Medellín, Colombia – One way the Colombian apparel industry is weathering competition from places like Bangladesh: go super-duper high-end. These photos (including Colombian journalist Alejandra de Vengoechea and me, goofing with bikinis and other beach garb) are from a little street called Via Primavera in Medellín, where almost every boutique sells locally made clothes from Medellín’s top young designers. The fancy beach wear is from ‘Agua Bendita,’ a brand created by two Medellín sisters, still in their twenties, who are successfully exporting to countries all over the world. I can’t say whether the yarns and fabrics they use come from Colombia – more and more is imported from Asia – but these clothes are designed and put together here. And just like stuff made in the U.S., these clothes brag about their Colombian identity. That tag says “manufactured by Colombian hands.” Today we will get to watch Colombian hands stitch Planet Money shirts together. (Marianne McCune/NPR)