them rather than email them for a quote as they are pretty slow to reply
You can try these guys.
http://www.fullystoked.com
Cheers Mike, the No Sweat Stuff is great but it’s very expensive.
Simon, that Fully Stoked gear looks spot on. Thanks for that, I’ll chase ’em up. Have you seen any of it in the flesh? Any idea if the quality lives up to it?
They do organic tees as well, which is awesome.