Who Made Your Clothes?
Garment workers around the world make everything from luxury handbags to fast fashion leggings. Here are some of their stories.
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‘It’s a good factory, so no one really quits.’
Rumsinah, 44
Role: Zipper operator at PT. Fajarindo Faliman Zipper, which focuses largely on in-house brands
Where: Tangerang, Indonesia
“Most of my co-workers and I are all old-timers,” said Ms. Rumsinah, who has been working at the same factory for 26 years. “It’s a good factory, so no one really quits. There’s seldom any job openings — only if someone retires.”
She is paid about 3.4 million rupiah, or $241, per month, which she said is tight as a single parent. Her son recently finished high school. “He can’t work at my factory because there’s no openings,” she said. “He wants to be a teacher, but we don’t have enough money to send him to go to university.”
Though her job is tiring, “all jobs are tiring,” she said. “At least weekends are off, and the hours are not too bad.”
‘Sometimes needles break and get stuck in your bone.’
Waheed, 38
Role: Sewing bedsheets and curtains at a textile mill
Where: Pakistan
Waheed, who is being identified only by his first name, has been in the textile industry for 20 years and works seven days a week to support his wife and two young sons. They share a house with his parents, his sisters and his brothers.
“Most factories place a lot of restrictions on garment workers. Once they come in for their shift around 8 in the morning, there’s no knowing when supervisors will let them out. It may be 8 p.m. or 10 p.m. by the time they are allowed to leave for the day.
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