NO SWEAT APPAREL
CLOTHING WITH A CONSCIENCE – Extended Web Exclusive

By Murriel Cherise Perez

No Sweat Apparel is on to something big. Their clothes are 100 percent union-made, 100 percent sweatshop-free, organic, affordable, high quality, and stylish. Oh yeah, and they promote world peace.

Adam Neiman, the vibrant heart and soul behind Boston-based apparel manufacturing company Bienestar International, was a longtime progressive activist before he decided to start a clothing company inspired by and based on the ideals he firmly believed in. The drive to teach today's youth by positive example propelled Neiman to take the risk and officially launch the No Sweat brand under Bienestar in 2002.

With the support of his wife, acupuncturist Natalia Muina, now co-vice-president of No Sweat, Neiman stepped away from the roofing company he owned and took out a loan against their house to fund the venture. Impressed by the work of labor rights activist Jeff Ballinger, who penned an article on the harsh working environment in Nike's sweatshop factories, Neiman contacted Ballinger for advice and assistance. The two worked together so extensively that Ballinger ended up becoming cofounder and sharing vice president duties.

No Sweat has a few core branded products, including a fully vegan Chuck Taylor look-alike sneaker that comes with a summary of worker wages and benefits, and a print t-shirt of World War II icon Rosie the Riveter. The rest of the line consists of a variety of cruelty-free apparel, from beanies and socks, to jeans and sweats, to a 12-color offering of logo-free blank tees.

No Sweat keeps pricing low by relying on word-of-mouth for its advertising, hoping that consumers will recognize the importance of responsible spending. In order to spark more community involvement and awareness, No Sweat Apparel has turned to popular social networks and plans to run a peer-judged design contest in 2007, accepting submissions from artists competing for a long-term contract to create designs for the label.

The website also offers an "open source" approach to manufacturing—instead of protecting the list of its factories as a trade secret, No Sweat publishes a description of each source. The list gives consumers or industry watchdogs the ability to verify that the factories used for production actually stick to the labor principles promoted by No Sweat.

As stated on one of the No Sweat labor disclosure forms— "We believe that the only viable response to globalization is a global labor movement. [This is] what a real fashion statement looks like."

Neiman worked together with Billy Bragg and the anti-sweatshop community to launch Musicians against Sweatshops (MASS), an initiative to promote responsible merchandise and provide an alternative to non-union brands like American Apparel. MASS, whose list of participating artists includes Chumbawumba and Strata, has been laying low, but No Sweat plans on stepping up wholesaling to the music industry in 2007.

Not content to merely offer an alternative to labor exploitation by large corporations, Neiman steps up and directly addresses big business, writing letters to companies such as Reebok and Nike, challenging them to go union and to disclose the labor practices and worker benefits in the same way that No Sweat does. "Capitalism is the closest thing we've ever come to functioning anarchy," explains Neiman. "People are overturning these enormous corporations right and left. Anybody can do anything."

Although Neiman acknowledges that non-union companies are capable of treating their employees well, he sees many downsides to relying on responsible management to provide decent working conditions. "The problem with the groovy guy approach is that things are only groovy as long as the groovy guy is feeling groovy and still in charge—and nobody lives forever," says Neiman.

Another of Neiman's projects is a partnership with Arja Textile Company, a factory owned by Palestinian Christians and based out of Bethlehem, a place where few business owners dare venture given the dangerous political climate. Clearly excited about the initiative, he still modestly shrugs off the dangers that he faced as a Jew and as an American. "[As] a roofing contractor, I've risked my life all kinds of times for less," says Neiman.

Even the conflict that erupted in Lebanon as he flew into the Middle East did not seem to faze his efforts. "The worst thing that happened to me was that I managed to gain five pounds with the enormous multi-course lunches," laughs Neiman. He hopes that the factory will attract youths away from a militant lifestyle, providing them with productive employment, good working conditions, and a way to financially support their families. Although No Sweat runs the risk that outbreaks of violence might disrupt production in Bethlehem and affect business, Neiman believes that the opportunity is too great to pass up.

He abides by the principle that every action counts in the fight to better the world and this belief guides his decisions. “We vote for the world we want to inhabit every day that we pull out our wallet," says Neiman. "It's our dollars that determine the nature of the global economy."

“The bigger the problem, the greater the opportunity.... The idea is to save the world for fun and profit."

For more info, go to: nosweatapparel.com and musiciansagainstsweatshops.org