Each tag features a picture of a worker as well as a bio that describes the worker's expertise as well as a little bit about the person they are.
Getting recognition for your work is a nice feeling for most people. It is great to connect with a person who would hold a part of your work for quite some time. Workers from a clothing brand in LA, Los Angeles Apparel, are finding that through tags with their photos and bios stitched to the clothes they made. It is a huge opportunity for customers as well to connect with a brand or a piece of clothing on a human level and know the people who made it happen.
The tags have the person's face as well as their experience in making clothes and a few lines that showcase their personality and individuality. In a way, the little tag gives a chance for a new story to come to light for people to hear. One of the tags introduced a worker called Rosa, who had come to LA all the way from El Salvador at 27 to pursue her passion for sewing. Rosa likes to "go shopping and take walks with her pups" when she is not sewing. Virginia, from Tejupilco, Mexico, loves going to Disneyland in her free time. Maria, on the other hand, loves that Los Angeles Apparel can sew a t-shirt in 7 to 8 seconds. Gabriela has 38 years of experience in the industry. "You can see her dancing away to salsa music at the Granda LA in Alhambra.
Through their website, the company shared that LA inspired them as the city had people from 140 different countries who spoke 224 different languages. They also said, "All of our workers earn fair wages, with our starting employees making an average of $20 an hour. The garment workers at our factory are experts in their field and can make up to $35 an hour with productivity bonuses in a safe and ethically managed environment." The company explained that they are "sweat-shop free." The company also has a goal to employ thousands of workers in the country and get things made locally from an efficiency and ethical standpoint.
Pictures of the brand's unique idea of adding people's stories to clothing tags to share them with consumers were also shared by Milliards (@milliards) on Instagram. The tag featured the story of Oscar, who has 30 years of experience in the industry and came to LA from Guatemala because of a heartbreak. "Current employee, future shareholder," the tag shared. Santos is a multitalented employee with experience in managing operations. In his free time, he molds clay with three daughters. Piedad has 36 years of experience in the field and is also a skilled Pinata maker, as per her bio.
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Along with giving recognition to its workers, the company also believes in vertically integrated production. "We control our manufacturing from start to finish. We rarely subcontract and we never use any off-shoring. This ensures our quality and sets our standard. This is our commitment to our customers," they revealed. It also aims to support domestic farmers and the domestic yarn industry in the US. "We buy textile and yarn products made in the United States to support our domestic manufacturing. Over half of our yarn consumption is derived from domestic sources. A strong domestic farmer and yarn industry is good for our company’s financial viability in the long run. It also helps us serve the interests of our customers and is good for the health of the domestic and continental manufacturing base."