Really Australian
I love my Uggs (sort of like these), but after I bought them, I found out that they're about as Australian as Outback Steakhouse. The company is American, and they make everything in China. ("Made *for* kids like you *by* kids like you!")
So when I wanted a black pair, I bought these direct from EMU's web site. They make a lot of stuff in China, but you can get items from their web site that are made in Australia[1].
If nothing else, this lends veracity to the Australian-made claim:
People think I'm crazy for going out of my way to buy stuff from anywhere-but-China, but in my own little way, just as we'd like to reduce our dependence on Middle-East oil, I'd like to help reduce our dependence on Chinese manufacturing. I lived through the Arab oil embargo of the early 1970's. If, for whatever reason (and there are plenty I can think of), China were to impose a manufacturing embargo on the U.S., we'd grind to a halt. Now, I can't say I'd mind Wal-Mart not being able to stock their shelves, but the double worry I have is that when we started making everything in China, we not only closed down the American factories[2], we tore them down. If we had to ramp up manufacturing today, we wouldn't be able to. The more we figure out how not to buy from China, the less vulnerable we'll be to drastic action their government might take.
[1] Yeah, I know, probably by aboriginal wage slaves, but that's less likely than your typical Chinese product being made by kids in sweatshops. See also: American Apparel.
[2] Yeah, I know I just sounded all "buy American" after just talking about how I bought Australian. There aren't any (lower-case) ugg boots made in America. I looked. See also: Is my Ford, built in Hermosillo, Sonora more or less American than a BMW built in Spartanburg, SC?
So when I wanted a black pair, I bought these direct from EMU's web site. They make a lot of stuff in China, but you can get items from their web site that are made in Australia[1].
If nothing else, this lends veracity to the Australian-made claim:
People think I'm crazy for going out of my way to buy stuff from anywhere-but-China, but in my own little way, just as we'd like to reduce our dependence on Middle-East oil, I'd like to help reduce our dependence on Chinese manufacturing. I lived through the Arab oil embargo of the early 1970's. If, for whatever reason (and there are plenty I can think of), China were to impose a manufacturing embargo on the U.S., we'd grind to a halt. Now, I can't say I'd mind Wal-Mart not being able to stock their shelves, but the double worry I have is that when we started making everything in China, we not only closed down the American factories[2], we tore them down. If we had to ramp up manufacturing today, we wouldn't be able to. The more we figure out how not to buy from China, the less vulnerable we'll be to drastic action their government might take.
[1] Yeah, I know, probably by aboriginal wage slaves, but that's less likely than your typical Chinese product being made by kids in sweatshops. See also: American Apparel.
[2] Yeah, I know I just sounded all "buy American" after just talking about how I bought Australian. There aren't any (lower-case) ugg boots made in America. I looked. See also: Is my Ford, built in Hermosillo, Sonora more or less American than a BMW built in Spartanburg, SC?