It has not proved easy to find much US-made lingerie as an alternative to Victoria's Secret, but never fear, I have done the research and found some for us! Hopefully the US will follow the UK's lead - they have some great stuff over there! My favorite UK brand is "Life's Not Fair, But My Knickers Are." Love it. Anyone going on vacation soon? Bring some home!
www.urbanfoxeco.com
The website intro says "Urban Fox creates handmade, eco-friendly undies from the heart of the Midwest." All their products are made from organic cotton and bamboo and sewn by hand in the US. I am used to the deceptive prices of cheap slave labor, so I thought they are a little expensive, but as a special treat, these pretty, sassy undies look fantastic.
www.bluecanoe.com/e-store/prod_thumbs.asp?pcid=211254876662&pcatid=3101629411057
Blue Canoe products look incredibly comfortable. The company was started in Humboldt County by Laurie Dunlap, who still owns and operates it sixteen years later.
www.shopceliarachel.com/sleepwear.aspx
These jammies from Celia Rachel look super comfortable, and are nice and affordable. They have also have a pretty negligee that looks VERY similar to something I've seen at Victoria's Secret.
www.herlook.com/commando-cotton-bralette.html
This company is called Commando Cotton because they make their underwear so comfortable, it is as good as, um, going commando. They have been featured in numerous magazines, as well as on The View and the Today Show. They have really fun stuff too, like accessories designed to use with evening gowns, and tights.
www.cottonfieldusa.com/lingerie-organic-c-51.html
Cottonfield USA uses organic cotton, the prices are not outrageous, and everything looks very comfortable. I also love that their models look like average women, not overdone, airbrushed stick figures...
www.undrest.com/categories/Lingerie/
Undrest is a haute couture lingerie company based in Los Angeles. Beautiful products, looks like classic French lingerie, good for a very special treat perhaps??
www.pinupgirlclothing.com
As it sounds, this company has really fabulous retro, pinup style clothes and lingerie. The lingerie section of the website is a little racy, but no worse than a Victoria's Secret catalog. Their dresses are fabulous too. I have a wish list a mile long now.
www.bellamaterna.com/shop/
This website has stunningly beautiful lingerie for pregnant and nursing women. The hardest thing to find, I've found, is an ethically-made underwire bra, and they have these for sale here. This is probably my favorite of all the websites listed here.
www.ecolandinc.com
The bra that I can personally recommend is from Ecoland. They are among the only companies I have found to offer an underwire bra. Their cotton is very soft and very comfortable. Nothing pokes or itches anywhere! I am one happy customer.
I know that bras and lingerie can be inconvenient and frustrating purchases, but here is a good place to start. Please at least consider trying one of these ethical companies before looking at Victoria's Secret.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
You Decide
The day after I posted that I had had no response, I got a reply.
It seems, at first glance, like an ok response. But it was not quite satisfactory, and that bugged me. So, I responded.
Thank you for your reply. I appreciate your taking the time to respond, and I'm pleased to hear what your company has already done. I am still very interested in a few things. What does your company do when it finds its vendors to be out of compliance with your standards and regulations? And did these standards and regulations exist prior to 2007, when the National Labor Committee reported on the abuses (including debt bondage and alleged rape) at the D.K. Garments factory in Jordan? If so, how can you assure me that there is no prison, indentured, bonded, or involuntary labor, period? And if not, it alarms me that a company that has been in business since 1963 would be so far behind the human rights curve that it would wait until late in the last decade to enact better policies. I am not trying to be combative, but I admit I am at best suspicious that there has not been nearly enough attention paid to the rights of Limited Brands factory workers overseas. Please prove me wrong. I would love to shop at the chains owned by Limited Brands again, but for now, it is still impossible for me to do that in good conscience, and I certainly don't feel comfortable recommending that others shop there, either. On a more personal note, Brooke, I realize that this is your job, and that I am asking about the company that hired you. I wonder if your employers told you about any of the abuses I've been learning about. I think that if consumers and employees worked together, we could make our companies really stellar, and good for each person that is affected by their existence. Thanks so much for your time and I look forward to hearing from you.
Dear Ms. Stephens, Thank you for your note, as well as your kind words regarding Limited Brands' philanthropy and cotton sourcing practices. You also asked some specific questions about our labor standards. As you can tell, these are extremely important issues to us. As we state explicitly on our website, "Limited Brands sources goods from countries all over the world, and we insist that our suppliers comply with our labor and other standards. If they don't, we support them in making the necessary changes so that they do. We cannot and will not work with those who don't work to meet our standards." Let me reiterate: we require that our vendors verify that they meet a list of standards, including that they do not - and will not - use forced labor or prison labor or child labor. As we state, "Prison, indentured, bonded or involuntary labor shall not be used." Period. Specific to our internal auditing process, we use a team of auditors, accountants and attorneys to assure that Limited Brands' associates fully understand and comply with our sourcing policies and procedures, and we maintain a function within our company called Independent Production Services (or IPS), which oversees compliance protocols for our vendors based on specific standards and protocols. We also participate in a number of multi-stakeholder initiatives that work to enhance the rule of law and labor standards, as well as support international institutions and advocate for policies that benefit many of the communities in which our products are produced. I recognize that you had also asked some specific questions about the details of our work. Please understand that, for competitive reasons and in order to ensure the greatest compliance with our standards, we cannot further itemize some of those details.
It seems, at first glance, like an ok response. But it was not quite satisfactory, and that bugged me. So, I responded.
Thank you for your reply. I appreciate your taking the time to respond, and I'm pleased to hear what your company has already done. I am still very interested in a few things. What does your company do when it finds its vendors to be out of compliance with your standards and regulations? And did these standards and regulations exist prior to 2007, when the National Labor Committee reported on the abuses (including debt bondage and alleged rape) at the D.K. Garments factory in Jordan? If so, how can you assure me that there is no prison, indentured, bonded, or involuntary labor, period? And if not, it alarms me that a company that has been in business since 1963 would be so far behind the human rights curve that it would wait until late in the last decade to enact better policies. I am not trying to be combative, but I admit I am at best suspicious that there has not been nearly enough attention paid to the rights of Limited Brands factory workers overseas. Please prove me wrong. I would love to shop at the chains owned by Limited Brands again, but for now, it is still impossible for me to do that in good conscience, and I certainly don't feel comfortable recommending that others shop there, either. On a more personal note, Brooke, I realize that this is your job, and that I am asking about the company that hired you. I wonder if your employers told you about any of the abuses I've been learning about. I think that if consumers and employees worked together, we could make our companies really stellar, and good for each person that is affected by their existence. Thanks so much for your time and I look forward to hearing from you.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Email to Victoria's Secret (Owned by Limited Brands)
Well, friends, I think it has been quite long enough for Victoria's Secret/Limited Brands to have responded. Time for a blog post. I sent this email to Limited Brands customer service on February 7:
Dear Limited Brands:
My name is Karie Stephens and I write a blog for the nonprofit organization Looking For Starfish, which is dedicated to fighting modern-day slavery by raising financial support for existing organizations, increasing awareness of the issue, and providing ethical alternatives to everyday purchases which may be produced by slaves. I have been to the Victoria's Secret and Limited Brands websites, but did not find the information I am looking for. I have also called Victoria's Secret and Limited Brands, and received this email contact.
I saw on the Limited Brands website that the company recognizes its responsibility to ensure its partners comply with the Limited Brands' labor standards, and that the company has implemented an internal audit process. How often do you visit your overseas suppliers? Are your visits unannounced? Who is it that visits? Are your findings subject to third-party verifiers? When do you plan to respond to the organization Chain Store Reaction, which to date has sent over 1800 emails, including mine?
What are the standards and protocols to which you hold your suppliers? What do you do if a supplier or factory is found to be out of compliance? Do you reimburse workers for abuses suffered? How, specifically, do you ensure that the Jordanian sweatshop situation which came to light in 2007 does not happen again? I also found that the company educates your overseas associates. How are they educated, and who trains them?
Thank you for taking the time to respond, and thank you for the measures you have already taken. Thank you for the philanthropic work you have been participating in, and thank you for avoiding cotton from Uzbekistan. I have stopped shopping at Victoria's Secret until I have more confidence that I am not participating in the exploitation of workers, but I look forward to shopping at your company again once I have more information and feel I can do so in good conscience.
Sincerely,
Karie Stephens
I have had no response.
Dear Limited Brands:
My name is Karie Stephens and I write a blog for the nonprofit organization Looking For Starfish, which is dedicated to fighting modern-day slavery by raising financial support for existing organizations, increasing awareness of the issue, and providing ethical alternatives to everyday purchases which may be produced by slaves. I have been to the Victoria's Secret and Limited Brands websites, but did not find the information I am looking for. I have also called Victoria's Secret and Limited Brands, and received this email contact.
I saw on the Limited Brands website that the company recognizes its responsibility to ensure its partners comply with the Limited Brands' labor standards, and that the company has implemented an internal audit process. How often do you visit your overseas suppliers? Are your visits unannounced? Who is it that visits? Are your findings subject to third-party verifiers? When do you plan to respond to the organization Chain Store Reaction, which to date has sent over 1800 emails, including mine?
What are the standards and protocols to which you hold your suppliers? What do you do if a supplier or factory is found to be out of compliance? Do you reimburse workers for abuses suffered? How, specifically, do you ensure that the Jordanian sweatshop situation which came to light in 2007 does not happen again? I also found that the company educates your overseas associates. How are they educated, and who trains them?
Thank you for taking the time to respond, and thank you for the measures you have already taken. Thank you for the philanthropic work you have been participating in, and thank you for avoiding cotton from Uzbekistan. I have stopped shopping at Victoria's Secret until I have more confidence that I am not participating in the exploitation of workers, but I look forward to shopping at your company again once I have more information and feel I can do so in good conscience.
Sincerely,
Karie Stephens
I have had no response.
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