SAFIA MINNEY How did you first become aware and interested in People Tree?

JESSICA OGDEN I try and keep aware of brands working with Fair Trade ethics as I think it will be an area in fashion that will grow as people become more aware of the mistreatment of workers that results in cheap clothing.

SAFIA Are you excited by and see the benefits of using traditional handskills?

JESSICA Yes, I grew up in Jamaica and was always interested in craft, yet witnessed that if the handskills are not passed down they will die, so it is important to use and encourage craftspeople by working with them in a modern way.

SAFIA What do you do in your own life to be more green or ethical?

JESSICA I work with antique and old fabrics to breathe new life into them, re-doing old clothing to make ‘new’, as well as the obvious recycling. Cities have a long way to go to encourage normal households to do as much as they can.

SAFIA What do you feel are the benefits of working with handwoven fabrics?

JESSICA For me, working with handwoven fabrics is about seeing and feeling the texture that high-gloss fabrics don’t achieve. Also, with People Tree, I know that they are working to give business to people who have skills that are dying as well as providing a living for families. The same applies to hand embroidery. It is about a look that machines cannot replicate, as well as working with people with skills that I want to support.