American Apparel is a clothing company with the assurance of “sweatshop-free” clothing. It was started by a young entrepreneur Dov Charney with the hopes of attracting a market base of young, hip urbanites with a mind towards labor rights and ethical business practices. American Apparel now has stores in L.A., New York, and Chicago, among other locations, with 4,500 employees that receive living wages and benefits.
Nike is the world's leading supplier of athletic shoes, apparel and sports equipment with revenue in excess of $16 billion USD in 2007. Operating in more than 160 countries around the globe Nike and is subsidiaries can be found in most shoe retailing stores. In addition to manufacturing their products Nike also runs a chain of retail stores known as Niketown.
In 2007 the retail clothing company, Gap, was chosen as one of the world's most ethical corporations by Ethisphere Magazine. However, the same year BBC (British Broadcasting Company) aired a clip of child labor occurring in a Gap factory located in India. Gap denied knowledge of such abuse, but this was not the first incident in which the corporation had been alleged of human rights violations in its overseas factories. In 2003, there was a class-action lawsuit against the company filed by sweatshop workers in Saigon.
Companhia de Tecidos Norte de Minas, or COTEMINAS. The Group's principal activity is to produce fabrics for the manufacture of bed linen, tablecloths, bath towels, curtains and clothing. It also manufactures fabrics and materials for the production of its own range of clothes such as T-shirts, socks and underwear for sale in the Brazilian, United States, European and Mercosul markets.
The company's Yue Yuen subsidiary is the world's largest athletic shoe manufacturer turning out more than 100 million pair a year for customers like NIKE, Adidas, Reebok, New Balance, and Puma. The company also makes plastic sandals and shoe parts as well as thin film transistor LCD modules and monitors. Shoes, produced in China, Indonesia, Viet Nam, and the US, account for about half of sales. Pou Chen also makes hiking and work boots for Dr. Marten, Timberland, and Wolverine.
Gelmart Industries , Inc. is one of the largest privately owned direct manufacturer of intimate apparel in the world. The company manufacturers and distributes lingerie that is sold in department stores, mass merchants and specialty stores nationwide. Gelmart also serves as a contract manufacturer for other brands, and has a showroom in Manhattan where it employs more than 20 workers. Its clients include Playtex, Wal-Mart and Liz Claiborne.
