And the award to the 2010 Sweatshop Hall of Shame goes to...

The official inductees are:
Abercrombie and Fitch
Gymboree
Hanes
Ikea
Kohl’s
LL Bean
Pier 1 Imports
Propper International
and of course
Walmart

If you were not aware of this already many multi-national corporations are guilty of using sweatshop and child labour to keep their production costs down and their profits high. However, this type of business has not only contributed to a huge job shortage in North America but it has violated the UN's Charter on Human Rights and corrupted countries whose leaders see these practices as a quick way to make fast cash.

Shame, shame, shame on you all.

The International Labour Rights Forum documents the newest inductees and showcases well-known companies that use this type of labour.
They go on to explain, "The Sweatshop Hall of Shame 2010 highlights apparel and textile companies that use sweatshops in their global production. Hall of Shame inductees are responsible for evading fair labor standards and often are slow to respond or provide no response at all to any attempts by the International Labor Rights Forum (ILRF), workers, or others to improve working conditions."

Read more about the 2010 Hall of Shame here.
You may be wondering what you can do to make a change. It's simple...DO NOT BUY THESE BRANDS! And write about why you are not buying these brands. In this day and age you have many many choices to choose from so why not make a statement by being a conscious consumer.

I have been boycotting the Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy since I was 13 and eventually they did make some concessions to improve their image because the public was increasingly concerned with their labor practices.

Boycotting these brands is super easy and it will allow you to think twice about what your clothes say about you. And hey, aren't we all about making statements through fashion anyway?!