The anti-sweatshop movement at dozens of American universities, from Georgetown to U.C.L.A., has had plenty of idealism and energy, but not many victories.

Until now.

The often raucous student movement announced on Tuesday that it had achieved its biggest victory by far. Its pressure tactics persuaded one of the nation’s leading sportswear companies, Russell Athletic, to agree to rehire 1,200 workers in Honduras who lost their jobs when Russell closed their factory soon after the workers had unionized...

Cambodia vows to crack down on safety violations by factory owners.

AFP

Cambodian workers leave after their shift at a garment factory in Phnom Penh on July 5, 2008.

Foreign garment buyers are being asked to pay a few cents more for garments bought from Asian countries, including Sri Lanka – to help pay decent wages to garment workers. Worker representative groups in major Asian garment producing countries are launching a campaign called the ‘Asian Floor Wage Campaign’ in October, targeting international garment buying companies.

A lawyer representing a Baltimore County label manufacturing company is warning congressional candidate Andrew Duck to stop alleging the business is involved in sweatshops.

The Baltimore law firm Blades and Rosenfeld sent a letter dated June 18 to Duck, a Democrat running for the 6th District congressional seat.

The letter states Duck, during the course of campaigning against a candidate with ties to the company, has made comments alleging The Three Amigos Inc. is manufacturing its products in "sweatshops." ...

Excerpt from article:

If Michelle Obama really wants to influence the world of fashion, she should tackle sweatshop conditions abroad while steering the industry back to our shores.

It may or may not be true, as the old saying goes, that clothes make the man. But judging by the international fascination with every outfit that Michelle Obama has donned since her husband's election, they definitely make the first lady.