I discovered a dirty little marking scheme today called Alternative Apparel. “Alternative Apparel” sounds a lot like “American Apparel”, doesn’t it?

Oh, but Alternative Apparel is not American Apparel. American Apparel actually makes its clothes in the United States, which means that although it’s not perfect (what business is), it obeys a certain level of environmental and labor laws that we can be fairly sure of.

Not Alternative Apparel. Alternative Apparel, which is now supplying clothing to CafePress, has its clothes made in China.

Oh, sure, Alternative Apparel has a page on its web site which is entitled “social responsibility”, on which they talk about a lot of highfalutin ideals, but behind that smokescreen, the fact still remains: Alternative Apparel has its clothes made in China.

Alternative Apparel has its clothes made in China instead of United States so that it can sell its clothes to you cheaply, but still make a big profit. You know who doesn’t make a big profit? The workers back in China.

Alternative Apparel can get cheap clothes made in China because China is an authoritarian regime that uses forced prison labor, child labor, and even slave labor. My, how that drives wages down!

Oh, and then there’s Tibet. Yes, you’ve heard about what China is doing to Tibet haven’t you?

Alternative Apparel profits from the authoritarian regime that keeps Tibet in chains.

That’s not very alternative, is it?

A company can have a nice sounding name, and still do nasty business.

Cheap Alternative Apparel clothing is for cheap people.