Buying from American companies is no longer enough to help our economy; we need to get as local as possible. The American garment industry as a whole has been suffering a slow death for a while. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said in 2008 there were just 497,100 people working in the textile product and apparel manufacturing industries in the United States. The bureau expects employment in these fields to decline by nearly half within eight years. Local business owner Felicia Strati sells clothing from Greece, Italy and France. She has sold clothing from local designer Richard Hallmarq, but prefers carrying clothing that is, by comparison, less avant garde and cutting-edge. Strati favors European brands because she said clothing in the mainstream American market are too big or too small for her liking and they have more intricate details than she admires.”I’m looking for the happy medium that gives you longevity for your investment pieces,” Strati said. “I love the textiles and I love their fit better.”There are upsides to supporting a local vendor like Strati, even if she sells European clothing – like the pleasure of wearing a ridiculously beautiful garment from her chic self-named boutique.The labor bureau estimates if half of the U.S. population spent $50 each month at locally owned businesses, those purchases would generate $42.6 billion in revenue. If you shop online, none of your money comes back to your community.”I think it’s very important that we do play our role in supporting these businesses,” said Natasia Berry, president of the Student Fashion Association. “The duty of an organization is to bring awareness. We’re in an economic situation … these boutiques need as much help as they can get.” If you’re hesitant to patronize local merchants because of their prices, I’ll let you in on a little secret called “layaway.” Some boutique owners like Strati will accept 20 percent cash down on a garment and hold on to it for about four weeks until you pay off the rest. It’s a great way to buy something nice without racking up credit card debt. “With the boutiques downtown, they are a little pricey,” Berry said. “They’re not too expensive, but they’re not the cheapest.”Buying from local boutiques means your money also helps promote fair wages and good working conditions. According to Behind the Label, a website devoted to international labor and human rights, about 80 percent of workers producing clothing for U.S. retailers like Walmart and J. Crew work under conditions which violate local and international labor laws. Workers in China have reportedly been paid as little as 14 cents an hour, which correlates with their regular 14-hour days.The shame is that I hear more about ethically sourced diamonds these than clothes. The number of people regularly buying diamonds versus clothing is probably greatly outnumbered. Does it feel OK to wear clothing made with the sweat off the backs of children in Third World sweatshops, or does spending your money toward a good cause by buying locally make you feel better? It’s time that we started making more discerning decisions about what we put on our backs.

Julia Baum can be reached at [email protected]