Made in Downtown Los Angeles

This project is taking all sorts of exciting turns. The most recent took me to Los Angeles to meet with the guys at GOOD Magazine. GOOD has been a tremendous supporter since the very beginning, posting about the experiment back in April, and then writing a short piece in the September issue. While this blog will continue to chronicle my experiences traveling and meeting the individuals who make anything that I purchase, they’ve asked me to begin writing for their site as well, profiling the people I meet. More on that in the coming weeks!

As if coming to LA and putting faces and people behind a magazine that I subscribe to was not enough, I also took the opportunity to go to the American Apparel factory right in the downtown industrial area. Admittedly, I don’t tend to shop at their stores much, but a few things made this a relevant and necessary stop. Number one, I needed to allow myself the opportunity to get some new clothes – particularly shorts and jeans. To the best of my knowledge, American Apparel is one of the very few ‘basics’ manufacturers left in this country, and since LA is more accessible at this time than China, it made logistical sense. At the same time, most independent teeshirt designers doing work for local bands or organizations, are printing on AA’s cotton shirts. I have several, and plan to do more work like this myself soon.



I had heard about AA’s sweatshop-free manufacturing, of course, but I also had a heard a rumor that a lot of their goods were now made somewhere else (Mexico? China?) so I was not sure what to expect. I was pretty surprised to learn that every product is made right there in their seven story converted railroad factory. Despite controversy surrounding their advertising, their working conditions and treatment of their employees is pretty fantastic. Everyone from senior management to product developers, right down to the sewers and distribution workers are right there in the same building, encouraging interaction in the elevators and cafeterias. They’ve come to understand that putting a human face on production within their own company greatly benefits everyone. It’s hard to run a sweatshop if the owners ride the elevator every morning with the immigrant workers.

I got a two hour tour and personal treatment from Shawn, a young web-strategest-slash-all-around-assistant who is incredibly passionate about the company, their work for Legalize LA, vertically-integrated manufacturing, and the concept that they are a business first-and-foremost, not a charity, but treating people well and supporting local initiatives just makes sense.

On Press

I've spent much of the last few weeks preparing for upcoming trips and events. As I have mentioned before, I've got a trip up through New England that I'm working out details for, and tomorrow I'll be at the Food Coop early early to meet the farmers and truckers who deliver their goods there.

What I haven't spent much time writing about, however, is how much energy I've suddenly found myself spending keeping track of, dealing with, and coordinating press. After a mention on GOOD Magazine's website a few weeks back, a storm of blog postings hit in a matter of days. I received phone calls from national television and newspaper outlets asking for details for possible stories. I was pilloried by arm-chair critics on a website known for its venom and sarcasm. (These are all on my Info page.) It was a roller coaster. Yes, I am thrilled and validated in seeing that what I'm doing is something people care about, and others think is as important as I do. But at the same time, I don't really just want to be a human-interest story on a couple rss-feeds that no one wants to talk to in six months or a year when the project really has legs and knows where it's going.

My biggest concern lies in how publicity is going to effect the project itself -- my ability to make a personal connection with a factory laborer or farmer. I haven't even been taking out my camera on most visits because the tone suddenly changes when someone feels they are being put on the spot. I can't imagine what a CBS Evening News camera crew would do to someone's nerves, never mind my own.

Do I think having coverage in the LA Times will help me get into bigger companies like Converse and Apple? Probably. Would I like to explore writing a book and think that this exposure could help that? Yes of course. But do I want to jeopardize the integrity of the project, or do I want to appear to prove the critics right that I am in this for some spotlight? Well, not so much.

It's a series of questions I never foresaw having to deal with, and something that everyone seems to have an opinion on. For disclosure, I'm forging a relationship with GOOD Magazine, which I feel is completely in line with my efforts. And I've been cooperating with LA Times, because, well, they're the LA Times. Who knows what opportunities will come out of an article there.