Big-Name Retailers Make Pride Merchandise in Places That Aren’t L.G.B.T.-Friendly
“When we do these partnerships with companies, we do due diligence to make sure we’re not partnering with companies that are complicit with human rights violations,” she said.
Making pride T-shirts in a place where homosexuality is illegal could be considered a way of making inroads toward more human rights, she said.
“I’m by no means implying that it’s a revolution,” she added.
Other retailers that manufacture pride merchandise in countries with poor L.G.B.T. records pointed to ways they support gay rights in other ways. A spokeswoman from Target, which uses sites in Indonesia, Bangladesh, China, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico to produce goods, pointed to the company’s longstanding support of local, regional and national organizations.
“As we always do, we’ll continue to source our products with vendors,” she said, that “show a respect for human rights.”
For its part, Levi Strauss & Co., which makes its pride merchandise in China, India, Madagascar and Mexico, provides grants to organizations that support and advocate for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer communities in those countries, a spokeswoman, Amber McCasland, said in an email.
The organization also was on the forefront of multinational apparel companies establishing a comprehensive workplace code of conduct for manufacturing suppliers, Ms. McCasland said.
Pride apparel and accessories are in demand. “So far, it looks like this year is selling at twice the rate of prior years,” she said.
