Do you know where your clothes were made?

When students in Steve Kelleher’s fifth-grade class at Korematsu Elementary School learned about the recent garment-factory fire and building collapse in Bangladesh — where more than 1,120 people perished — they started to wonder: Were the clothes they were wearing made by underpaid workers in unsafe working conditions?

“When Mr. Kelleher told us about the working conditions in Bangladesh,” said student Elaje Lopez, “he had us look at the labels on our clothes, and we were surprised to see a lot were made in other countries.”

The students learned that many workers in those countries are paid less than minimum wage and work in buildings that are unstable and full of fire hazards, explained Koshan Schiffman.

Some American companies choose to have their clothing made there because it’s cheaper “and they won’t have to pay as much,” Koshan explained.

Checking her own clothes, Lucy Knudsen found labels that said “Made in Bangladesh” and “Made in Pakistan,” including on brands like Disney and Old Navy, she said.

Tsakadu Obolu learned that the Adidas hat he was wearing in class last week was made in Bangladesh.

The students decided to learn more about the circumstances behind their clothes by writing letters to their favorite clothing manufacturers, asking where their clothing was made and what kind of working conditions the factories had.

Robert Yang wrote to Vans, “because I wear a lot of stuff from Vans and wondered if they were making things safe,” he said.

Hind Omer, meanwhile, wrote to Target.

“I said I really like their clothes and that they’re affordable but that I was concerned if their workers had good working conditions,” she said, adding that she had noticed from the labels that most of the clothes were made in other countries.

And while students had yet to hear back from any companies by last week, they are hopeful they will eventually.

“I think it would be really cool if they write back,” Lucy said.

At that point, the students aren’t sure exactly what steps they’ll take next, but they plan to keep on it.

And they don’t necessarily want companies to move out of Bangladesh or other countries, since that would just hurt the workers there further, they said. But they would like to know the clothing their parents are buying — and they are wearing — came from workers laboring in safe conditions and not in poorly constructed buildings that lack fire exits and sprinkler systems.

The students also would like to encourage other children in Davis to take action as well.

One suggested that kids pick out their favorite clothing brands, find company addresses and write letters.

“If lots and lots of kids were writing letters, they might change their ways,” Jessi Porterfield noted.

“Don’t be afraid to take a stand, because kids can make a difference in the world,” Lucy added.

— Reach Anne Ternus-Bellamy at [email protected] or 530-747-8051. Follow her on Twitter at @ATernusBellamy.

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Fifth-grader Tsakadu Obolu checks the label of his hat to see where it’s made. Sue Cockrell/Enterprise photo

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Brandon Folb turns around his shirt to read where his Under Armour garment was manufactured. Sue Cockrell/Enterprise photo

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Elaje Lopez, a fifth-grader in Steve Kelleher’s class at Korematsu Elementary School, checks to see where her sweater was manufactured. Said Elaje, “We were surprised to see a lot (of our clothes) were made in other countries.” Sue Cockrell/Enterprise photo

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