Cambodia: Q&A with Kelsey Timmerman, Author of "Where Am I Wearing?"

Q&A with Kelsey Timmerman, Author of "Where Am I Wearing?"
Posted: March 22, 2009

The senior class of Mississinawa Valley High School in Union City, Ohio, voted him Best Dressed Guy in 1997.

Kelsey Timmerman would like to think it was his "stellar collection of Scooby-Doo and Eric Clapton T-shirts" that helped him rise above the other 28 guys in his class.

But the 30-year-old Muncie author would later find greater notoriety through his beloved "Tattoo" T-shirt, some worn-out blue jeans, a pair of "Jingle These" novelty boxer shorts and the obligatory flip-flops.

While cleaning his room one day, Timmerman read the tag on his favorite T-shirt: Made in Honduras.

"I was staring at a pile of clothes on the floor and I wondered, 'What if I traveled to all of the places where my clothes were made and met the people who made them?' " he recalled.

With no book deal, no expense account, no room reservations and no contacts, Timmerman collected his savings and took out a second mortgage on his home to finance the search for the factories (Honduras, Bangladesh, Cambodia and China) where his clothes were made.

In his first book, "Where Am I Wearing?" (Wiley, $24.95), Timmerman puts a face on the controversial issues of outsourcing, globalization and harsh labor practices.

What T-shirt inspired the trip in 2005 to Honduras, and do you still have it?
It had Tattoo from the '70s TV show "Fantasy Island" on it and said "Come With Me To My Tropical Paradise." I got it in Key West. I gave it away to a man named Amilicar, who worked in an apparel factory in San Pedro Sula. That T-shirt probably cost four to five times as much as he makes in a day.

Did your visits change any preconceived notions about sweatshops?
When I first started telling people what I was going to do, the response was always "Are you going to visit sweatshops?" They automatically assumed all of my clothes were made in sweatshops, and that bothered me. I don't even like to use the term because it belittles the job the workers do and the sacrifices they make. Their lives are harsh, yes, and the working conditions can be horrible, but the workers are glad to have those jobs. There's a disconnect in what a garment factory is and what we think as a sweatshop.

What was your most surprising discovery?
I couldn't believe how labor-intensive it was. I discovered that 85 people have their hands on making a single pair of blue jeans, from the guy who sandblasts them to the girls who operate the grinding stones that fray pockets and put holes in them. And I was amazed at the sacrifices these people have to deal with to make our clothes. Horrible living conditions. Families sending their children away from home to make money to supplement their income.

What was the worst thing you saw?
The city dump in Phnom Penh. That was the worst thing I'd ever seen in my life. Truly hell on Earth. Smelly. People digging through truckload after truckload of freshly dumped trash, hoping to make maybe a dollar a day collecting recyclables. People left their homes and villages to live in shacks on the edge of the dump. Like I wrote in my book, "At the dump, one man's trash is another's treasure, and in Cambodia, one person's sweatshop is another's opportunity."

Wal-Marts here sell Chinese products. Do their Wal-Marts sell American-made products?
No. They are trying to introduce some, but most people don't want anything to do with it. The manager there told me a Chinese customer was bothered by the fact that he worked for an American company. The manager said he told him, "The American company is paying me money to work; the better question is why are you giving the American company your money?"

Do you miss anything about the places you visited?
Meeting the people there was rewarding, but it's not like I wake up in the morning and go, "Boy, I wish I was back in Bangladesh." Although while I was there, I was basically a rock star. I was famous.

Do you keep in touch with any of those you met?
They can't afford the Internet, and there's the language barrier thing. I try to keep tabs on them somewhat through my various translators, but it's difficult.

What was the best part of the trip?
Actually, telling the stories of these people who let me into their lives. They would take me into their home and feed me and were so concerned about me. The book gave me a platform to talk about the sacrifices these people make daily to make our clothes.

What has been the reaction to your book?
My publisher, Wiley, which has an office here in Indianapolis, is happy with the sales; I'm happy with the sales. I had a write-up in Time magazine in the Barack Obama issue. It was only 90 words, but 90 words is 90 words. There have been more good reviews than bad ones, but Financial Times in London gave it the most negative review I've ever read.

Next project?
I'm writing up a proposal right now kind of along a similar theme of being the engaged consumer. I don't want to get into the specifics, because I don't know if it will work out. If they agree to publish a second book, that's when I really know how my first book did.

Have your clothes-buying habits changed since you returned?
When I go into a department store, I'm a wreck, because I want to check all of the tags and see where the clothes come from. The shirt I have on now is made by American Apparel, one of the biggest remaining garment producers in America. I look for certain brands of companies who try to do things the right way.

What changes would you like to make in the garment industry?
I want to have the option of paying an extra $5 or $10 for a shirt labeled "Good Working Conditions."

That's a difficult question because they want us and need us to buy their goods. That's where searching for the right brands is important. Dewan and Zhu cChun (a married Chinese couple featured in the book) might not have a job if we decrease our spending. On the other hand, a lot of Americans need jobs, too.