IGLHR comments on Kardashians clothing line issue

26 Dec '11

4 min read

Isn't it odd that year after year the American people spend nearly $100 billion on clothing, shoes, accessories, sporting goods, electronic and other goods made in China—and yet we have never, not even once, had the opportunity to meet with a worker from China? This is not by chance. If a Chinese worker dared to speak the truth, we would never see that person again.

If Ms. Kardashian has found a way to overcome the iron-fisted repression under which the Chinese workers are forced to toil, then that would be huge news and worthy of tremendous applause. But unfortunately, based on our concrete experiences investigating factories in China and elsewhere, the chances are about one in a million that Ms. Kardashian has found a way to push back against the Chinese authorities and guarantee that her employees will be afforded their most basic, internationally recognized workers' rights.

It is sad that such well know celebrities like Ms. Kardashian and others, who have both fortune and power, continue to jump head first into the race to the bottom in the global sweatshop economy by rushing to source their production to China.

Wouldn't it be amazing if Ms. Kardashian stood up and said she would keep her production in the United States? God knows we need the jobs. This would be a shot heard around the world. Yes, by doing so a celebrity might take a 25-cent per garment cut in her profit margin, but she would still earn a lot of money. Such a celebrity would be an incredible role model. Imagine products made under humane conditions. This is something the American people would applaud!

Institute for Global Labour and Human Rights

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