Few months
ago I visited island Bali. I didn’t want to take too many luggage with me, so I
took just 2 or 3 t-shirts in my back pack. I intended to buy more in Bali. One
day I was on the market in Ubud when I saw a tshirt with BALIbong stamp on the
chest. I was on Bali and I found it funny, so I decided to buy one. I paid less
than 2 euro for it. I wear this t-shirt often and yesterday somebody told me:
“hey, but now I notice that your tshirt is Balibong, but not Billabong!” I
smiled and I told the story how I got it. This little comment made me think
about all big brands and is the reason I am writing this article. Let’s be
honest! T-shirt with stamp Ballibong – price let say 2 euro (actually less)
T-shirt Billabong – 20 euro on top of the price. The materials are the same,
just we change 2 letters in the name…the same product. Balli or Billa…I know,
somebody would say that the original t-shirt would have better quality, the
labor cost more etc…well…I doubt! The cotton fabric is gonna be the same
quality, even big chance that it is coming out of the same factory..
I used to
work in the area of confection. I spend about 8 years delivering the cheapest
possible stitching materials as buttons, zippers, threads, fabrics for the
production of a Dutch company located in east europe. Later on, I was working
in the head office, I was busy with the logistics of the rest of the
production, ordered somewhere in Asia.
In the shop we had jeans. They were sold as working jeans and we had our
own (company) label. The price was between 20-25 euro depending on the quantity
you buy. I cant recon the place of production, I think was Karachi in Pakistan.
Could be somewhere in India. Doesn’t matter. We were paying around 6-7 euro for
the end product. Of course we would order a few hundred pieces…In the same
factory were occupied 3000 workers. The factory was making the jeans for Levis.
I guess other brands too. And not only jeans. Anyway. The fabric they use to
make our jeans was the same as they use to make Levis jeans. Different colour
of course. So the pattern was different, maybe extra pocket and extra button to
make it more “fassion” looking. The end product of Levis wouldn’t be that a lot
more expensive than our jeans. Everybody knows how much you would pay in the
shop for pair of Levis jeans…
I have no
idea how much a stitching lady would get in such a company. I am sure is not
much. My boss (during my work in the clothing company) visited the mentioned
factory with 3000 employees, and also other cloth producers. In search for
cheap producers of products for his own
business. He told me that the workers in any of those companies didn’t look
very happy. Every piece of cloth nowadays comes in Europe (not only) all the
way from China, Cambodia, Indonesia, India or that part of the world. My
personal opinion is that the big businesses over there are exploiting the
workers. As everywhere. But for instance the control in developed Europe
doesn’t let big businesses to use the workers as they would like to. Because
somebody is watching for working hours, working environment, minimum wage,
safety issues and etc. In countries in Asia, is not so much control…there is a
lot of talks about it, I don’t want to go there right now. My point is actually
that we should stop thinking in a way that the jacket on our back or the shoes
we wear is a statement. Doesn’t matter if my sweater is Gap, Hurley or have no
any stickers as far as it keeps me warm and dry. Wearing a brand of cloths to
impress someone? WTF? Isn’t that turning us into slaves. Slave on the fashion
industry. Am I different person if my sweater would be Gaastra? And different
if would be Nike? Or completely another if there is no brand on it?
No thanks!!
Don’t misunderstand me. I do have cloths from different brands. I do have
original Billabong t-shirt. And others too…Sorry. They were given to me as a
gift. From my brother, from Luigi, from somebody else…and I am happy to wear
them, but not because of the brand! Because they are gift from a person who I
do respect. They remind me about him every time when I pull it out of the closet.
Recently the mother of my girlfriend gave me a sweater. Warm, soft and I am
very happy to wear it. Superdry. I didn’t know this brand of cloths. One day I
saw it in the shop. I saw the price tag. It’s insane…how the fuck a normal
person can pay so much money for a sweater. I have another also soft and warm
sweater from not very known brand and I paid less than 20 euro for it. Instead
of Superdry sweater, she could buy 3 of those. One for me and 2 for my girlfriends
brothers. Or for 2 homeless people…
PLEASE
THINK!!!!Life is too short. People around us are more important than the
outlook we have. And with much less money we can look good.
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