No Sweat Apparel (NSA) is an American clothing brand, manufactured by Bienestar International, which retails union-made, sweatshop-free clothing, shoes, and accessories. NSA is primarily focused on human rights issues. The company was formed in 2000.
All NSA products are created by independent union members in the United States, Canada, and the developing world, including Indonesia and Nicaragua. The company officials describe their company as the first "open-source" clothing manufacturer, meaning that they attempt to show consumers where their products come from, as well as the working conditions under which their products were created. The NSA website contains information on the companies from whom they buy, as well as factsheets detailing the wages and rights that they claim are afforded to the factory workers who created the products.
No Sweat Apparel uses minimal advertisement, relying mainly on word-of-mouth and free product placement. In Winnipeg, Manitoba, there are several public transit benches with No Sweat advertisements, featuring the white hemp sneaker. NSA claimed a 750-percent increase in sales in 2005.
NSA counts Nobel Peace Prize recipient Jody Williams, Oscar-winning screenwriter J. Larner (The Candidate), and musician Billy Bragg among its customers.
