People Tree have set the challenge for everyone to wear Fair Trade and Vintage Fashion for a fortnight! We have posted some of the entries to give you an idea of how great and easy it is to wear clothes that are either helping people in developing countries or helping the environment by recycling with second hand clothes! All in all making Fair Trade and Vintage Fashion look fabulous!
Well done, Wayne Hemingway and team for pulling off the most exciting innovative event of the year! A three day festival of music, fashion and film – attended by the most stylish festival goers you’ve ever met. (Check out my blog tomorrow for style highlights!).
Such incredible content! – The curators did an amazing job of creating something with such authenticity and really inspiring three generations of fashion, music and culture lovers. The only risk for Vintage Goodwood if they do it next year is that too many people might come and spoil it! 
Glamping or Camping?
Actually I was camping – as I didn’t have the budget for a gypsy caravan or yurt at £2000 for the weekend. Even in the rain in our camp site were things unfamiliar to festival camping – people pushing mini rails of outfits over the wet grass, pockets inside tent walls bulging with makeup and people don’t quit a 50s crinoline dress even if they need to get around in wellies.
Friday – Rained pretty much on and off all day – I spent the day doing location hunting as co-founder Wayne Hemingway had welcomed me shooting for the High-Summer People Tree catalogue here at Vintage Goodwood. Learning how to camp again after 20 years of not stepping into a tent. This time I was with family and friends. Disaster – Natalie my 14 year old daughter left the top off her two man tent ‘for some fresh air’ and it rains in – results is three teenagers MORE in our four man tent – a cosy start to a photo shoot the next day!
Saturday – The team arrive early and we prepare for rain ALL DAY. But somehow the unimaginable happens and between monsoon style down pours the sun comes out! We try to keep everyone dry – which is easy as everyone is so lovely and friendly at Vintage – and we seem to be surrounded by People Tree customers.
Things I missed: The make your own bikini out of bunting and a dozen other workshops as well as a Zandra Rhodes fashion show.
After finishing the photoshoot everyone has to dash back to London, I feel bad… for me and my gang we’re off to the Noisettes – I lose my kids, then find my kids, and groove with them to Earth, Wind and Fire – heaven!
On James shoulders looking for the kids - they're out there somewhere?
Sunday – Still a few more shots to do – and then I’m free to experience everything ‘Vintage’ has to offer. I watch ‘Tommy’ in the cinema, then a film about Joy Division in a 1950s mobile cinema that has a screen and seating inside for 15 people – this is amazing. Loads of dancing at the soul casino disco where Wayne is DJ-ing and to Kid Creole and the Coconuts. I also picked up some nice vintage shopping… and met some great people who live and breathe it!
Wayne Hemingway - Co-Founder of Vintage Goodwood
Our 100% Fair Trade friends Cafedirect were there too
More about the glamour of Vintage Goodwood tomorrow!
Saori, Julia, Jenny, Misato and Masako share fabric development
I’m working with the People Tree design team on the Autumn/Winter 2011 collection – Looking at craft skills, hand knitted pieces and tribal hints on new silhouettes – and we’re revisiting the producers traditional skills, hand weaves, block prints and embroideries too. The team asked me a few questions about the meetings and I thought i’d share them with you.
How will People Tree start to interpret the themes for its collection?
We’re thinking craft meets couture –practical, wearable clothes that flatter the body with innocent embroidery like cross stitch and braiding.
What sorts of colour pallet can we expect to see for AW11? Some surprise new colours, a gorgeous green and lots of funky highlights.
What’s your favourite idea that you and the team have discussed so far?
A new piece inspired by a block print dress I made at a fair trade group years back – white silk with a beautiful screen print.
Are there any themes that People Tree can’t do and why would that be? We don’t do synthetic fabrics. We don’t do fast fashion – ours is slow. We love craft skills.
Jenny our buyer loves vintage
Traditional embroideries - so inspiring
A rummage through the sample boxes and vintage pieces inspire
Working on the colours for Autumn/Winter 2011 with Tracy Mulligan and Masako Ueda and the design team
Veranda of my guest house in Aghaijara, Bangladesh – where you can watch the water hyacinth float down the river and enjoy a cup of tea - it's better than a 5 star spa!
Working in the shelter of my mosquito net
Many suppliers/garment factories put up their customers in 5 star hotels as part of their hospitality, but People Tree pays to stay with our Fair Trade groups in their guest houses. After all it’s real cost for food, housekeeping, cleaning, etc. Why should suppliers pay for their customers hospitality?
Executively dressed?
I’ve been surprised by how people dress when they visit culturally sensitive places – I’m writing in shorts and a camisole at home in the summer’s heat, but in Bangladesh you cover up however hot and humid it is. I wear a shalwar kameez and long thin legged trousers called churidar. When it’s 36 degrees and 80% humidity you have to put your foot in a plastic bag just to get them on.
Here’s how…
Like this...
Last week I was working on a story about garment factory workers and their campaign for a living wage with journalist, Liz Jones.
Miki and I photoshoot and interview between downpours!
I got kissed by a circus elephant along the way
My Mum loves crafts – and my grandmother was an embroidery designer before she ran a home for delinquent boys – I guess that’s were my love for crafts started.
Prokritee is part of MCC, the Mennonite Central Committee and has worked to support the world’s poorest people for over 40 years.
Monsoon, Bangladesh
I started working with these groups 19 years ago and together with the brilliant designer Suraiya Choudhury we brought natural dyes to Bagda Enterprises, that now work making body scrub mits for the Body Shop. We’ve also worked closely with craft groups to design literally thousands of products using traditional skills and natural fibres for Japan and UK.
Travelling by rickshaw
Suraiya and me with my favourite drink - fresh 'tender' coconut
My third assignment in Bangladesh is to document the amazing craft skills and interview artisans to show the impact on their lives. So I travelled with my photographer friend Miki Alcalde and Kate Wakeling by van, ferry, rickshaw then on foot into Agailjhara, Borisal to do just that.
Fresh flowers, the best welcome of all
Kate and Safia with their flowers
Natural fibres can be used to make so many crafts. Chopstick holders and bangles and a dragonfly made of recycled newspaper – I’m just mad about crafts and the social change it brings!
Too many mangoes eaten along the way
CEO Safia Minney, was invited to the Clothes Show London at Earls Court, on The Style Stage. TV’s Caryn Franklin and The Telegraph’s Hilary Alexander hosted the show and introduced top international designers.
Safia Minney, People Tree’s founder and CEO was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in The Queens Birthday 2009 Honours List.
Safia said: “I am delighted by this great honour and share it with the many producers I have worked with across the world to build a credible alternative method of trade in the fashion industry.
I won’t rest until The Queen has a closet full of her favourite Fair Trade frocks so she can go confidently about Her business overseas representing the strength and style of the British Fair Trade movement.”
Safia was acknowledged along side some impressive names from the fashion industry including Christopher Bailey, Creative Director of Burberry who also received an MBE.
Looking to the future Safia added: “I hope we see a change in Government regulation to build a genuinely empowering environment to put an end to socially and environmentally exploitative business practice and allow Fair Trade companies like People Tree to bring benefits to millions of farmers and artisans.”
Read more on Vogue.com and Safia’s blog about her ‘trip to the palace’.
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