Union Made: What it Really Means
There are a lot of buzzwords being printed and sewn onto the labels of the products we consume today and the type of clothing I consume is no exception. For this article, I’ll be talking specifically about the industry that revolves around premium denim and goods that are accessory to it or adhere to the lifestyles assumed by the people who wear it. Without further ado, let’s take a look at the semiotic and semantic value ingrained in those two words that appear so often on premium dry goods.
Union Made
It’s a phrase that has historically carried a lot of meaning and continues to do still in the present day. If you’ve looked inside as many pairs of raw, selvedge jeans as I have, you’ll have come across the phrase ‘union made’ that is often proudly adorned on the back pocket flasher or sewn into the waistband of a pair of premium jeans.
Through my conversations with people in the industry and denim enthusiasts, I’ve noticed that the phrase ‘union made’ often carries with it a large misconception about what it actually means. Some have explained it as signifying that the product bearing the label is of a higher quality. Some have noted that it is synonymous with products made in the USA and others still believe that it meant said products were sewn on a Union Special.
While products bearing the ‘union made’ label proudly may both be of superior quality and USA-made, the label, in fact, signifies neither of these things. What it does signify is that the product bearing the phrase has been made by unionised workers. Unionised workers are certainly found in the USA and they might even create some really spectacular work but one does not signify the other.
In short:
- union made ≠ superior quality
- union made ≠ made in USA
- union made ≠ sewn on a Union Special
Interestingly enough, many products that bear the ‘union made’ label are, in fact American in origin despite the decades long association of belonging to a union being something inherently un-American.
Should you care if your garment is union made, or not?
Ask yourself if you care about the rights of the workers that make your consumables. Do you care that the seamsters and seamstresses who have sewn your jeans have been paid fairly for their labour? While I certainly hope you do, if it’s not something that tickles your conscience when you consider purchasing a new pair of jeans, should it be something you care about?
For many, whether they care to admit it or not, it is all down to semiotics. Many denimheads seek out ‘products with heritage’: products that embody a spirit of bygone times and more typically, products that emulate the spirit of mid-20th century americana. Brands who cater to this audience understand that significance of the phrase ‘union made’ and will include it whether through an effort to accurately reproduce period clothing or to simply evoke the spirit of it.
If you have any experience of the fashion industry, you’ll probably be aware that manufacturer supply chains are oftentimes not synonymous with transparency. Of course, brands want to keep secret who makes their fabrics or sews their garments for the sake of market competition. What this also means, is that it’s quite difficult to actually check whether a company that puts ‘union made’ labels on its garments actually employs unionised workers.
If buying clothes that have come from fair and sustainable conditions is important to you, have a look at this list of brands that guarantee their products were made by unionised workers. If you look for the phrase simply because it falls in line with an image, well I’m not here to judge you. However, purchasing garments aesthetically labelled as ‘union made’ undermines the meaning of a real, serious political issue that affects millions of people.
Just remember: just because a garment carries a ‘union made’ label, does not mean that they are necessarily of superior quality or USA made simply because they carry those two words.
