fair trade – the {r}evolution apparel blog

{r}evolution apparel: Made in Asheville?

It’s a scary thing to dish out several hundred dollars, hop on a plane, fly a thousand miles, and hope for the best.

But that’s what we’re doing next week.

Kristin and I are going to Asheville, North Carolina for a couple days to meet with a company specializing in environmental fabrics and to discuss the production of {r}evolution apparel.

We imagine our time in Asheville will go something like this:

Meet the company owner, who we’ve been talking to for the past month.
Hash out the details of our designs and spec sheets.
Collaborate with pattern makers on the logistics of each piece.
Look at fabric swatches, dyes, buttons and zippers.
Tour the facilities and observe how the manufacturing process works.
Finalize the production of patterns and samples.
Gather and review the sustainability and fair trade certifications.

End each day with an organic beer at a vegan bar. I mean, it’s Asheville, right?

When we return home to Austin and Denver we hope to have samples finished in the following few weeks and to begin the second most challenging stage of the process:

Fundraising. Attracting investors. Making sure we can do this right.

In some ways, we feel like this is the moment we’ve been waiting for. We’ve spent every day of the past six months working towards this stage of the game. We know we have a lot riding on next week, but we also know it’s just the beginning of a long road ahead.

And for all of you, you’ll be able to say you were there in the beginning. {r}

Photo Credit: faqs

Wearing Local for One Year: A Slow Fashion Interview {Part II}

Yesterday, we had the chance to interview Rebecca Burgess, the face of The Fibershed Project. She has committed to wearing clothes made only from materials sourced within a 150-mile radius of her home in California, and as her year of wearing local wraps up, we asked her a few questions about sustainable design and personal challenges.

{r} You are also an educator and textile artist. As designers wanting to make the best decisions for people and planet, what advice would you give us about entering the industry, compromise, and sustainability?

I highly recommend the mantra, ‘make do with what appears to be little.’

Start from the inside out. What do you really want to create in this world? What do you ideally want to offer as a service or good to your fellow human? What is the systemic impact of your product?

When I reflect on the word ‘ideal’– it reminds me how this project began… it was an ideal scenario… and the question existed… but can the ideal work?

Your ideal becomes your goal, and you move towards it. You take leaps, and risks, and sometimes you work with self-imposed limitation to get there. Ideal doesn’t land in your lap, you make it happen.

Now that I am closer than ever to my ideal scenario, I’m better informed about how I would want this to be scaled to become available to others in my community. Keeping with the ideals, the clothing would be a product of a human-scale, and deeply ecologically thoughtful processes.

The current caliber of ‘sustainable’ textile production is summed up by the owner of one particularly famous environmentally friendly clothing company (that I’ll remain nameless), who says, ‘The cost of manufacturing is inherently going to damage the earth, that’s why all business needs to have a pay-back plan to the planet.’

What that person is saying and accepting as truth is that we as humans are going to continue to have a material culture that does damage. The problem with that scenario is that we live on a finite planet, and damaging manufacturers cannot continue to expand on a finite planet. This clothing company is not inherently sustainable, nor is it doing anything to create a vibrant and thriving planet; ultimately all the money put towards conservation, and protection of the environment is at best, (in a historical snapshot), neutralizing the effects of an ever- growing manufacturing process that will eventually exceed all attempts at neutralizing.

I think the next wave of textile production will be looking at how to manufacture regeneratively. How to make the process a living, ecological model. Can you eliminate the concept of waste? If you can close your loops, and balance your carbon, then your system is as harmonious as the process of breathing. And, it will last the generations, and not simply be a blip on the screen towards ecological collapse.

Planting the dye plants, harvested later for dyeing fabrics

Leather in Fibershed: DIY

Local sheep used to make socks and legwarmers, among other things

Part of the dyeing process

{r} And the question everyone wants to know: When the year ends, what’s next for you and Fibershed?

The next wave for Fibershed is to expand out of my wardrobe, and begin to look closely at how we can create a bioregional supply chain that does no harm. We are celebrating the Fibershed as a whole, and bringing attention to our plans for the first ever, solar-powered, farm-based cotton and wool mill. We’re throwing a party on May 1st, and you’re all invited!

We are inviting people from everywhere — because we see a Fibershed as a replicable module. This isn’t just about our bioregion, its about the potential that exists in all regions!

As the personal challenge ends, I forsee Fibershed having a for-profit and non-profit wing. The for-profit wing will be a host of bio-regional fiber growers and processors working together to create the best possible garments. The non-profit wing will be working on R&D (research and development), and grant-writing to secure the funds to help develop innovative manufacturing systems — everything from rotational grazing regimes, so that farmers can get help to improve their soils, and sequester carbon, to developing closed-loop water systems in our fermentation indigo dye house.

It is all completely exciting, and the best part is, it’s already happening!

A huge thanks to Rebecca for sharing her expertise with us. Her story makes us re-think the boundaries of a seemingly-oxymoron, “sustainable fashion.” We encourage everyone to check out Fibershed and spread the word!

Getting Warmer: Introducing Our Newest Lead

In last week’s post, we hinted at potentially having a production method for {r}evolution apparel. Knock on wood — we’re finally feeling like there might be light at the end of the tunnel.

A couple months ago, a group of cotton farmers in Texas gave us a list of people to contact for help. After dozens of e-mails to manufacturers all over the country, we finally got a response from one of the few custom knitters left in America.

The company is based out of Asheville, North Carolina, and prides itself on its environmental accountability and fair trade certifications.

Our inquiry e-mail started in their spam folder, but things have only gone up from there. For the past few weeks, we have been sending designs and fabric swatches back and forth, and the company has been incredibly encouraging about the task we’re trying to accomplish.

A big difference from the manufacturers who told us they wouldn’t “commit to the complexity of the project.”

The Asheville company knits several fabrics that we may be able to use: U.S. grown organic cotton, fairly-traded organic cotton from Turkey, a blend of recycled cotton and recycled polyester, and finally, a special type of fabric made completely from recycled PET plastic. We love the idea of mixing organic and recycled fabrics from a number of environmentally-kind sources.

With the laundry list of requirements we need to do this right, our lead is ticking off the boxes one by one:

Organically-grown and organically-manufactured cotton.
Fair trade options.
Capabilities to construct reversible and convertible garments.
Low-impact dyes, with enough color options to create the look we’re going for.
Minimum orders that we can afford.
Knitted and sewn in the USA.
Company ethics that we can stand behind.

I received the sample swatches of the 100 percent organic cotton in several different weights to compare the durability and texture of the fabric. It feels great to the touch and feels even better knowing the farmers and workers were paid fairly and treated well in the process.

We still have issues to hash out and more research to do, but things are looking good.

Really good. {r}

Rethinking Fashion: An Interview with HOLSTEE

{A Note on the 2k Competition: We won’t find out who won until this weekend, but we’ll be sure to let everyone know! A huge thanks for all of your support — we sincerely appreciate the amazing turnout.}

If you haven’t heard of HOLSTEE, you will. Meet Mike, Dave, and Fabian: three guys, living in Brooklyn, who design and curate “kickass products, sustainably made, with a social impact.” It really doesn’t get much cooler than that.

It all started around the HOLSTEE tee, with a holster-like zipper-pocket for all the stuff dudes carry. They’ve branched out with “fins,” wallets and pendants, and an entire curated collection. The amazing part? Every product is made in a way that helps people and planet.

HOLSTEE is a special inspiration for us, because these guys created a company that reflects their lifestyle, and encourage others to “live their dream and wear their passion,” as well. We had a chance to interview them and find out what young entrepreneurs think about trends, sustainability, saving the world, and living your dream.

{r} HOLSTEE’s manifesto has become slightly famous (check it out here). In it, you say, “Life is about the people you meet, and the things you create with them, so go out and start creating.” How did the idea for and creation of HOLSTEE come to be?

Well, like you said, Holstee all began with the idea of putting a pocket on a shirt, but at the time it was one of a few projects I was working on with some friends at Incubaker. We always loved working together and had a few side projects going on at any given time. We came to realize that if we all focused our energy, even if it was part-time, we could take one concept and push it much further than we could multiple projects. We put the other ideas on hold and decided to move forward with Holstee. At that same time, my brother and I decided we were ready for change. It was almost summer in NYC and we decided to quit our jobs in the heat of the recession and focus full-time on Holstee and see how far we could push it before running out of cash. We figured in the worst case scenario it would be the best summer of our lives and we would find jobs again, and that is how we got started!

{r} Starting a business is never easy. What were some early obstacles that you dealt with, and what advice would you give yourselves if you could do it all over?

Production was a big challenge for us at the beginning. Without backgrounds in design, fashion, or producing apparel and accessories we had a huge learning curve. The biggest takeaway was always sticking to your gut when it comes to design, and budget twice as much time and money to produce anything, especially when it’s the first time.

{r} Sustainability and responsibility are cornerstones of HOLSTEE. We think more and more people are asking, “What’s in this product, and who made it?” What are your thoughts on the shifts in consumer trends and attitudes?

As new and increasingly transparent brands emerge that educate consumers on the entire ecological impact of an item, consumers become more aware and begin to take responsibility for the impact of their purchases. It is too easy to frown on child-labor, pollution and pesticides one day, then turn around and buy a t-shirt from the local fast-fashion outlet around the corner without considering the effects. The most important thing people are continuing to realize is that each dollar spent is a vote and investment towards what you value in life.

If you would like to see more local stores you need to stop shopping at chains, if you want to see less waste you need to buy things with less packaging. On the other side, designers and businesses need to offer not only the most ecological option but the best design and quality to make the consumers’ choice as easy as possible. It is the crossing point between mindful consumers and meaningful products where we will really see some growth. Hopefully, this will help shift the harmful phenomenon of over-consumption and waste.

{r} As “change-makers,” what do you think about power, responsibility, and a small group’s ability to impact the world?

I am positive that every decision each person makes has a huge domino effect. The most obvious example I can think of is when someone smiles. Next time you are on the subway or in a crowd of people try giving a genuine smile and see how contagious it can be.

{r} And finally, what’s next for HOLSTEE?

Oooh good question! We are hoping to release about five to 10 new products this year and are currently prototyping a few — still top secret though ;-) We are also working to grow the curated part of our site, continually offering new meaningful products to your growing community. And of course lots of travel and fun in the meantime!

A huge thanks to Dave for setting this up, and to the crew at HOLSTEE who continue to kick ass and provide products we can all feel good about buying. Check out their online home here, and connect on Facebook and Twitter to keep following their story. {r}

How to Change the World with Your Wallet

“To buy is to vote. To buy is to vote for what kind of world that you want.”

-Frans Van der Hoff

Today, I have a confession. I used to shop at Wal-Mart. Occasionally, I still do. I grew up a few hours from Bentonville, Arkansas, home of their evil headquarters. Wal-Mart was the social scene in my small town. Every time I went, I secretly hoped to bump into someone I knew, catch up, and reminisce about old times. Somehow, it has a twisted, special place in my heart.

But I know how bad it is. I, too, have read the allegations: prison-like sweatshops in Bangladesh and Honduras, where young women are paid far less than the “minimum wage” rate of $0.33 per hour, mistreatment of US retail employees, and general corporate greed.

I know better. I know I should join the 14,000-member “Boycott Wal-Mart” Facebook Fan page and stop shopping there completely.

Why do we shop at businesses we hate? Like Starbucks, the destroyer of coffee-culture and the sterilizer of every city block in the world. Or BP — the company that ruined the entire ecology of the Gulf of Mexico still has buyers (including the U.S. government).

What gives? Why do we keep giving our money to businesses that don’t do good business?

For me, it’s partly convenience and lack of options. Wal-Mart, sadly, does retail better than any other place in my hometown. It’s closest to my house. The produce is (shockingly) fresher. I can’t get Asian greens at other grocery stores. Excuses, excuses, I know.

What I (and almost every other person) need to get into our heads is the concept of power. I shop at these evil corporations because I feel powerless in my decision-making. (“There aren’t any other good options… It’s just a few things… It doesn’t matter that much.”)

But in reality, we actually have all the power.

When you buy a product you cast a vote. You say, “I support this business, and I show it by doing business with you.” The buyers have the power. No one is making us shop at Wal-Mart. Or buy gas from BP. Or drink Starbucks every morning.

What if we only buy products we believe in? What if we choose to shop at transparent businesses and buy ethical goods? What if we give up those “things we could live without” (in my case, Asian greens) in order to send a message?

You wouldn’t vote for a candidate you know nothing about, so why wouldn’t you do your homework before wielding your buying power?

Easier said than done. What about the awesome scarf I bought at the mall last year for three dollars? If I’d driven to a fair trade boutique, the same thing would have cost me 20 dollars.

And I’m frugal. Beyond frugal. I’m just cheap.

Buying only from ethical, transparent businesses is going to be an epic, legendary battle for me. My conscience vs. my wallet vs. sheer convenience.

As I learn more about fair trade and organics through our business venture, it becomes more and more important for me to a) support good businesses, and b) understand the consumer struggle to find fair, affordable, quality products.

And in the end, my hope is to change my little world two-fold: by being a better buyer, as well as a good businessperson who makes these small, significant choices easier for All of Us. {r}

I am American, and I am Not a Shopaholic

A recent article in Bloomberg Businessweek compared Black Friday to a spectator sport. We turn on the news, sit back, and watch the madness with disgust. Sort of.

“Who are these people? We think, shaking our heads. And how much are those Nespresso machines? And wouldn’t I be enjoying this spectacle more if I were watching it on a bigger television, like the ones Best Buy is selling at such ridiculously low prices?”

I am American, and I am a shopaholic.

In a nation of shoppers, what the hell are we doing introducing minimalist clothing?

We get questions like this a lot. Our idea is akin to Stride gum that lasts forever. The factory shuts down because people never have to buy new gum.

As a business model, it’s a risk. We are forgoing repeat buyers. We aren’t encouraging our customers to buy more. Our clothing will be built to last. The styles are timeless staples.

Basically, we are the opposite of fast fashion.

And we don’t care.

Because there is a part of America that hates the fact that our economy is based around creating shopaholics, generation after generation. That wants to break the cycle. That realizes less is more.

And there is something inside all of us that wants to give more than we take.

We’re counting on those people to help us make this happen. Those who want to support ethical clothing, the environment, simple lifestyles, and freedom from stuff.

We might be crazy. Some have said, “You know, there’s a reason why no one has tapped into this market.”

But it’s not a market. It’s a way of life, that doesn’t involve easy profits, high turnover, and infinite resources.

So you’re not going to see minimalism in the malls anytime soon. But slowly, we hope to provide options, in locally-owned shops all over America, for those who want to say,

Fuck trends. I care about shit, and I am not a shopaholic. {r}

You Win Some, You Lose Some {Part II}

{This is Part II of our Nicaragua update. The original post can be found here.}

The rules for our market visit were simple: wear pants, don’t bring your passports, don’t bring a bag, don’t bring a camera, put your money in your bra. We followed Sonia’s instructions and arrived at what seemed to be fabric row, a long street with a dozen very similar stores, selling bolts and bolts of fabric.

At almost every store we got the same answer: we don’t have the fabric you’re looking for. We spent about two and a half hours, searching for the right material to make samples and went home with nothing.

It was a discouraging day and an understandable low for us. We are struggling to find a production system we can afford, while sticking to our ethical values about how we want to manufacture our line. The options for organics in Nicaragua are incredibly limited. There are excessive minimums that come with ordering, no option for patterned fabric, as well as other restrictions that seem daunting to a small start-up like us.

And honestly, we’re exhausted. After a lot of traveling, a ton of work, and infinite brainstorming, we are burnt out.

We need to find a solution. Organic cotton. Fair trade labor. With lots of color and pattern options. Without excessive minimums. And without shipping fabrics from one side of the world to the other.

It’s not easy, and we knew it wouldn’t be, but instead of succumbing to the pressure of “let’s do this yesterday!” we’re going to take a step back, breathe, think, and try again. We owe it to ourselves to take the time that we need, and if we still haven’t found a production method, then it’d be hasty to spend over 500 dollars making samples.

Nicaragua is supposed to be stunningly gorgeous. So we’re going to get out of the city for a few days, get some much needed R&R, and tackle our dilemmas from a different angle.

There are a million cheesy quotes I could end with about hard work and determination, but I’ll simply say this: who needs a beer? {r}

You Win Some, You Lose Some: Update from Nicaragua

Somehow, we made it to Nicaragua. It only took two buses, four countries and 21 hours. About the amount of time it takes to fly to Asia.

We arrived in the capital city of Managua at 1:30am. We made a few bad decisions along the way and ended up in a run-down “hotel” (the cab driver’s recommendation) with barely enough money to scrape together for a night’s stay and the taxi fare. After a night of which neither of us slept, we high-tailed it out of there early the next morning to a more reputable hostel in a safer area of town.

Managua — no me gusta. The guidebooks warn of all the capital city doesn’t have to offer, and it was advised not to walk around much, or even leave the hostel unnecessarily. Kristin and I have had multiple conversations since arriving about how much we take safety for granted in our own country. The constant “machismo” and cat-calling is also starting to wear on us, but is simply a part of the culture here.

Onto a better note, on Monday we checked into a dormitory-style community residence called Casa Calquera in Ciudad Sandino, a town right outside Managua. It’s only five minutes down the road from the Jubilee House Community, the organic and fair trade cooperative we came to explore for producing our clothing line.

Early Monday morning we met with Mike, an American ex-pat who runs the co-op, about our options for doing business with them. Our meeting was overwhelming, to say the least.

Because of the nature of the cotton-growing, organic dyeing and fair trade manufacturing, everything is made to order, which makes things expensive for a bootstrapped start-up like us. It was made even more clear that we’re going to need to raise a lot of capital — about twice as much than if we were manufacturing in a sweatshop or more traditional means.

We decided we would take things one step at a time, sticking to the philosophy we’ve had all along, so Mike set us up to meet with a Nicaraguan woman, named Sonia, who we could work with to produce our samples. Sonia runs a small organization of her own, funded through a private grant, that takes prostitutes off the streets and teaches them how to sew.

Speaking only Spanish, we showed her our sketches, spec sheets, measurements and a few material samples we had with us, and little by little, discussed the potential of producing eight samples. Of course, this also involved negotiating a price, and bartering in another language is a whole different ball game. Once we agreed on a fair wage for eight patterns and eight samples, we arranged to go to the market the following day to look at fabrics.

We’ll save the details of that adventure for a follow-up post, as well as the big decision we’ve made in revamping our plans. {r}

Video: “Real World Antigua”

Today we’re introducing our Guatemalan family and giving you an inside peek into our daily life here. Every single day consists of eating, sleeping, Spanish tutoring, and business planning. So, here’s the proof: it’s not all fun and games…

(Well, it kind of is.) {r}

Video: "Real World Antigua"

(Well, it kind of is.) {r}

What We’ve Learned From Don Draper (besides how to get lucky)

After a few seasons of “Mad Men,” I’m captivated by the psychology of business, and the changes in advertising over the years. It’s made me think a lot about why we buy things.

Ads from the 1950’s screamed, “Buy this product, so you can be like the Joneses!” A big part of that had to do with major appliances invading American homes: everyone wanted a refrigerator and a color TV. If you weren’t on the forefront of appliances, you were just trying to catch up.

Fast forward to now. A lot has changed in the last 60 years, the biggest difference being, of course, the internet. Oh, how life has changed.

As Thomas Friedman might put it, the world becomes flatter every day. Hundreds of millions of people are logging onto the internet. Learning things. Meeting people. Sharing ideas. Leveling the playing field in terms of knowledge. People are more “equal” than they ever have been. Some might also argue that we’re more “the same” than we ever have been, too.

And advertising reflects that. While we all want to fit in, we’re also desperate for a way to set ourselves apart, to be different from the masses.

Now, ads scream, “Buy this and be different!” “You will be better accepted by your peers if you’re unique!”

To some extent, we are what we buy. The shopping choices you make are a reflection on you. And it seems that now, with all these choices we have, consumers are shopping in a different way.

With a million different types of, well, everything to chose from, why do we select that one in a million?

I think it comes down to feeling a personal relationship with a company. With all these choices (that probably aren’t so different, really) we choose to support companies that reach out to us, touch us, impact us in some way.

Because we are what we buy. We’re not just making a purchase; we’re setting ourselves apart. Our homes, our clothing, our computers — they all say something about us, and we choose to buy from companies that get that. That get us.

This is part of why I believe in our success — because I believe in our story. But it’s also why I believe that small businesses have an even greater chance of success than ever before. They, unlike the mammoth companies, have the ability to tell a story, and genuinely make an impact on buyers. They might not have all the qualities of mammoth companies (like economies of scale, huge ad budgets, and a global reach) but they do have the ability to create real, personal relationships with buyers.

And if we are what we buy, then I’d rather be on the side of the underdog with a great product. That is the psychology of business. {r}

{r}evolution apparel: Our Plan to Change the Fashion Industry

We’re travelers. Our lives thrive on new experiences. We have an overwhelming need to see, touch, taste and explore.

Traveling through developing countries with just a pack on our backs has forced us to think about needs. Real needs. When surrounded by poverty our lavish lives back home seem less and less fulfilling. The things in our cluttered apartments become meaningless. It’s just us and our backpacks in a place that no longer seems a world away. Life becomes something else — and it has nothing to do with buying the iPhone4 or a new pair of jeans.

It has become more about the effects of pesticides for cotton crops and the hardships of exploitative factory work. All so that the rest of us can consume. And throw out. And consume again. Over and over, until we realize that things will never truly fulfill us.

We have been fortunate to experience countries so rich in culture, so full of life, that we can’t seem to shake one repeating thought:

We don’t need all of that.

Even more, we can’t reason why the developing world should bear the brunt of our consumption. Environmentally. Economically. Personally.

And that’s how our revolution began.

Imagine owning eight items of clothing. Just eight, functional, versatile pieces. But with those eight pieces, over 100 different looks could be created. Dressy. Casual. Everything in between. With style. Without khaki cargo zip-offs or two-toned “skorts.”

That’s our goal. To create the ideal wardrobe for women like us, looking to simplify our lives, reduce our footprint, and look damn good in the process.

It’s not going to be easy. We’ve already hit a few bumps in the road. But we’re determined to do this right. To bring a new face to the apparel industry — one that doesn’t exploit, or destroy, or waste in the name of “fashion.” We are on a search for organic fabric, fair trade labor and a system of production we’ll be proud to call our own. An ethical brand that others will be proud to wear. {r}

If what we’re doing jives with your own ideals, then please don’t be shy. This is our shameless plea for you to spread the word, Tweet, Like, Stumble, you know the drill. We’ll be forever grateful. K + S

What Is Fair Trade? Really.

The term “fair trade” is everywhere now, used to market everything from coffee to organic, cotton t-shirts. It sounds pretty self-explanatory: you pay a higher price for a product, and walk away with the reassurance that the producers, in some country poorer than yours, were paid a fair price. Sadly, it’s not that simple.

How It Started

Fair trade has become the “in” thing over the years, starting as a fad among church groups around the 1960’s. Missionaries started bringing back handicrafts from exotic places in an effort to support the artisans’ local economies.

What It Is

Today, fair trade is more formalized. In short, it protects producers in marginalized countries from unfair trading practices. No child labor. No sweat shops. A “living wage” for all workers. Ethical and humane working conditions. Transparent business transactions.

Businesses that buy fair trade are responsible for making sure their products are produced in an ethical way. Generally, those businesses will pay for part of the product upfront, so that their producers don’t have to borrow from local loan sharks at high interest rates.

There’s a laundry list of the things businesses do to make fair trade a great system. Giving back. Cultivating skills. Sharing knowledge.

But that doesn’t mean it’s all rosy.

Potential Problems with Trading Fairly

On a large scale, economists say that fair trade isn’t sustainable. Communities see that, for example, fair trade coffee brings in more money — so everyone in the community starts to produce coffee. Then the supply outweighs the demand, the price falls, and while fair trade producers will still receive more than market price, they ultimately lose. The only winner is the buyer. Again.

There are also critics who claim the majority of fair trade profits end up in the hands of the buyers. Let’s use coffee again. A cafe pays 50 cents more for a bag of fair trade coffee. Then they charge an extra 50 cents on each cup of fair trade coffee they sell. The farmers profit, but the cafe is really raking it in. The counter-argument? The cafe workers have to eat too!

And then there are the companies who claim to sell fair trade products when it’s simply not true.

What’s the Solution?

So as a consumer, what should you buy? Is it a gimmick? Or can companies be trusted to do business, do good, and do good business?

We know it’s possible. That’s our goal. There are some great, transparent, ethical businesses out there that emphasize people, planet, and product — and we hope to join them.

Here are some of the companies we love, for their great products and fair practices. As we move forward with our fair trade goals, we’re looking to these people for inspiration. It can be done. {r}

Mata Traders

Mata Traders makes fair trade clothes and accessories. Mata products are original designs handmade in India and Nepal by women’s cooperatives and artisan groups that practice fair trade principles.

Maggie’s Organics

Maggie’s Organics is America’s first “certified” fair trade clothing company. They even have a short documentary about the Nicaraguan cooperative they work with. Kudos to them for being pioneers!

Autonomie Project

The Autonomie Project is a fair trade fashion company offering sweatshop-free, organic, vegan and eco-friendly footwear, sneakers, clothing and accessories. They have some really cool stuff that we think is different from the typical ‘fair trade apparel’ look.

Annie O. Boutique

Annie O. imports fair trade accessories from Peru. She works closely with cooperatives there, and is planning on expanding her fair trade influence to Colombia, too.

Do You Know What ‘It’ Means?

He looked at me like I had coffee beans spilling out of my ears.

I stared right back.

“Do you sell fair trade coffee?” I asked one more time.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the cafe barista replied indignantly.

My friends on either side of me diverted their eyes to the floor, waiting for what would come next.

“You work in a coffee shop, and you don’t know what fair trade means?” I looked to either side of me for some mutual exasperation, only to receive pleading looks of ‘please don’t make a scene.’

“Fine. I’ll have a water.”

This has been my ongoing crusade for the past four months, ever since Kristin and I began to explore the fair trade aspect of the fashion industry. I made a personal vow at the beginning of the summer to consume consciously — whether that meant clothing, coffee or chocolate — and forced myself to ask the question that most people would never think to ask.

By doing this, I realized two things. 1.) Most people don’t know what the term ‘fair trade’ means, and 2.) Because of this, companies aren’t being held accountable for the way they manufacture their products.

I’ve also realized that it’s not entirely the consumers fault. I’ve had countless conversations with friends and family, wondering what exactly we’re trying to do with this business, and it usually goes like this:

Friend: “Soooo… when you say ‘fair trade’ you mean…”

Me: “No sweatshops, no child labor, a fair wage for all workers, humane factory conditions…”

Then the conversation usually goes on to talk about which companies are considered fair trade. Forever 21? No. H&M? No. Ikea, Wal-Mart, Kohl’s? Nope! In fact, those companies have some of the worst track records in manufacturing. Makes sense, right? The price of their products are really cheap.

A sad rule of thumb: if you’re buying cheap clothes, then you’re buying cheap labor. And cheap labor usually means sweatshop conditions.

The problem is that no one talks about it. Unfair labor laws don’t interest the media or get discussed by politicians or even taught in our social studies classes. The fair trade that does exist is marketed towards the eco-friendly, granola-eating hippie consumer, generally turning off the rest of the average population. A combination of these things makes it easy for everyone else to turn a blind eye.

It’s not all gloom and doom though. And that’s what we want to delve into by opening up this section of the blog. It’s an opportunity to spark discussion about how we consume, the real people behind the products we use, and the social responsibility we have to start caring about it.

We’re learning about all of this as we go, and we think it’s important to relay the information and encourage our friends and family to ethically consume as well. We don’t have it all figured out, but by building awareness, we’re taking one step at a time towards making the world a better place for All of Us. {r}

Video: The Adventure Begins…

I check into Logan Airport today, connect in Miami, and arrive in Guatemala City by the afternoon (pending how Tropical Storm Richard behaves). In this video post, I talk about our plan for the next few weeks and reveal our new travel itinerary. Let the games begin… {r}

A Perfect World {For All of Us}

{If you’re new here, welcome! This is the home of Shannon and Kristin, two girls in the process of starting an import business out of Central America with a focus on fashion. One of the guiding principles in our business plan is fair trade. Starting today, we’ll be adding a new category to this blog, dedicated to discovering what fair trade is all about.}

The Plan

Thus far, we’ve been a bit vague about our actual business plan. That’s because we don’t have it all figured out yet — what type of products we’re going to import, or what country we’ll be importing from. Right now, we’re most excited about producing a small line of fair trade clothing in Central America.

Our top priority is to research the plausibility of production. First, we’re looking at cooperatives — 100 percent worker-owned factories. We have to locate the co-ops, and then contact or visit them to find out if their capabilities and our requirements are a match.

For now, we’re looking for six specific qualities in the cooperative we’ll choose to work with:

Experience producing similar styles of clothing
Knowledge of customs and exporting
Capacity for growth
Financial feasibility
Sustainability
Adherence to fair trade labor standards

Our naivety led us to believe this would be, well, easy enough. There are lots of cooperatives in Guatemala, manufacturing everything from traditional huiptiles (traditional women’s clothing) to recycled glass trinkets. But I have yet to locate a co-op with all the qualities we need to move forward — either they don’t have experience with this type of product, they don’t have the capacity, or they don’t have references to attest to deliverability and reliability.

In a perfect world, we would take several months or years to work with a few cooperatives and create a system of fair trade production. We would arrange training for the women. We would set up Kiva loans for equipment. We would help with the exporting, paperwork and logistics. They would have a first customer, a reference and experience. We would have a product.

But the world isn’t perfect. We don’t have the resources, language skills, time, or knowledge to help build an entire cooperative infrastructure from the ground up.

The Opportunity

We’re probably not the only company to pass up Guatemalan-made goods because of the difficulty in coordinating the logistics. In a country full of talented artisans and willing workers, this is an unfortunate reality.

And it’s not just Guatemala. My guess is that most developing countries, with skilled women and numerous co-ops, are being overlooked as a viable fair trade manufacturing source because of infrastructure.

As fair trade becomes more popular, other small companies like ours will start to look for alternatives to exploitative factory labor. But where will they find it? Companies in similar circumstances don’t have the knowledge or resources to put together a fair trade supply chain in a foreign country.

This is where opportunity knocks.

When it comes to textile manufacturing, there’s always a middle-man: a person who coordinates the purchase of the textiles, the cutting, the dyeing, the sewing. They take their cut, pay their workers, and ship a finished product. The middle-man is the link between the world and the manufacturing process.

So why aren’t their “coordinators” in the fair trade clothing sector? Not only would this person or company profit, but they would also contribute to increased trade.

It’s a complex issue, but I can’t stop asking myself…

If the process were made easy, how much business would shift from traditional, exploitive manufacturing to fair and ethical trade?

And what if other developing countries were able to create a network of fair trade businesses? This could revolutionize the garment industry.

Imagine how much more money these countries could earn through trade, instead of aid. {r}

Learning from the Experts: Craig Gonzales

Since launching our blog at the beginning of September, we’ve been blown away by the amount of support from people wanting to help us. Strangers have reached out from all over the world, offering advice based on their own experiences. Craig Gonzales is one of those people. He was kind enough to answer our questions about doing business in the developing world, and gave us some tips as we start our journey.

When Craig Gonzales began his PhD, his long-term career goal was “to save the world and get rich in the process.” Eventually, he realized that studying philosophy wasn’t going to lead him down that path, so he revamped his plan.

Craig spent the next year studying social enterprise and sustainable business models. During that time, he came up with a theory: for-profit businesses can increase the standard of living in the developing world. To prove it to himself, he decided to move to Ghana and learn more about the non-profit structure.

Craig worked for a fair trade NGO called Women in Progress/Global Mamas as an educator and researcher. He taught the Ghanaian women in the cooperative how to maintain their books, apply for loans and save money. He also conducted research to figure out the growth rate of income for the women (some had increased their yearly income by more than 1,000 percent in the three years they had been working!).

Unfortunately, Craig realized that although the women increased their earnings, their standard of living did not increase. With each woman’s success, every aunt, uncle, cousin and nephew came out of the woodwork with unpaid medical, school or food bills. While their extended families received a tiny influx of help, the women never rose above the poverty line.

Craig’s experience in Ghana convinced him that the NGO system was part of the problem — a “talent drain” so-to-speak. The smartest employees spent too much time trying to find money to keep the organization afloat, and the women were left only marginally better off. He left Ghana with his theory affirmed: for-profit businesses are the way to make a difference in developing countries.

Craig’s experience in the for-profit and non-profit sectors of business have gained him valuable insight that he’s taken the time to share with us. Here is his advice:

There are two of you and there are “clothing fairs” in the U.S. starting in January. Get a product line together ASAP and go to those exhibitions. Make a beautiful product, but make the design and prototypes as soon as you can. Then go to the U.S. and sell the crap out of it. January through February is when the stores buy stock and make relationships with distributors.
Don’t make your clothes “South American-y” (we don’t plan to). Make them look bad ass. Make sure what you sell is something you’d wear.
Trust each other without question. It is hard work. You need to rely on each other.
Make the business for-profit. Then spend the next six months building a back-end and selling the product. There is no reason a for-profit business can’t redistribute the profits to the workers/people.
Use the excess cash-flow to hire a really, really great partner. Offer to give equity to someone with a.) South American retail experience, b.) development/social enterprise experience, c.) the skills you don’t have.
Good people SHOULD cost money. You need to be making money to hire good people, get good equipment and to ensure quality products.
Don’t rely on charity or handouts. Rely on a great product, a great process, and quick delivery, all with fair wages and increased standard of living for all partners/workers.
Once basic needs are met (water, health, food, shelter), I believe the only way out of poverty is through economic sustainability.

Craig has recently started an education company in Bangkok, helping Thais gain admittance and scholarships into U.S. universities. His long-term goal is to provide social enterprise consulting and prove that he can make business work in the developing world. We wish him the best of luck! {r}

Mis{adventures} in Guatemala: Arrest, FBI, and the Fugitive Blogger

I have two goals before Shannon arrives in Guatemala in late October: learn Spanish, and get to know the “business in Guatemala” scene, so that when she gets here, we can hit the ground running with our importing/textile research.

My Spanish has improved, for sure. As for the business side of things, well, that’s another story in itself.

I discovered GuateLiving.com and like many others, was intrigued by the man behind the blog, Mark Francis. I figured I’d ask for a bit of advice from an “expert.” And that explains Monday’s blog post.

Mark had mentioned he had rooms available in one of his houses. He rented the rooms to visitors to offset the cost of his office in the house. It was cheap and clean, and I was ready to leave my homestay and take a nice hot shower.

An American couple and a British girl were also staying in the house. From bits of conversation I picked up, Mark’s life was unraveling. People in town thought he was having an affair with the British girl. One night he slept in the house, on the couch, even though he owned another house with his wife and kids.

I found the situation strange, but that was nothing compared to what happened next.

Wednesday morning, I hiked up an active volcano (a treat for finishing those grueling Spanish classes). When I returned, I learned that Mark had been arrested the night before. By the Feds. The U.S. Feds. Turns out, he’s been the most wanted man in Tennessee since 2008, for mail and securities fraud.

“Mark” is actually Jeffrey Lynn Cassman, an ex-politician, Ponzi-schemer, and man on the run. He’s probably been taken back to the States by now. It turns out he wasn’t from Arizona, he had 10 kids instead of three, and rarely told the truth.

Antigua is a-flutter with the news. The expat scene is small, and such a big-time arrest is gossip galore.

I decided to leave before the police came to search the house (that Mark didn’t even own). I packed my bags, and took off to Lake Atitlan, a tranquil place worlds away from securities fraud and the FBI.

I could finish by saying that I learned a lesson from this, about trust and gullibility, but instead I’ll just say this:

I am twenty-four. I am an idealist. I believe in karma.

Good things come to good people, and for now, I’ll leave you with this: the scene from my doorstep here at the lake.

Learning from the Experts: Annie O. Boutique

{Everyone tells us we can’t do this alone. And they’re right. This week, we’re soliciting advice from those who know best — as a follow-up of our talk with Mark from GuateLiving, today we’re sharing an interview with socially-responsible fashion entrepreneur Annie O. Waterman of annie O. boutique.}

One morning, I was casually browsing the EcoFashion website, and came across a story highlighting an up-and-coming fashion startup called, annie O. boutique. Annie Waterman imports handcrafted products from Peru, and her mission, story and products are beautiful. After a half-second on her site, I realized I had to get in touch, and one e-mail later, she agreed to help us out with some much-needed advice. Here’s the transcript from our interview.

K: For those who don’t know about Annie O, tell us about your company!

A: I am a designer who collaborates with women who are victims of domestic violence, creating a line of unique belts, clutches, shawls, and other one-of- a-kind wearable pieces.

“annie O. boutique” is an ethical fashion company that works directly with remote artisan communities to design and craft timeless accessories inspired by the local traditional artisan techniques.

K: I’m sure you get this all the time, but how did you get into the hand-made fashion business in Peru? What was the catalyst for just “doing it”?

A: I love travel, textiles, foreign cultures, and ethical business. Previously, I worked within the field of design and after some time, felt that I needed to try something of my own. I booked a ticket down to South America and researched cooperatives throughout Peru and Bolivia and was inspired by one of the women-run cooperatives that I met at the end of my journey. I started out by placing small orders and testing the market, and sure enough, the response was high, leading me to where I am today. I was always afraid to take the leap, but realized that there is no perfect time.

K: How long did it take to move your business from idea to execution?

A: I said I had a “side project” for about a year. After that, I was confident in saying I had a business.

K: Where can people find your stuff (besides of course the Annie O site!)? And what’s your method for distribution — primarily retail, or are you wholesaling to boutiques as well?

A: You can find my collection on sites such as ETSY, Econscious Market, Eco Fashion World, World of Green, and Nimli. I primarily sell wholesale.

K: What’s been the hardest part about importing products from Peru to the States? What would you change if you could do it all over again?

A: I would say the hardest part about importing is the high expense and teaching the cooperative the correct way to document all goods that are being imported. If the smallest of details are not included, the goods can be held in customs or sent back to Peru. It took some practice, but now the communication is clear and fluid.

If I were to do it all again, I would probably balance out my business, collaborating with the right business partner. Doing this solo has been a learning process, seeing as I am always trying to balance my weaknesses.

K: We love advice. Do you have any recommendations/warnings/suggestions for success in fashion, imports, or Central & South American travel?

A: Make sure that you choose your market wisely. Wholesale is a tough industry so I would focus on retail sales as much as possible. Price your goods wisely from the beginning. Know your market!

K: What are the next steps for Annie O — plans for the future?

A: I am heading to South America in December, so I look forward to expanding my Peruvian line and creating a new one in Colombia, (depending on how the connections pan out). My vision is to create different collections throughout South America, seeing as how the colors and textures compliment one another really well. My vision is to strongly impact these communities and create hope in these women’s lives.

K: Thank you, Annie, for your willingness to share your journey. We wish you all the best!

Below are some shots from annie O. — clutches, scarves, belts, jewelry — plus some inspiration! If you’re interested in Annie’s story, too, you can follow her on Twitter here. {r}

HOW DID WE GET HERE?

{the blog}

Tagged: fair trade