Ethical Fashion Blog

Social Purpose is the New Black
The global marketing firm Edelman conducted their 4th annual good purpose study to explore consumer attitudes around social purpose and their social expectations of companies.  The study surveyed more than 7,000 adults in 13 countries (1,000 in the U.S.) and some noteworthy data has emerged.
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Frohliche Weinachten
Selecting Chennai – India’s fourth-ish largest city – as our port of entry into India is comparable to the average European deciding to launch their American tour from Detroit.  It is a city one would normally not visit unless, well, unless you had to…  We’ve crossed the peninsula from east to west via the Cardamom Hills in the Western Ghats, and our arrival in Kochi, Kerala was much anticipated.  Kochi is a seaside town full of travelers (imagine even the western men wearing colorful head scarves to hide the dirty hair days) w/ a Jewish quarter, two churches, and a semi-posh coffee shop to hideout in.
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Focus Group Fun
It’s early November… time to place orders with our producer groups for Spring/Summer 2011.  To help us determine what to order, we hosted a focus group on Friday, November 5th at our office/warehouse space.  The samples we worked on in India this summer were on display, and our focus group participants completed surveys rating each item’s style and color variations.
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Fair Trade Month
October is Fair Trade Month.  Last year there were over 250 grassroots events around the country to promote and support fair trade.  This year there are even more opportunities to get involved.
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JHOOLE
We want to thank Hannah Warren, founder and Executive Director of Jhoole, for being such a fabulous host!  We spent two lovely days designing in the peaceful town of Maheshwar – best known for the talent of its handloom weavers – in Madhya Pradesh (central India) where Jhoole is located.  It was a true relief to escape the chaos of big-city India for a moment; Maheshwar, with a population of just over 20,000, actually feels chill, like a village!  We ate home cooked meals and got to know the townspeople a bit.
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A Day In The Sampling Unit...
For me – up at 7 AM to watch the sun rise like a ball of fury over the lake. For the first time in years the lakes are full here — rain, rain and more rain has turned this town lush with beautiful shades of green. Breakfast while e-mailing (yes, our dear, dear guest house owner installed wifi for which I am ever so thankful) consists of “egg cheese toast” and a Starbucks coffee travel packet necessary to wake me up. Off to the co-op by 9 AM, running various errands along the way.
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Designing Women
I arrived on Wednesday morning at our co-op in Rajasthan to find our Spring 2011 collection well on its way toward completion, since Maureen was here two weeks prior and did a spectacular job getting things started!
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The Fair Wear Formula

Fair Wear Foundation (FWF) is an international verification initiative dedicated to enhancing workers’ lives all over the world.  They work closely with a growing number of companies that produce clothing and other sewn products and that take responsibility for their supply chain.  Through sharing expertise, social dialogue, and strengthening industrial relations, FWF increases the effectiveness of companies to improve labor conditions in the garment industry.

 

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Fair Trade Indian tea

Up around the hill station town of Munnar in the southern state of Kerala, we ran into these ladies who pick tea leaves.  For a day’s work they’ll earn less than a dollar.  The tea trade continues to keep the poorest people in the supply chain – the growers and pickers in developing countries – in poverty.  Tea producers today receive only half of what they did 30 years ago for their crop.

 

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Fair Trade Futures Conference
From September 10-12, 2010, the Fair Trade Futures Conference will bring together entrepreneurs, students, advocates, faith community members, concerned citizens, interested individuals, and others in Boston, MA for the largest Fair Trade event in North American history!
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