Where am I Wearing?: A Global Tour to the Countries, Factories, and People That Make Our Clothes

Timmerman reveals that when he was five, his mother bought him Scooby-Doo underpants in the Boston Store. The Boston Store and other department stores in Union City went out of business in the 1980s. The closures coincided with the local garment factories shutting down due to foreign competition or being outsourced to other countries. This marked the advent of globalization in the author’s hometown.

Timmerman’s favorite boxers are printed with Christmas ornaments and have the words “Jingle These” stitched into the waistband. They were made in Bangladesh. In April 2007, Timmerman travels to Bangladesh in search of the makers of his underwear. In Dhaka, he meets Dalton, the general manager of a Motorola store. Dalton is also a journalist and promises to arrange a meeting at the factory where the author’s underwear was made. Dalton takes Timmerman to Ludhua, his home village, which is peaceful and surrounded by rice fields. Dalton’s family home is made from tin and has a dirt floor. Dalton explains that although he is educated and has a good job, he has little money since he supports his parents and two brothers. Before working for Motorola, he managed the construction of one of Dhaka’s most expensive hotels at the age of 19.