We launched the Fair Trade fashion network today with People Tree, Pants to Poverty, Gossypium, Bishopston Trading, Epona , Pachacuti and Fairy Covered.

The aims are to spread awareness of Fair Trade fashion and our work as pioneers in the industry.

Why now?

The Fair Trade cotton mark has helped cotton farmers earn a better price for their cotton. Launched nearly 5 years ago People Tree and Gossypium were involved in developing the standards with the Fairtrade Foundation, as we had already been working with Fair Trade and Organic Cotton farmer groups for over 10 years.

Carry Somers of Pachacuti explained how her work using the Sustainable Fair Trade Management System (SFTMS) of World Fair Trade Organisation has a huge impact on her producer groups in Latin America.

All the Fair Trade fashion companies use Fairtrade and organic cotton but People Tree works with artisanal groups too and a social business called Assisi Garments that transform the cotton into clothing – set up originally to provide livelihoods for deaf and mute, very low income women. If a standard for Fair Trade manufacture goes no further than the current initiatives of the Clean Clothes Campaign, ETI, etc not only would our producers lose out – it would undermine the work of these initiatives.

All the companies present agreed that we need to mainstream the idea of Fair Trade in the fashion industry and agreed to work  and campaign together.

I’ll look forward to sharing more with you soon!