Somehow the holidays have ambushed us once again. (ok, they ambushed me, other people anticipate them with great abandon...) And with it, I've seen a lot of discussion about buying local/handmade vs. "big box"/supporting THEM.
And I seem to find myself in a unique position of being on both sides at once because of my livelihood(s).
You see, I hand-create and sell my own artwork, costuming, attire, accessories, jewelry, etc - so I'm all for supporting artisans and small shops, buying direct from the artist, etc. But for the last several years, I have also been a fashion jewelry designer. From 2007-2009, I designed product for Disney, Universal, Hard Rock, and countless zoos, aquariums, national landmarks, resorts, etc - via a woman-founded small business based in NJ. And much of the product was made in Bali, China, the Philippines, Korea, India, etc. And I went to most of these places to work directly with our manufacturers - many of them also woman-owned/run companies, whose business support, feed, and educate entire villages, and also must meet very strict health, age, wage, and safety protocols in order to make product for Disney and other institutions. There was (and is) also a huge focus on green product/eco-friendly production and business, and raising money to save the environment and promote eco-awareness.
From 2009 through now, I have worked for a company that is ranked among the top 3 in fashion jewelry companies in the world. Pretty much if there's a chain store in your town, high or low-end, we most likely supply the jewelry for it. Specifically I have designed for Target, Kohl's, WalMart, and now mainly work on Macy's accounts. Yeap, all of those evil "big box" stores. And again, I have been overseas, and have been in those factories (and not on the "westerner tour" front) - all of which must follow strict standards (safety, age, wage) to make product for those big names. Frankly, most of the buildings I have been in, in China, are far more clean, safe, and well-lit than many of the places I have worked in here in the states. Many of the workers I met are young women and men in their late teens and twenties, also getting college-education at the same time through their companies.
But it's not just about what's going on over there - here in RI, the last bastion of the fashion jewelry industry in the US, the company I work for is making a local impact as well. In the last several years, it has taken over other local companies who were failing, and brought them back from the brink - so instead of losing more jobs, jobs were saved, and the company continues to expand, and now employs hundreds of people here in RI, and many more throughout the US as well. And when you buy that ring I sculpted at Target, or the necklace I designed for Macy's, it's not just overseas jobs that are being supported, it's supporting us right here. Good product sales at the stores means they buy more from us, which means we can higher more designers, more merchants, more accounting and IT staff, more warehouse workers - and send more work locally to the many companies who do our casting, plating, vibing, and local production. The more work we send them, the more people they can hire too. And so it goes on. So even though it may say "made in China" on the tag - it was designed here, created here, bought here, and comes back here, it pays for jobs HERE.
So folks, it's not just black/white, good/evil, us/them. Yes, support your local artists, designers, and artisans! PLEASE! But do your own research too before you ban everything from "over there". Many of those "big-box" stores are working hard to be green, to make sure what is manufactured in their name meets many safety and quality standard guidelines for production and working conditions abroad. And their buyers, merchandisers, designers, accountants, and sales people are all working here. We've reached a new age where the lines between what is local and what is global really don't exist anymore, we're interlinked. And if you think those big-box companies don't have a face, check again. They're just made up of a lot more faces - including those of your friends, neighbors, and family.
"Frankly, most of the buildings I have been in, in China, are far more clean, safe, and well-lit than many of the places I have worked in here in the states."
ReplyDeleteThat seems like a problem if we have worse working conditions here in the US than what you've seen in China, and definitely something that needs some thoughtful consideration of how to look towards the future and improve things here as well.
I remember years ago when Monet announced it wouldn't be producing its jewelry in the US anymore, and it was definitely a sad day for those New Englanders who would be losing their jobs. I currently live in the Southeastern US, and have seen towns that once thrived, with many locals employed by large fabric mills, now abandoned, that have suffered major problems with unemployment now that these traditional town jobs families held for generations have disappeared.
As a frequent traveller both in the US and abroad, I'm certainly by no means myopic, and am happy to see individuals succeeding everywhere, but I do think it's important that imports add to what we have, rather than replace what we are able to making ourselves. It's beneficial to maintain some level of self-reliance in what we produce and what we need, so that one doesn't become to heavily dependent on another's goods and terms.
In my own business, where all of the clothing and accessories are still made by hand locally, it's hard to see people sometimes skipping original designs in favor of the cheaper knock-offs. Of course everyone has their own budget to look after, and luckily for independent artisans there are those who still place a different kind of value over price (plus, sometimes the originals aren't even that much more), but regardless, one thing holds true and that is ~ being mindful of where and how we choose to spend our money and the ramifications of it, and how we can use it to have a better impact on both our larger and smaller worlds, is ~always~ a good thing.
You bring up a very valid point and a point that we failed to consider in the Anti-China project in our house.
ReplyDeleteWhat started it for us was simply growing tired of
hearing on the news about how a product made in China made someone sick... Granted, same happens here in the US with all the food borne illnesses too... it honestly changed the way we purchase food.
Which is why we started the project.
But, we both know it isn't going to be wholly avoidable. So many of our goods are manufactured there and we all know the jobs are there because no American will work as hard for the same wages..
To produce things here would drive up costs exponentially...
(it's an economics mess really)
Like you I believe in Buy/Support Local. I really do.
You have opened up a great discussion for H and I.. we are going to have to seriously talk about it and decide if there is another approach we can take.