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

“This quest is about the way we live and the way they live; because when it comes to clothing, others make it, and we have it made. And there’s a big, big difference.”

Timmerman outlines a key theme of the book: The Gap Between Producers and Consumers. Characterizing Americans as consumers, he plays on the double meaning of “have it made.” Americans both have their garments made for them and benefit from the comfortable standard of living associated with wealthy developed countries. Meanwhile, in comparison, the makers of their clothes experience a vastly inferior standard of living.

“As far as most consumers are concerned, clothes come from the store. Consumers don’t see the chain of transportation and manufacturing that comes before they take the pants off the rack.”

In exploring The Gap Between Producers and Consumers, Timmerman highlights how most customers are unaware of the origins of their clothing. When they buy a garment in a store, they have no concept of the process it has undergone to get there. He underlines how fast fashion and globalization undermine consumers’ sense of connection with the products they buy.

“Globalization was a foreign problem of which I was blissfully unaware. I did know that it existed, and that I was against it. Everybody was.”

Where Am I Wearing? traces Timmerman’s personal journey from an uninformed to an engaged consumer. Here, he describes his acceptance of received ideas about globalization. While he supports the popular opinion that globalization is bad, he has little idea why, as he feels that the issue does not directly affect him. This epitomizes his goal of striking a rapport with the reader by presenting himself as a learner alongside them.

“I didn’t just want to know about the forces, processes, economics, and politics of globalization; I had to know about the producers who anchored the opposite end of the chain. The lives, personalities, hopes, and dreams of the people who made our clothes were lost among the statistics.”

In researching the globalization of the garment industry and its effects, Timmerman feels that available information focuses on facts while conveying little about those it impacts the most. By contrast, Where Am I Wearing? aims to investigate the lives of overseas garment makers and portray them as relatable individuals. The inclusion of “hopes and dreams” epitomizes the emotive elements of the text that go beyond “processes [and] economics.”

“Activists tend to damn the industry, but it isn’t that simple. Some economists refer to it as a ladder helping people out of poverty, empowering women, but it isn’t that simple.”

The author explores The Dual Aspects of Globalization throughout the book, conveying its complexities. Here, he describes opposite sides of the argument about globalization. While labor activists condemn the worker exploitation it often involves, many economists argue that these poor working conditions are a short-term necessity allowing the economies of developing countries to grow. Timmerman suggests that the truth lies somewhere between these opposing ideologies.

“But hardly any company wants its customers to think about where its products are made—because brand images are built on good times, sunny beaches, dancing, cold beer, and freedom, not factories, poverty and separated families.”

In attempting to locate the factories where his clothes were made, Timmerman faces resistance and a lack of transparency from the companies involved. He argues that it is in most companies’ interest to maintain The Gap Between Producers and Consumers since they want their brands to be associated with positive American values rather than the living conditions of those who make the clothes. He creates a stark juxtaposition between these two lists to illustrate this gap.

“My conclusion, after visiting the people who made my favorite clothes, is that we should try to be engaged consumers, not mindless pocketbooks throwing dollars at the cheapest possible fashionable clothes we can find.”

Here, Timmerman introduces the idea of engaged consumerism. He emphasizes that a consumer’s political power lies in their buying choices, and buyers should do what they can to ensure that a garment’s manufacturing process aligns with their ethical values. He uses the metaphor of “mindless pocketbooks” to compare unengaged consumers with objects, aiming to provoke an engaged reaction in readers.

“Workers don’t need pity. They need rights, and they need to be educated about those rights. They need independent monitors checking the factories, ensuring the environment is safe and that they are treated properly. They need opportunities and choices. They need consumers concerned about all of the above. They need to be valued.”

Timmerman’s attitude toward worker exploitation is practical. While he hopes that readers will care about the garment workers he portrays, he aims to prompt mindful consumer habits rather than evoke pity. He emphasizes that Western guilt does not improve workers’ lives, while engaged consumerism acts as a powerful incentive for companies to change. The anaphora of “they need” decenters the American consumer and reinforces that the central conflict of the text revolves around the human rights of producers.

“Since the industrial revolution, our clothes have always been made by those who are less privileged—primarily, young, uneducated women who are desperate for work.”

In Where Am I Wearing? Timmerman outlines the historical context of the garment industry’s globalization. He points out that current working conditions in developing countries’ factories mirror those of the United States before it became a developed economic power. Here, he explains that employing “young, uneducated women who are desperate for work” has always been standard practice in the apparel industry, as the workers’ powerlessness allows companies to exploit them. The word “desperate” is emotive and reflects the book’s arguments about The Dual Aspects of Globalization since he suggests that work is a necessity for some.

“Not having children make our clothes does not eliminate the reality that many children in Bangladesh must work, but it eliminates our guilt in the matter. It clears our conscience and helps us forget that we live in such a world.”

In addressing The Impact of Consumer Choices on Global Labor Practices, Timmerman warns readers to be wary of imposing Western values on impoverished countries. After Timmerman discusses the issue of child labor with Bangladeshi workers, he changes his own view on the subject, recognizing that the poorest families can only survive if their children work. He frequently uses the collective first person in this passage (“our” and “we”) to position himself alongside the reader, aiming to make the tone one of collective action instead of didacticism.

“I look down on more tin roofs, rusted and holey, like the wall I lean against. It's a harsh hard-to-imagine concept that on the sixth floor of a smelly, crumbling building, where 16 people share a single shower, I’m witnessing economic progress and the future of Bangladesh.”

Throughout the book, Timmerman outlines The Dual Aspects of Globalization. He explains that, from an economist’s viewpoint, the adverse effects of outsourcing manufacturing (low wages, poor working conditions, etc.) are necessary “growing pains” on the route to becoming a developed country. Nevertheless, when Timmerman sees Arifa’s basic accommodation, he finds it difficult to equate her circumstances with economic progress. He emphasizes the human cost to individuals in a country’s pursuit of long-term growth.

“Like money, hope is in short supply in impoverished nations. Ask kids what they want to do when they grow up and they'll look at you funny. They know what they're going to do. They're going to do what their moms and dads do—just try to get by.”

Here, Timmerman contrasts the prospects of children in developing countries with those in America. The former have no ambitions, hoping only to survive, while the latter are encouraged to follow their dreams. Throughout the book, Timmerman argues that exploitation of garment workers is a symptom of the cycle of poverty.

“Sapon is a man with a dream, one that is tied to the success of the garment industry. An evil lord of the sweatshop, he is not.”

As a subcontractor in the Bangladeshi garment industry, Sapon aims to fill his small factory with numerous machines and workers. Despite his aim to profit from an ethically dubious system, Timmerman does not portray Sapon as a villain. His assertion that the Bangladeshi businessman is not “an evil lord of the sweatshop” is sardonic and contrasts his own expectations with reality. Timmerman recognizes that, like many people in Bangladesh, Sapon is trying to escape poverty and secure the comfort of his family through one of the few routes available to him.

“Since we’re too lazy to break in jeans, they do it for us.”

In the Cambodian Levi’s factory, Timmerman observes workers manually distressing the jeans set for export to the United States. He suggests that this process encapsulates the West’s entitled attitude toward developing countries. Overseas workers are employed to undertake menial tasks that Americans consider beneath them. This analogy also highlights the extent of Western consumers’ detachment from the products they buy.

“At the dump, one person’s trash is another’s treasure. And in Cambodia, one person’s sweatshop is another’s opportunity.”

Here, Timmerman observes Cambodians at the Phnom Penh city dump scavenging for anything recyclable. His visit to the dump allows him to contextualize the living and working conditions of the Levi’s workers he interviewed. He suggests that all standards are relative. While the conditions of the garment workers seem unacceptable to privileged Americans, he realizes that their work would represent a welcome opportunity for the dump’s scavengers.

“Who am I to say whether modern is better? I can live in the United States far from any city and have access to reliable electricity banks, and medical care. I can watch satellite television and get a college degree online. The countryside is modern in the United States.”

Timmerman is surprised when Dewan’s sister insists that she prefers life in the city to her home village. Despite long working hours and her cramped accommodations, she asserts that urban life is better due to the access to resources. Timmerman realizes that applying his own standards to the situation is meaningless since their countries are not comparable. Americans perceive rural life as preferable since they still have access to numerous resources. However, in rural China, even basic resources are limited.

“But we share little with the people who make our clothes nowadays. We’re divided by oceans, politics, language, culture, and a complex web of economic relationships. It doesn’t affect our daily lives if they are overworked and underpaid as it did during the turn of the twentieth century. So we don’t think about them much, and they don’t think about us much. We hardly seem to belong to the same organism.”

Timmerman summarizes a central theme: The Gap between Producers and Consumers. He argues that Western consumers care less about overseas workers since they are harder to identify with. Producers and consumers are separated geographically and by cultural differences. While Timmerman emphasizes these variances, he asserts that consumers and producers must realize that they are part of an organic whole and are dependent on one another.

“The gap between the world’s rich and poor is a relatively new phenomenon. Our grandparents can relate far more closely to the lives of the people who make our clothes than Annie and I. We’ve never gone without and probably never will—mostly because our grandparents did. Our life is built on the hard work and prosperity of the previous generations.”

Timmerman identifies poverty as one of the defining factors in The Gap Between Producers and Consumers. He suggests that Americans like himself who have grown up in a firmly established “developed” country find it hard to imagine the poverty of developing nations. However, he reminds himself that his grandparents, whose hard work contributed to the US’s development, would not have had the same problem. The observation draws parallels between the US’s past and the present situation of developing countries.

“The apparel industry has a lot of issues, including child labor and sweatshops, but these are all just symptoms of the real problem: poverty.”

Here, Timmerman addresses the elements of overseas manufacturing that Western labor activists most frequently critique. He encourages readers to recognize that these issues are caused by widespread poverty. By characterizing poverty as a disease and child labor and sweatshops as “symptoms,” Timmerman suggests that workers’ exploitation cannot be eradicated without treating the underlying disease.

“When we recognize that the people who make our stuff have hopes, dreams, and personalities, we can’t help but care about whether their job pays them a living wage and allows them to reach those dreams.”

Timmerman argues that empathy is the key to bridging The Gap Between Producers and Consumers. He suggests that once consumers recognize that garment workers are fellow human beings, they will begin to care about their working and living standards. Where Am I Wearing? attempts to do just that, presenting individual garment makers as relatable individuals.

“There isn’t a single worker who makes my clothes who lives a life that I would find acceptable. I’m not sure we can handle knowing how most of the world lives.”

Throughout the book, Timmerman contrasts his privileges with the lives of the garment workers he meets and frequently experiences guilt. He suggests that Western consumers’ guilt is one of the factors that prevent people from wanting to know more about the lives of producers in developing countries. This willful ignorance ultimately widens The Gap Between Producers and Consumers.

“We care about our impact on the environment, but what about our impact on one another? Saving the environment is in style, but concern for the workers who made our shoes is not.”

Here, Timmerman discusses the power of consumer pressure and market trends. He points out that concern about climate change and the environment has led to a demand for environmentally friendly products. However, consumers have not brought about the same pressure for companies to create garments made by fairly treated workers. He uses figurative language related to the apparel industry, “in style,” to underscore the damage of people jumping on trends without being mindful consumers.

“Globalization doesn’t just happen to economies; it happens to people. Ways of life are changing in Union City, in Muncie, in Perry, in Dhaka, in Phnom Penh, in Guangzhou, in San Pedro Sula, and all across the globe. We might not share a religion, a language, or politics, but we share change and the burden it puts on our families and our traditions.”

Timmerman challenges the idea that globalization solely concerns developing countries. He points out that its effects are felt worldwide, including in the United States. By emphasizing that changes caused by globalization are common to all nations, he highlights the concept of global interconnectedness. He suggests that consciousness of that connectedness is essential to ethical consumerism.