Skinny Jeans for Not-Skinny Genes

"...if the look you are searching for is that of a fat midget – go put on a pair of skinny jeans."
-Mike, a designer and the owner of the Shandan jeans shop, on 38 Sheinkin St., Tel Aviv, explains why he is opposed to the skinny jeans

Leave it to the Israelis to tell it like it is. Although the girls above sport them fine, some in the Israeli fashion world are lamenting the skinny-jean comeback as much as I am:

"they are ugly, and I believe this fad will soon die out, the main reason being that unless you are a model who is 5'9" tall, this type of jeans will make your ass look big. And unfortunately, most Israeli girls sport a large behind, and are not very tall."

It's not only a Diasporic phenomenon; shouldn't bootcamp unload some of that junk in the trunk? Read the original article by Hohit Ori Day with good pictures of Israeli booty by Arnon Maoz and Elad Hizki on Sheinkin.com, an e-magazine about Sheinkin Street, one of Tel-Aviv's hippest (hippyest?) fashion shopping streets.

Celebrate Fair Trade Month with Kosher Kippot!

In California, Progressive Jewish Alliance is the address for Jewish anti-Sweatshop work. PJA works in collaboration with non-Jewish groups on getting major purchasers of clothing (The City of Los Angels, San Francisco and Berkley; the University of California system, etc.) to purchase only sweatfree garments, while working in the Jewish community to get Jewish summer camps, day schools, synagogues and other organization to do the same. Progressive Jewish Alliance is now offering sweatfree yarmulkes (skullcaps) through their "Kosher Kippot" program. They will work with you or your organization to coordinate sweatfree kippot purchases with educational workshops about labor rights and Jewish values. The program is particularly popular with Bar and Bat Mitzvah kids. PJA has more information on their website: pjalliance.org and in the Bay Area at their office: bayare@pjalliance.org or call them at 510.527.8640.

It's Not Easy to be Sweatshop Free

While contacting Jewish non-profits for ModernTribe's affiliate program, we communicated with a woman who said her organization only affiliates with shops that sell products manufactured under "fair working conditions," like those advocated by Sweat Free Communities and Global Exchange. She asked if we knew anything about the working conditions at our products' manufacturing facilities. Because 95% of our products are made in the United States or Israel, and many of them are handcrafted housewares, we didn't think child labor, poverty wages, forced (slave) labor, and unsafe working conditions were likely problems. According to our affiliate contact, handcrafted by the artist/designer him or herself likely meets the standard of fair labor. But Made-In-The-USA or Israel does not ensure fairness: There are sweatshops in both countries.

Thankfully, child labor, poverty pay, and dangerous working conditions aren't called "unfair" in the United States and Israel: they are called illegal. Sweatshops should be less prevalent in the US, Israel, and other countries which have comprehensive labor laws.

Israeli labor laws are extensive. You can read them here at the Israeli Ministry of Trade and Labor's Web site. However, I don't know how well these laws are enforced. Please share, readers, if you know.

So which countries are the worst offenders of fair working conditions? On the US Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs website, you can read and research their reports on abuses. An excerpt on child labor:

According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), there were an estimated 211 million children, ages 5 to 14, working around the world in 2000. The majority of the world's working children, according to the ILO, are found in Asia (127.3 million), followed by Africa (48.0 million), Latin America and the Caribbean (17.4 million), and the Middle East and North Africa (13.4 million). While Asia has the highest number of child workers, Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest proportion of working children.

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find research or records on particular factory/manufacturing plant violators. How does a retailer research whether any individual manufacturer meets fair labor standards other than to ask the manufacturer directly about their policies regarding employing children, wages, work schedules, and work conditions?
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added on 10/03/2007
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Here are the "Fair Trade Criteria" from the Fair Trade Federation

• Paying fair wages in local context;
• Supporting participatory workplaces;
• Ensuring environmental sustainability;
• Supplying financial and technical support;
• Respecting cultural identity;
• Offering public accountability; and,
• Educating consumers.