Where am I Wearing?: A Global Tour to the Countries, Factories, and People That Make Our Clothes

Central to Timmerman’s portrayal of the global garment industry is the recognition that globalization involves a complex interplay of benefits and drawbacks, particularly for developing countries. On the one hand, global trade opens doors for economic growth and provides employment opportunities, propelling “developing” nations toward the prosperity that their “developed” counterparts enjoy. On the other hand, the process widens the gap between rich and poor and leads to worker exploitation and fractured communities.

The book outlines how a developing country’s transition into a developed one typically follows a specific trajectory. Increasing manufacturing output is driven by international trade, and as a country’s economy grows, there is a shift from agrarian-based to industrial-based production. Economists generally accept this process as involving short-term pain for long-term gain. As companies seek to minimize costs and maximize profits, workers often face low wages, long hours, unsafe working conditions, and limited labor rights. Moreover, globalization can exacerbate income inequality as wealth and opportunities concentrate in urban centers while rural areas are left behind. However, in the long term, these factors elevate the standard of living for citizens of developing countries, leading to infrastructure development, better health care and education systems, and labor reforms that improve workers’ conditions.

Throughout Where Am I Wearing? Timmerman highlights the historical similarities between developing countries and the United States before its ascent as a global economic power. He draws parallels between the plight of garment workers in the Global South and those of their American counterparts in the 19th century. For example, he highlights the practice of employing impoverished young women in American sweatshops and the dangerous working conditions that led to the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City. In making these connections, Timmerman underscores the cyclical nature of economic development and identifies “growing pains” as part of a country’s development process. He also highlights how unsatisfactory working conditions generally lead to an improvement in workers’ rights through unionization, protests, and labor reform. For example, the 1886 workers’ riots in Chicago led to improvements to American working conditions, now associated with Labor Day.

At the same time, Timmerman depicts the personal impact of “growing pains” on garment workers in developing countries. Through his depiction of workers like Arifa, Nari, and Ai, Timmerman lays bare the harsh realities that garment workers face in developing countries—low wages, long hours, unsafe working conditions, and limited labor rights. Meanwhile, Zhu Chun and Dewan’s three-year separation from their son illustrates how globalization divides families and erodes traditional rural ways of life. Furthermore, Timmerman’s visit to the couple’s home village demonstrates how the concentration of resources and job opportunities in urban centers leaves rural communities impoverished. While acknowledging that these factors are the symptoms of a growing economy, Timmerman suggests that it is hard to equate these hardships with progress.

Timmerman’s depiction of globalization reflects the conflicting demands of economic growth and human welfare as developing countries strive for increased prosperity and living standards. While globalization offers opportunities, the book depicts the personal cost to workers who bear the brunt of progress. By presenting globalization as an unstoppable force, Timmerman argues that companies and consumers must try to mitigate its worst effects.