The Great Hall in the Memorial Union was reduced to standing room only Tuesday night.

Kelsey Timmerman, author of “Where am I Wearing: A Global Tour to the Countries, Factories and People Who Make Our Clothes “, spoke to the crowd about his experiences traveling the world to meet the people who made his clothes.

Timmerman said it was easy for to find places to visit because 97 percent of the clothing Americans wear is made outside of the country.

Throughout his lecture, Timmerman, who now resides in Indiana, catalogued his travels from Honduras to Bangladesh and seemingly everywhere in between. His trips began as a curiosity and a chance for adventure, but they quickly morphed into something more meaningful.

“The students of the World Affairs Series Planning Committee thought he would be a great speaker to start the year and their series,” said Pat Miller, program director of the lecture program, said 

On his first trip in 2006 to a shirt manufacturer in Honduras he met Amilcar, a factory worker who could have made the actual shirt on his back.

“When this thing started, that’s how shallow it was,” Timmerman said. “I gave him the shirt back, thinking that would bring things full circle. It was the first time I actually felt how alike we are.”

The two became friends, eventually meeting again six years later in California, where Amilcar had immigrated. A fact Timmerman learned from Amilcar’s family when he arrived in Honduras for a surprise visit.

“[Meeting Alicar] would change me forever,” Timmerman said. “This moment led me looking deeper into looking at what life was like for the people who made my clothes.”

Timmerman believes his speaking and writing have helped people understand how people from other cultures live.

“It really comes down to connecting with people who you don’t think you have anything in common with,” he said. “I have the responsibility to tell their stories.”

While listening to Timmerman’s experiences, the audience was asked to make their own judgements about whether third-world workers were cases of “exploitation or opportunity”. Timmerman said he has hear arguments for both sides that make sense.

“I think [the situation] is complex,” Timmerman said when asked if he thought it was exploitation or opportunity. “It varies across the board if it’s exploitation or opportunity and the fact that these two polar opposite things blur, that’s the tragedy.”

Timmerman’s lecture was the opening event of the Iowa State Lectures Program, a joint effort of the Government of the Student Body and the office of the provost. His writing has also been featured in the Christian Science Monitor and Conde Nast Portfolio.