By Meriem Cherif
Dear ILuvSh0pping34,
You may not know me, but I wanted to extend my thanks to you! Before I say too much, let me introduce myself. My name is Amina. I live in Uzbekistan, and turned eight this past December. My favorite hobby is making money so my family can eat dinner. I used to like playing soccer, but I don’t have much time for it anymore. With the amount of time I spend making money through illegal labor, you would think I was the master of this hobby! My days are spent in the factory, which I quite enjoy—I’m shielded from the harsh sunlight since there are no windows. Anyway, I discovered you through my job at the factory; the clothes you bought from H&M’s website recently were actually constructed by me! The influx of online orders like yours have helped me work longer hours and provide more for my family, and I can’t thank you enough for it. Even though I leave the factory with bleary eyes and a stumble in my step, my mom and siblings can finally eat at least one meal a day. As my token of gratitude, I wanted to share the thorough process involved in making the adorable clothing you ordered!
I wanted to start with my personal favorite from your order: the crop top with a pink angel graphic on the front. After screen printing 600 t-shirts with the same boring, brown graphic, designing your shirt felt like finding a gem in the mud! I wasn’t the only one who felt this way either. All the girls I work with began jumping for joy when we saw your shirt move down the conveyor belt. You see, pink is all our favorite: it’s the only dye color that doesn’t give us full-body rashes and make girls faint. You can imagine our excitement at that moment!
I also loved the silk scarf you chose; maroon and green patterns are so in right now. The high demand for these scarves has helped make our bosses much more lenient about the rules of work. Some say the lack of regulations in my factory is a bad thing, but I’m not complaining! Usually, I would be unable to stitch scarves because I have more than two missing fingers (long story short, 5-year-old me wasn’t too skilled at handling textile machinery). Thankfully, the increase in scarf sales has earned me back a spot in the stitching station. I work longer hours, and sometimes get to take home a scrap or two of fabric!
Although I would love to comment on the 13 other articles of clothing you bought, I unfortunately only have one 10 minute break in my 12-hour workday. Once again, I wanted to express my appreciation that you buy clothing that will end up in a landfill once the new trend rolls around two months later. Thank you for your purchase, and we hope you order from us again!