Jeansland Podcast
This is why I do this. Jeansland is a podcast about the ecosystem in which jeans live. There are an estimated 26 million cotton farmers around the world, and about 25% of their production goes into jeans, which could mean 6.2 million farmers depend on denim. I read estimates that at least 1 million people work in retail selling jeans, and another 1.5 to 2 million sew them. And then there are all the label producers, pattern makers, laundries, chemical companies, machinery producers, and those that work in denim mills. I mean, the jeans industry, which is bigger than the global movie and music business combined, employs a lot of human beings. And many of them, like me, love jeans. The French philosopher and existentialist Simone de Beauvoir, when visiting New York, said, "Everyone in the New York subway is a novel." I never met her, but I guess she made the observation because of the incredible diversity of people who ride the subway system. I'm convinced the people in our jeans industry are like those in the subway. They are unique, with rich and complex stories to tell, and I want to hear them. And deep inside me, I think you might feel the same way.
https://jeansland.co/
Jeansland Podcast
Ep. 39: Andrew's Take: Do Jeans Symbolize Freedom?
Jeans have long been seen as the uniform of freedom. But if freedom is what we're selling, what's the truth behind the people making them?
In this solo episode, Andrew looks at two global scorecards, one for freedom and one for happiness, across the 11 countries that produce most of the world's denim. The results aren't comfortable. China ranks third worst in the world for freedom. Egypt is eighth worst. Pakistan, Bangladesh, Turkey, all near the bottom. And most of these countries also rank in the bottom half for happiness.
Factories full of low spirits, making clothes that claim to represent self-expression.
Andrew asks: Can a product symbolize freedom if the people who make it aren't free? When factories move to cheaper countries, does freedom move with them or just the profit margins? And at what point does outsourcing start to look like making jeans in a prison?
This isn't about guilt. It's about awareness. If jeans are going to mean something, maybe we need to start asking who made them and what kind of life they're living.