Jeans Show Me What You're Made Of

Meet Ellie, Ewan, Callum, Jade and Mattie.

Five pampered kids with all the clothes,

gadgets and toys life has to offer.

I'd say I was a spend-a-holic.

I cherish this with my heart.

I love shopping. It's amazing.

I'm Stacey Dooley and I'm taking them on an extraordinary journey

to find out where all their stuff comes from.

I just don't have a clue.

'Can they work in the factories of Asia?'

-Oh, my gosh, there's a fish head in there!

-No!

-Yes!

'Live in real workers' homes?'

This is your toilet.

That is actually disgusting.

'With strict bosses telling them what to do?'

My workers! We are waiting for you to work in the team!

-No!

-Come out.

-We'll wait.

'Can they hack it?'

The smell is unbearable.

'Today, we're in Bangkok to get to grips with making jeans.'

I'm not, I'm going to be demoted. I'm so going to be demoted.

I feel like I'm wrecking someone's jeans.

'Can they handle the heat?'

Oh, my days!

'And as homesickness takes hold...'

I just want to see my mum and dad.

'..how will they react to seeing workers kept apart from their kids?'

It's so sad being away from their child for that long,

just to survive life.

'So far, we've hit two countries.

'We've made trainers in Malaysia...'

I think I'm going faster and then, you see all the shoes speeding away.

'..and make-up in Thailand.'

I feel like a school dinner lady.

'The kids have found the work a challenge...'

OK, you throw my shoes.

I haven't disrespected him or his workers.

This task wasn't really my thing.

'..and the living conditions even harder.'

I'm not going to have a shower in that bucket.

-I'm not going to toilet there.

-Oh, dear.

'But it all seems worth it when they get a wage.'

What are you going to spend it on? A mascara?

Gosh, no.

Today, we are halfway through our amazing journey

across South-East Asia.

So it's a new day and a new factory for our five.

We're still here in Thailand, but we've moved to Bangkok,

the hottest capital city in the world.

For the next two days, we'll be finding out what it means

to make something that you can find in every kids' wardrobe -

jeans.

Things are about to get tougher

in a factory that makes big brand jeans for the international market.

Jade, do you think you'll be able to manage making a pair of jeans?

When I was younger I tried to make, like my...

I had teddies, like, fit in a pair of jeans.

-Ah!

-And it, it didn't really work, so...

SHE LAUGHS

-Second time lucky.

-Yeah, hopefully.

I'm all for, like, denim and for wearing jeans

and all for, like, that casual look. I just love them.

-Callum loves jeans!

-Yes!

Their jeans boss is Nok, the head of marketing at Advance Garments.

First, she wants to get the measure of our kids.

-Sawadee ka!

-ALL: Sawadee ka!

Nice to me you, guy. My name is Nok.

-Nok.

-Yeah.

-I'm Stacey.

Stacey, nice to meet you.

I will show you how to make the jeans, yeah.

Welcome to Advance Garments.

We are the manufacturer of the denim.

Denim where you wear.

Making jeans is gruelling work.

A lot of it is done by hand.

Each pair goes through several stages of production.

-What's the salary for the workers?

-300 Baht. You can compare...

-To six pounds.

-Uh-huh, yeah.

Once each pair of jeans is beautifully stitched,

a new process starts of burning, cutting, sanding and distressing,

to get the fashionable look that's worn in Europe.

And it all happens in this shed.

OK. You see what she did?

And this then depend on her, her design,

what-what...what she want to do.

But we have the original sample.

She's making marks on the denim.

-Ahhh.

-And she has to follow this exact pair.

Yes. Yes, and she have also the skill to know how strong...

power tools, scratching, and to dragging on the garment.

So it has to be absolutely perfect, just right,

one little mistake can mean it causes a hole

-and the buyer in Europe...

-No.

-..in England, they don't want it.

-It reject.

-Reject.

This the work that I prepare for you.

Nok's starting them off with a key finishing job.

The brushing it easy.

Nong will show you how to do.

They have to brush the denim with sandpaper to give it a faded look.

The blue leg board keeps the front and back of the jeans separate.

The denim has to be stretched to get an even pattern.

A worker can do between 1,000 and 2,000 pairs a day.

Nok gives the kids an easy target of 50 pairs an hour.

Those who do well will be promoted

and those who don't will face demotion.

-Do you think you can do 50, Jade?

-Yeah.

-Yeah. Can but try.

SHE LAUGHS

It looks like they're getting stuck in.

But it's not clear they're getting anywhere.

I don't have a clue, to be honest.

I'm seeing stuff, like, and I just, I just don't have a clue.

I'm not, I'm going to be demoted. I'm so going to be demoted.

Ah, no!

-OK.

-S-slow, slow.

I don't like doing this. I feel like I'm wrecking someone's jeans.

At home in England, pint-sized Jade has so much stuff,

her room is fit to burst.

My clothes take up a lot of space in my room.

But a lot of my drawers break...

cos they're full up. I'd say that I was a spend-a-holic, definitely.

She tends to borrow from us and obviously we never get it back.

If I have money in my pocket, it just burns a hole.

One of life's greatest pleasures for this Kent 12-year-old

is parting her parents from their hard-earned cash.

I have a MacBook Air, an iPad 2, iPhone 3G, iPod Shuffle, printer...

and my most treasured position - my TV bed.

But mum, Kim, would like Jade to wise up

about where it all comes from.

Life here as a child in the UK is generally a piece of cake.

It will make her a better, bigger person when she comes back.

-Hopefully.

-SHE LAUGHS

-What is it you're unclear on?

-Everything.

Didn't they show you the technique, the way to do it.

Yeah, but...I don't know whether I'm finished or not

and I don't know whether to go on the back or not...

-Come and have a look at these. Cos we've got to get a wiggle on.

-Yeah.

They're finding it hard to concentrate.

They've been asked to do 50. A lot of them haven't even passed three.

I mean, it's just relentless.

-'And it is for Mattie in particularly.'

-It's so boring.

I've done like two pairs of jeans

and it's already boring the hell out of me.

The heat is really getting to him.

When it comes to moaning about the weather...

British people are the people you need to ask.

Oh, my days!

Mattie hits the buffers and Ellie soon follows.

So I'm really tired.

And, er... I'm not really in the mood for doing any hard work.

Luckily, the other three are.

They even ask for tips from the local workers.

I don't work out as much as him. He probably does this every day.

This is my first time doing it and I, I'm straining all my arms.

-It's in there.

-It's like a day in the gym, honestly.

I'm just going to turn it around.

Let's do this thing.

You have to make it again, make it clear and slightly to the knee.

-Mattie.

-But Mattie's getting more despondent.

They want them to be messy, but they want 'em to be like spot on.

And I'm not a spot on person.

They expect us to do 50 in an hour. That's not going to happen.

I just want to see my mum and dad.

I just want to go home.

And Ellie's not brushing at all.

Jade! Jeans. Why won't anyone talk to me today?

-Cos we're trying to concentrate.

-I'm not!

-Clear.

Ellie, this morning, seems to have gone back to square one.

She's so capable and she's so bright and she can be so amazing

when she puts her mind to it.

Today, she seems like she doesn't want to be here.

I think Ellie needs to think about the other workers

and seeing them putting so much effort in

and she's sort of making them embarrassed, I think.

Are we going to be promoted or demoted today?

Promoted and demoted?

-Who's going to demote me?

-Mmm.

As Jade, Callum and Ewan finish up,

Mattie and Ellie give up.

The shift has ended for everybody

and they wait for Nok to come and let them know how they've done.

I don't know what she's going to say.

She probably will sack me. I was really naughty.

Hello, hello, hello.

Sawadee krup...

-Hello! Sawadee ka!

-Sawadee ka!

How was your first day here?

It took me like 20 minutes to do one,

but then, I think I kind of got the hang of it.

You pay attention.

And you know how to teach,

how to help your friend.

Me and Callum were just trying to help each other out.

That's obviously come across well, hasn't it?

Nok has commented on the fact that you were working as a team.

I didn't think I did that well.

Thumbs up, well done.

It's very good. Happy?

-Yeah.

-Yeah. Ewan.

Yeah, you, um...impressed me also.

Thank you. Now that I had, that I did quite well...

I mean, I'm quite pleased with myself.

Final two. Mattie and Ellie.

Tell us what you think about Mattie today.

I cannot let my people sleep to standing,

to playing all around this area.

Nok said to me earlier,

"Stacey, if all my staff acted how Mattie's acting,

"I wouldn't have a business. It would be game over."

-What do you think about that?

-I didn't do what Nok asked me to do.

But I'm not going to change who I am for someone, so...

Wow!

-Nok.

-Yeah.

-Please may you tell me how Ellie got on today.

Erm, to be honest...

I have no idea.

Let me think tonight... Maybe I can...

give you more comment or something, yeah.

But what I expect, I just want you

to be more concentrate with the jeans.

-So you, you need time to think...

-Yeah.

-..about Ellie's behaviour.

I cannot decide on now.

She made me have to think about.

On that bombshell, Nok asks us to leave the brushing shed.

She might look forgiving, but she's a lot more annoyed than she appears.

I want to go.

In Thailand, there's a very interesting thing.

There's this thing called 'losing face'.

So you never, ever see a Thai person shouting

or screaming or really, really telling you off.

Because it's embarrassing.

It's just not done here in this culture, so...

You know, the fact that Nok said, "I'm disappointed,

"I'm going to have to think about it,"

it's a massive, massive thing for a Thai person to say.

'So I've decided to sit the kids down and give them a reality check.'

I think today was really, really tough, very difficult

and I don't know if you all understand...the outcome of today.

Nok's saying she's impressed with Callum, with Ewan,

and pleased with how Jade behaved.

That's her way of saying you're promoted.

You've done really well, I'm happy with your behaviour. On you go.

And for her to say she's disappointed with Mattie

and she doesn't even know where to start with Ellie,

is her saying she can't believe how you behaved, you're demoted.

-Is it fair?

-Yeah.

Cool.

You all look absolutely knackered.

-You're really tired.

-I'm just sweating after playing that.

That's an amazing game.

It's not tiring, it's a brilliant game.

I'll leave you to it. Off you go.

'As the results sink in,

'the kids settle into the evening at the factory.

'This building overlooking their game is where many workers live.

'And tonight, we're going to meet some of those

'who have moved away from their families to get a job.

'I think after today,

'Mattie and Ellie, in particular, need a wake-up call.'

Behind every single door is one room.

And that one room is their entire house.

Everything they own will be in that one room.

So that was toilet.

And that's the shower.

What is that?

I think it's both. I think it's the shower

and the place where you wash your dishes out.

They just have like a 12-hour shift.

And then, they have to come home and clean the pots,

sit and make their bed.

It's crazy. I would never want to live like this.

They're all really friendly and they're still really happy.

Yeah.

This way.

-SHE KNOCKS ON THE DOOR

-This is their house.

CHILDREN: Sawadee ka!

-Sawadee ka!

-Pop in, guys.

'Nong and her husband Lun have been living here

'all of their married life.'

This is their entire home.

Everything that we see...

is everything they own.

My bathroom's bigger than this room.

-Really? Your bathroom.

-My bathroom.

This is probably the size of my, my bedroom.

It's just so small.

And everything they have is in this room,

so when you're looking around, you can see like pots and pans,

pictures, magazines...

It's just really shocking.

Do you guys want to ask Nong anything?

How long have you worked in this factory?

-TRANSLATION:

-Over three years already.

I couldn't even manage a day... An hour.

I feel kind of ashamed I didn't try very hard

cos, like, they do it every day.

And they have to.

Along the corridor, Callum, Jade and Ewan are making their way

to the home of Jem and her husband Joy.

Their seven-year-old son, Poom, is visiting from his grandmother's,

300 miles away, where he lives.

It's really hard to believe that people actually live here.

And so many people as well.

It's like their houses are literally the sizes of my bathroom.

Sawadee krup!

Where does Poom live? I mean, how often do you see him?

TRANSLATION: Poom lives in Si Sa Ket Province.

He comes home every three or four months.

Each time for four to five days.

How long do you think you and your husband

will be living here at the factory?

TRANSLATION: I don't know.

We'll see how it goes.

Maybe until I grow old...

SHE LAUGHS ..or when Poom finishes his studies.

-He's very young, so...

-Seven.

Yeah, seven, so it's, it's going to at least be another ten years.

That's, that's a really, really long time.

So is that your sort of hope?

TRANSLATION: If I had money, I'd probably have hope.

-TRANSLATION:

-At the moment,

we are still very poor and our life is difficult.

I have a dream...to live with our child all together as a family.

I like the way their dream is just to, just to be together.

-Yeah.

-I think that's really, really sweet.

-I think that's, it's amazing.

I live in such a better environment

and I've got so much stuff

which they, they, they don't even dream about.

Doesn't even cross their mind and it's just, it's, it's...

it's unbelievable how different our worlds are.

Back inside, Ellie and Mattie are still chatting

to Nong and her husband Lun.

-Can I ask...

-Yeah, of course you can.

-..if there's any kids?

-Yeah, of course.

-Do you, um...have any children?

-TRANSLATION:

-Do you want to see?

Do you want to see the photo?

Do you want to see or not?

Oh!

Do they, uh...live here with you?

-TRANSLATION:

-No, no, in Chiang Mai.

'Nong's three-year-old daughter, Nut,

'has spent almost her whole life 400 miles away from her mother.'

-TRANSLATION:

-I don't want her to live like this.

I want her to live in the countryside.

If urgent work comes in, I have to work till ten or eleven o'clock.

Do you miss her when you're here?

-TRANSLATION:

-I miss her every minute of every day.

-TRANSLATION:

-We phone her all the time.

-TRANSLATION:

-There's no time I don't miss her.

I miss her, I work for her.

I'm going to cry.

I miss her.

SHE CHUCKLES NERVOUSLY

All right?

It's, uh...really sad...

..that she only sees her or she hardly ever sees her child.

It must be really hard for her.

Mattie, you've definitely said to me,

"Stace, I'm missing Mum, I'm missing Dad."

And you've not been gone very long at all.

It just shows you how much people appreciate their family.

And when you're away from them, you realise that a lot more.

And it must be horrible for...

uh...Nong and her husband,

just to not see their kids every day and having to call them.

But, uh...if they want money,

then, that's what it's like over here, so you've got to earn money.

This is the longest I've been away from my mum and dad.

And being honest, it's so unreal.

You just automatically miss them.

So that must be so heartbreaking for them.

It's day two in Bangkok.

After the kids' poor performance yesterday,

Nok wants to remind them exactly how much work

goes into making jeans for the international market.

How many people does it take to make one pair of jeans?

Uh...around 35 people

and the garment will be finished within, uh...three days.

-It takes 35 of your workers...

-Yes.

-..to put a pair of jeans together.

-Together.

-It then takes even more workers to get them to the final product.

-Yeah.

So much people, uh...just making one pair of jeans.

-Yes, yes.

-You know, it's hard, it's hard to sort of realise that.

Off we go. Yes, we move.

Come to the last step. This is a washing machine.

One machine, we can put 60 pieces of garment.

How many jeans would your factory wash a day?

3,000 pieces per day.

Would you like to see how many you can do?

-Yeah.

-SHE LAUGHS

-Oh, dear.

-About that.

-Oh, no.

-Is that what we're doing?

-Going to give it a try?

-Are we washing then?

They had to do something I plan already for them.

It's over there.

OK. Follow Nok.

Nok has a rush job on to send an order of jeans to Europe.

The jeans are all price tagged in Thailand

before they are shipped off to a department store 6,500 miles away.

This is their final task.

Today, I have something very easy for you, guys.

You take the jeans. And you check the size, 42.

You pick up the hand tag. And...

..put on the jean.

'She's decided that the kids can't be trusted

'with any of the skilled work on the denim.

'At least no jeans can be damaged doing this job.'

That's it. Very easy.

'But a wage can still be won.'

-So are these jeans going to a real shop?

-Yeah.

-Brilliant.

-This order will be shipped to Spain.

How many can your staff members do every half an hour?

Uh...my worker? We, we can do 200 pieces per hour.

Hear that, guys? Every half hour, they can get through 100 of these

and tag them correctly. OK. We'll leave you to it. Off you go.

We'll win the wage this time. I'm really going to try my best.

I think everyone's trying a lot harder than yesterday.

I don't think we're messing around as much.

It's so fiddly.

The fact that they put the security tags on the jeans

before they even get to the shop, I find quite funny.

I notice that the 48s are quite hard because it's a massive waist.

It's really weird to think that someone will be wearing these soon.

Which ring were we meant to put it on?

This one?

OK. It's all good, it's OK, just had a panic.

'We are halfway through the task

'and there's not much time to win Nok's favour now.'

I am massively impressed with how they are getting on.

I've never ever seen them work like this.

Perhaps spending time with people ordinarily they'd never have met,

you know, it's made them think. Even Mattie is trying today.

Uh, I'm going to try and earn the wage this time

because I want to give it to Nong, her husband and her daughter.

Because they work so hard.

It's made me think about work a lot more.

Seeing everyone else in this factory,

if you do well, you get a bonus.

If you don't, then you might get sacked.

I really want to show Nok I'm as good as any other worker she'd have.

'With only seconds left, every pair counts.'

OK, everybody. Time's up.

Callum. It's finished now.

-One more.

-I've never seen them so keen to keep working.

Normally, they want to stop.

Nok and her team are going to make sure there's no mistakes.

They'll count how many jeans you've managed to get through.

Then we're going to meet Nok downstairs for the results.

'The tally from this task will be added to yesterday's result

'to decide which of the kids will get a wage.'

-CHILDREN: Sawadee ka!

-Sawadee ka!

How many did Mattie do in the final task?

75.

75 is still an achievement.

I know you try, but sometime you have to try more.

How many did Ewan manage?

91. You impressed me since yesterday.

Thank you.

-Second, we have two.

-Oh!

Ellie's.

Ellie, wow!

Yeah. The other is Jade.

The girls. Joint second.

-With 93.

-93. Who did the best job today?

Callum is my favourite on today.

102 pieces. You are the best.

You've actually worked equally as well as a Thai worker would work.

Going over the target is uh...quite overwhelming.

'But despite the scores in the final task,

'Nok is giving a wage based on both days' work.'

So bearing in mind everything you've seen in the two days from our five,

in your opinion, who would you hire and who would you fire?

Callum is the first. Jade is the second.

And Ewan is the third.

Really happy. Thank you.

I'm quite pleased overall with what I've done for the last two days.

Yeah, you must be. Brilliant.

I didn't expect to, like, do that well,

especially yesterday, I really found it really hard.

Worked very, very, very hard here.

If you haven't got work ethic in Thailand, you won't live.

-You don't survive.

-Yeah.

I think we've got that, right?

Yesterday, when I went to see Nong,

it definitely gave me a reason

to appreciate the work more - as she does.

And she dedicates her whole life to, uh...her one child.

So...

If they don't work, then, they don't live.

I kind of felt like I'd mocked her a little bit yesterday, and her work,

by messing around and so, um... I tried a little bit more today.

That's amazing. It's honest of you as well, so well done for that.

It's the life, life is work, yeah. And work is life.

-That's for you, Jade. Well done.

-Thank you.

APPLAUSE

Ewan.

-Thank you.

-600...

And the winner, the champion of denim...

Callum.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

-Nok, thank you so, so, so much for having us.

-You're welcome.

-Kob kun krub.

-Kob kun ka.

Kob kun ka.

Thank you, thank you very much.

'With their time in Thailand nearly at an end,

'Mattie and Ellie go back to the shed to say their goodbyes to Nong.

'Little do they know that this is a very special day for her.'

Hi, Nong, how are you doing?

-TRANSLATION:

-I'm very happy.

Today, my daughter and my mum are coming.

Oh, wow!

SHE LAUGHS

When your daughter comes, are we allowed to meet her?

-TRANSLATION:

-Of course you can.

My daughter likes making friends.

This is only the second time

mother and daughter have seen each other this year.

Three-year-old Nut won't get to see her mum for another four months.

-TRANSLATION:

-Did you miss me, little girl?

-TRANSLATION:

-I miss you.

-TRANSLATION:

-Have you said hello?

It's probably one of the nicest things I've seen on our trip.

Really nice to see that she's got to see her child.

It's unbelievable a family should be split up like that.

And it's really kind of made me think about my family.

Nong and her husband deserve...

just to have their daughter around them,

and their daughter deserves to grow up with her parents.

Meanwhile, Callum and Jade would like their wages

to be used for Poom, the little boy they met last night.

We would just like to give you a little bit of a,

a little bit of a present.

And for you and your family.

And from our earnings today.

For you and Poom.

Thank you.

-Um...it's OK.

-Thank you.

We thought you definitely deserve it. Thank you.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

Thank you.

Even though Mattie lost out on a wage,

he dips into his own pocket for a farewell gift.

With this money,

I want you to buy a present for Nut.

-TRANSLATION:

-Thank you for the gift.

She's happy, she's happy.

Thank you.

Give him a hug.

Hug him, hug him.

Oh...

SHE LAUGHS

Next time, on Show Me What You're Made Of, it's raw fish...

..Yellow fins are normal, I have no idea.

..cooked fish...

THEY SHOUT

..and rotten fish at a tuna factory in Indonesia.

Die, tuna!

Can they stomach it?

Uh...fish and chips.

Candyfloss. Candyfloss.

Don't touch it there.

SHE RETCHES

Glad that's over.