The goodness goes on even after the wrapper is empty
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From Lands End to John O Groats
Freddie set's out
Our friend Freddie left the South London suburbs yesterday to get a train down to Lands End. He’s cycling all the way up to Jon O Groats and People Tree are his clothing sponsor for the ride. We love Freddie, he’s so clever. His view on cycling clothes is that they should be comfy and not synthetic and we agree!
Safe travels Freddie!
People Tree Japan turns 20!
How INCREDIBLE to see 2 metre tall flower bouquets delivered at the party from business partners and friends! The party was SOOOO lovely!!
People I hadn’t seen for years and staff from years back all came to say “hi” and I cried when I saw some of them remembering, the joys and hard work we shared. Roko was there – I remember 16 years ago she used to slip under her desk for ‘a break’, think up a good idea, and pop up again! She is utterly brilliant and we are so lucky to have such talented and committed people working at PT and global village over the years!
Stockists from all over Japan came, people who have spread Fair Trade and built a strong movement in Japan. Models came and gave speeches…lots of speeches from friends and fellow activists and artists about us and our shared history.
The band GeneZ were amazing and we danced! The Fair Trade, organic chocolate fountain was the first ever in Japan and we dipped strawberries and Fair Trade bananas in!! ….that and wine is all I had all night. 
Even my first friend in Japan came: I met Higashi 20 years ago when he ran Gaia, the ecology and organic food shop, (I used to travel 45 mins across town with my shopping trolley to buy a week’s groceries) Thanks Higashi san, thank you also to co- founders: James, Kaoru, Naoko and an amazing team that helped grow the People Tree community – and helped me grow a lot too!
I promised myself that I wouldn’t cry and I kept it together for my talk, but I had two panda eyes at the end of the night! Thanks for a great party Team PT Japan!! YOU ROCK!!
Safia’s Sustainable Christmas shopping?
Some of us fix a limit on how much we can spend on each other – forcing us to be more innovative and creative. We’ve never formalised that rule in my family but my favourite Christmas present last year was definitely my brother’s chutney – (imagine a doctor with two small children who makes time to make chutney! – so cool!). Anyway my mate Andrew the Jamaican taxi driver filled me with the joy of buying and stockpiling for Christmas and I realised I hadn’t started anything… I like getting excited about what I’m going to give people, rarely find it a pressure and well if I hide away special organic Christmas food it’s more likely to be me raiding the special box in the middle of the night than my teenagers!
So this Saturday – aside from my People Tree Fair Trade presents, Natalie my 14 year old daughter and I set out in South London to find things that would bring a smile to her grandmother’s face – that’s where we’re all spending Christmas. I find a hip flask, some second hand records and some gorgeous second hand shoes – completely impractical for my Yorkshire Xmas, maybe People Tree Christmas party though!
Local charity shop - a treasure trove of fun!
I find some cute junk jewellery and purses for my nieces
Here are a few of my Christmas present rules -
Rule 1. Never buy plastic and non-biodegradable. You can only buy plastic if it’s from a charity shop and recycled. (I buy a football hat game – where you chuck a ball at someone’s hat the ball attaches itself with Velcro to the unfortunate persons head!)
Rule 2. If you buy new, buy Fair Trade and organic! I’ve bought friends good organic wine and other foods and consumables – I want to make mince pies – veggie of course. I’ll treat everyone at People Tree’s Christmas sample sale on 10th/11th December – so come along! Homemade rules – so save those jars!
Rule 3. Buying ethical fashion can mean, buying Fair Trade or second hand (or vintage I you have a bit more money to spend). I’ve bought my Mum a gorgeous silk dress that I’ve been imagining she’ll wear on Christmas Day – glamorous and colourful.
Rule 4. Don’t forget the important things – it’s different depending on your age, my teenagers want a drum kit on eBay for £100, my mum wants to see her grandchildren more than anything for Christmas – and all I want is a good long bubble bath (organic bubbles please!) and 2 days off to cook together and drink red wine.
Rule 5. Don’t spend money, only spend time!
5th Year anniversary of Fair Trade cotton – and a photo launch to mark it!
Me and Trevor Leighton at the Fairtrade foundation launch
Trevor Leighton photographed 12 celebrities wearing Fair Trade Fashion – (frankly speaking I didn’t recognise one People Tree product there – even though the stylist was sent more than 20 pieces!) Anyway … I love his last campaign where he shot Anita Roddick with a pineapple in her mouth to promote Fair Trade foods.
I was asked to give a short speech after Elizabeth Day from the Guardian who told the audience of 200 - half inebriated on Fair Trade wine - supporters about life in Mali, West Africa for cotton farmers. Fairtrade Foundation have released their report – The Great Cotton Stitch-up which says what we activists have been saying for years that 3 billion dollars a year of US and EU subsidy to cotton farmers, reduces the world price of cotton making West African farmers 10% poorer than they would otherwise be. Fair Trade cotton in Mali has helped more than 90% of cotton farmers go to school when less than 40% usually can. A very well presented report: The Great Cotton Stitch Up – read it online.
My favourite photo from Mali of Moussa Doumbia
Fair Trade Fashion Pioneers.
In my talk I discussed that People Tree and other Fair Trade fashion pioneers had found an alternative to fast fashion – the human and natural world exploitative model of fashion that has spread now to every corner of the world. I told, stage by stage, how differently we work with farmer and artisans and asked the audience to ‘imagine’ a new fashion industry based on those principals. I also introduced other pioneer fairtrade clothing brands: Epona, Pants to Poverty, Gossypium, Pachacuti and Fairly Covered who together with People Tree make up a strong voice to change our fashion industry. We are also demanding that VAT (20% in the UK from January 2011) should be dropped on Fair Trade clothing.
The Vega girls
Alice wears a People Tree Richard Nicol shirt
Mike Gidney of Fairtrade foundation and James of People Tree discuss how to change the world
Laura Bailey shows us how it's done! Debs and I are out of practice
After the event, the ‘Fashion Fair Trade 100’ dinner, we discussed how to change the world through Fair Trade and fashion.
Me and Abi of Gossypium
Cute PT babes, Sarah and Kate wear People Tree:)
Most Sustainable Brand at the WGSN Global Fashion
People Tree has won the most prestigious fashion award to date – ‘Most Sustainable Brand’ at the WGSN Global Fashion Awards.
Here’s word from Safia in New York…
“Yay! From the grassroots People Tree wins the WGSN Sustainability award in New York. Our network of 3000 organic farmers + artisans are turning fashion on its head! Showing that fashion can be a tool for Change, not just gorgeous to wear.
Crazy for Hand Knits
Our partners KTS in the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal sent us a crazy pair of 2 metre tall mittens! A work of art as they were made completely of patches – each patch made by one of their hand knitter members. In a spirit of competition each woman was asked to be their most creative, show new knitting skills and go for it!
So there I was – with my design team judging each and every patch of the giant mittens. We picked four winners! Congratulations to KTS winners
- 1st prize: Luxmi Deiy Dangel
- 2nd prize : Ms. Gyani Shova Shakya
- 3rd prize : Ms. Shreejana Shakya
- Special Masako prize : Ms. Sita Singh
These brilliant designs are significant because People Tree then build them into future designs and products for future collections.
I love hand knitting and my favourite product by KTS knitters in this current collection are:
Fairisle cardigan
- Crochet Scarf
- Jewel Embroidered Cardigan
By the seaside – Shooting our spring/summer 2011 catalogue with Angela Farmer
We left Tokyo at 5.30am having slept for barely three hours! We were off to the Japanese seaside, 1 1/2 hours drive away in Chiba. For most location shoots big fashion houses have a bus with all the creature comforts – toilets, hair-dryers, cocktail cabinet. We have our beaten up, old People Tree van, which was a little bit of a shock to our top model Angela, not to mention the gusty wind that met us at the beach and nearly blew off the People Tree summer clothes she was modeling! 
Miki strikes a pose to plan the shot
The team squeezed into our location van!
Riding up front
Me, shooting our Kenya Kiondo bags
Angela and me – after the shoot in her warm jacket
What a great day! Angela is gorgeous – inside and out, and modelled for our summer Japan and UK catalogues. She’s really into yoga and was named after her godmother Angela who runs an amazing yoga school with her partner in the US.
Bora Aksu Fashion Show
I just got back from Bora Aksu’s SS11 show and it was gorgeous!
He named the collection “Ants & Corsets,” inspired by a colony of ants he saw a summers’ day. He was intrigued by the patterns they made and discovered that their body shapes were similar to the silhouettes of the 50’s with slim waists and corsets. He combined this inspiration for his collection beautifully with his romantic style. I loved it!
I love the attention to detail in this piece
