Adore the Adorners

My latest project was inspired by a poem by Robert Pinsky. I found it in an old textbook of mine and I read it about half a dozen times through. I was captivated as it reminded me of all the work that goes into the things we take for granted. The next day I decided to make my own shirt. If you’re more traditional or like my grandmother, you might raise an eyebrow and say, “but guys don’t sew.” And I might say something like, “you’re wrong,” or “you’re sexist.” So why would I go to such lengths and troubles?

I made it out of respect for Koreans, Chinese, and Malaysians and all others who work in sweatshops for pocket change. I made it to understand the labor of the underappreciated. I made it to honor the intricacies and complexities of the fabric and weave. And it was no easy task.

Mine is a long sleeve muslin shirt with a collar, a yoke, and four-inch slits up the sides. I like the shirt because it looks kinda swashbucklery, but not too costumy, so I can still wear it anywhere. The whole project probably took around ten hours, being my first time to actually sew anything substantial. Sewing the collar and yoke into the shirt itself was an extremely difficult task, but I learned something about the craftwork of sewing, and more importantly, I think, about how many hands that a store-bought garment passes through. The clothes you’re wearing probably passed through a great number of hands before it arrived in yours. And they weren’t just any hands. They were human hands—hands of people worthy of dignity and praise that is deserved by every human being simply because they are human.

According to DoSomething.org, there are sweatshops for nearly every manufacturing industry from electronics to auto parts to shoes and toys, and some of them are right here in the United States. Consider these brands for a more humane means of clothing yourself. They’re generally a bit more expensive than sweatshopped clothes, so another alternative is to learn to make your own. Try this place for patterns.