Nice hem! Now get back to work.

July 15, 2011 12:17 PM

How are eShakti's seamstresses treated?

AskMetafilter posters turned me onto eShakti months ago. I've ordered from them twice and am pleased with the workmanship of the clothes.
Because this company does so much custom work, does it follow that their workers are treated better than some sweatshop slaves in Mumbai? How might I ascertain how eShakti's workers are treated? Somehow, I don't think a direct email to the company is going to get me a straight answer, companies being what they are.
Any sleuthing tips?

posted by BostonTerrier to shopping (3 answers total)

You could try a direct email to the company, because the answer might reflect facts that can then be checked. I mean, they might say something useless like, "Yes, our workers are treated well." But they also might say something like, "Our workers are treated well, and here's how we know: XXX. And we participate in XYZ accountability program. And our workers get health coverage, etc etc."

It might be a good place to start.
posted by BlahLaLa at 12:58 PM on July 15, 2011

Near the bottom of this page, the CEO says the conditions are good (as you might expect).
posted by Medieval Maven at 1:06 PM on July 15, 2011

I'm glad to see this question. I ordered a dress and it was great, fit perfectly and seems to be well constructed, but that combined with the low prices made me worry. I sent an email through the contact form but I never heard anything. MM's link is a great start; would love to see some independent confirmation or whatever if anyone's got it.
posted by librarina at 8:07 PM on July 15, 2011