A message from our "Ministry of Truth"
At Zusaura, we don’t have a “Marketing Department” in the traditional sense – instead, we have a “Ministry of Truth”, and this is their message:
While injustices can be found in any sphere of life or business, we developed this video to highlight the everyday injustices in our industry that often lie unseen. Too often, big brands exploit the most vulnerable and voiceless, reap excessive financial gain as a result (yet reward the very few), and when the spotlight is shone on them, PR departments go into overdrive to protect brand reputations.
However, we are not passing judgement on whether such exploitation is deliberate or unintentional. We are also not questioning the sincerity of big brands. Finally, we are not against people of any national group. What we are concerned about though, is justice, and what we have direct control over – our own decisions and motives.
That’s why, for instance, knowing Uighur Muslims are being used as forced labour in East Turkestan – called the “Xinjiang” Region by the (Han) Chinese – and even though we have no manufacturing in the country, we took steps to ensure any of our peripheral supplies (packaging material, stickers, etc.) will not be produced in China. Simply moving to other Chinese regions or factories, as it can be inferred some brands may do, would not have been sufficient.
Regarding the video content, we hope it encourages consumers to think more deeply about their bargain purchases and the ever-decreasing prices they seek – someone, somewhere, is paying for that, and they are usually poor workers. We don’t expect to “convert” everyone on this issue. Those looking for men’s, technically complex, high quality, luxury swim shorts at $50 a pair will not find that here at Zusaura – that figure falls far short of even covering the cost of manufacturing one of our boardshorts!
We are paying the price for social justice with our suppliers – we are grateful our customers are paying that price too!
Please click the links below to view the media sources behind our video, and to learn more about this subject, we recommend you visit Labour Behind the Label.
Media Sources:
Al Jazeera English: Why are clothing brands shifting production to Bangladesh?
BBC: China Muslims: Xinjiang schools used to separate children from families
Forbes: Study Links Nike, Adidas And Apple To Forced Uighur Labor
France24: China forces birth control on Uighurs to curb Muslim population growth
Human Rights Watch: China: Xinjiang Children Separated from Families
Video Music: https://www.bensound.com