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Mandi and Eric Odier-Fink have been active in the labor and social-justice movements for most of their (adult) lives. Between the two they have worked for or been active members of seven different Union Locals and the AFL-CIO, been arrested multiple times at legal actions supporting striking workers, helped to organize actions and fund-raisers (including their wedding!), and generally have been giving a hard time to those who think people are expendable in the pursuit of profit.
The idea for the Justice Clothing Company was born around 1996 when we met and, among other things, began shopping together. Our common pursuit of "clean" (read: not made by slaves, indentured servants, children, forced laborers, or otherwise abused and mistreated workers) clothes was a constant topic of conversation between us and among our friends. When we would find or learn of a product that just *might* be ok, we'd tell everyone we knew. Soon it came to pass that friends used us as a resource for such items- the questions began: why not do this as a full-time gig?
During this time the anti-sweatshop movement was building across college and university campuses throughout the country and around the world, and a couple of new apparel manufacturers started-up, producing union-made and sweatshop-free clothes. Still, there was nowhere to go shopping without playing the label-hunting game, and most people who wanted to support justice in the world of apparel with their dollars would simply give-up because the quest was too hard.
We're here to change that.
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Justice Clothing is meant to be a one-stop shop for union-made and sweatshop free apparel. We are constantly on the hunt for new lines, styles, and manufacturers who meet our strict criteria, and are hoping to add an expanded line of products in the near future, including linens, dishes and flatware, and more. Our ability to add new lines is simply limited to our resources - we are a small family-owned operation - but we believe that as word gets out (hint: you can help!) our sales will more than meet our needs and we can pump those profits into building a better store.
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