ETHICAL FASHION

SOURCE EXPO 2011

INSPIRATIONAL SUPPLIERS AND SUPPLY TRENDS, 2011

FAIR. ETHICAL. ORGANIC. ECO

RECYCLED. CHANGING LIVES

T H E O N LY A N N U A L FA S H I O N I N D U S T R Y T R A D E S H O W DEDICATED TO ETHICAL SOURCING

17TH -18TH OCTOBER LONDON EC1

IMAGES: EXPO 2011 EXHIBITORS , CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: HIMALAYA TAILORING CENTRE, ARDALANISH, HAIKURE, MEHERA SHAW

INTRODUCTION The annual Ethical Fashion SOURCE Expo is the world’s first and only annual fashion industry trade show dedicated to ethical sourcing. The SOURCE Expo showcases inspirational suppliers and manufacturers from all over the world, working to fair trade, ethical and organic standards, linking them directly with hundreds of designers, retailers and brands.

The SOURCE Expo aims to promote sustainable fashion practices and facilitate sustainable sourcing amongst fashion professionals. The event creates a platform and opportunities for suppliers with exemplary practices, increasing opportunities and improving livelihoods for thousands of people as a result. Ultimately, its goal is to reduce the environmental impact of the industry, support fair and equitable trade, and reduce poverty.

This document offers a brief introduction to several sustainable supply trends, a selection of inspiring exhibitors at SOURCE Expo, and the way they are pioneering in innovative and exemplary practices. Find out more or register to visit or exhibit at the SOURCE EXPO online:

www.ethicalfashionforum.com/source-expo

S O U R C E E X P O 2 0 1 1 i n c l u de s a DES IGNER PAVILION, bringing together the very best designers pioneering in sustainable sourcing alongside outstanding design. Image: Ultra, INNOVATION award winner, showing at the Designer Pavilion.

Images: NV London – Calcutta, Mehera Shaw

CONTENTS INSPIRING SUPPLIERS AND SUPPLY TRENDS PAGE

SCALING UP, SKILLING UP 1. Continental Assisi

TAILORING: CENTRES OF EXCELLENCE 3. Himalaya Tailoring Centre Mayamiko

ARTISANAL EXCELLENCE 5. Bishopston Trading Mehera Shaw TAMMACHAT NV London Calcutta

COTTON 8. Wild Earth/ Cotton Made in Africa

WOOL 10. Ardalanish animaná

INNOVATION 12. Lilli Design- Bio Bijoux Aura Herbal

As demand for sustainable production by fashion brands and retailers grows, two trends have become evident in the supply sector:

Small scale co-operatives and community production units built on fair trade principles are scaling up, increasing production capacity, and investing in skills training in order to cater for a more mainstream market wi th high qual i ty products . These organisations fill a gap between small scale, ar t i sanal fa i r t rade product ion and mass manufacture.

Suppliers built on sustainable principles, and designed from the outset to cater for the mainstream, are going global - and diversifying in terms of both product capacity and production location. Image: Assisi Garments

   

SCALING UP, SKILLING UP

1.

CONTINENTAL CLOTHING CONTINENTAL®  has been designing, manufacturing and selling wholesale to the imprintables industry since 1994. Their vision is an entire industry in low carbon corporate wear, work wear, promotional wear and leisure wear, built upon fundamental principles of sustainable production and socially positive supply chain management.

Mul t i - sus tainabi l i ty award winners, Continental now offer a transatlantic solution  with continuity of garments on both sides of the Atlantic. For fashion companies, Continental can help launch brands into foreign markets, and save time and money on shipping and import costs, by allowing customers to produce identical product lines close to local markets. www.continentalclothing.com

ASSISI GARMENTS Assisi Garments began in 1994 as a non-profit rehabilitation program established in Tirupur by the Franciscan Sisters. Employing a w o r k f o r c e o f 3 0 0 i n c l u d i n g underprivileged women and 120 physically challenged people, the endeavour was the first-of-its-kind in India.  Today, Assisi garments, made from Organic and Fairtrade cotton, are favoured by a global clientele across Europe, Japan, Australia and the US.

Assisi facilities are located over an extensive area of 50,000 sq.ft. Keeping pace with the latest technology, they house the most contemporary machinery sourced from around the world, generating an output of 10,000 pieces per day.

www.assisiorganics.com

2.

Well developed programmes of skills training, from textile and construction skills through to life skills are being increasingly integrated at fair trade, cooperative and community production units all over the world.

Coupled with better equipment and a focus on high quality, often designer product, this has led to a growing number of Centres of Excellence, which strive to cater to a mainstream and competitive industry.

Image: Himalaya Tailoring Centre

 

TAILORING: CENTRES OF EXCELLENCE

3.

HIMALAYA TAILORING CENTRE

The Himalaya Tailoring Centre, employing over 70 staff, is located in Dharamsala in the foothills of the Indian Himalayas. 

With a team of world-class tailors, the Centre produces high quality garments while maintaining good working condi t ions, fa i r pay and h igh employee morale. These guiding principles inform all decisions that relate to the running of the Centre, which is Fair-Trade certified by the Fair Trade Forum of India (FTFI)

www.eternalcreation.com/workshop

MAYAMIKO M a y a m i k o h a s c r e a t e d a production unit in Malawi where disadvantaged women are trained in sewing and CMT. Fabrics and materials are locally sourced. Mayamiko is also working to establish sustainable sewing and knitting training schools in the area. Alongside the factory, to remove the barriers that stop w o m e n f r o m g e t t i n g i n t o emp loymen t , Mayamiko i s planning to develop a training centre for technical and life skills. A longer term goal is to work with the local vocational training institution, TEVETA, to offer a recognised qualification.

www.mayamiko.org

CENTRES OF EXCELLENCE:

4.

Increasingly, fashion and accessories de s igne r s a re bu i l d i ng work i ng partnerships with artisans and producer groups, and supplier organisations are increasing capacity to meet the demands of design led product ranges.

This has led to a growing trend towards artisanal excellence- which merges traditional artisanal and craft skills with design flair and understanding of the market, colour, design and s ty le preferences and quality expectations. Image: NV London Calcutta

 

ARTISANAL EXCELLENCE

5.

BISHOPSTON TRADING

Bishopston Trading has worked with their fair trade producer partners in South India for the last 25 years. Bishopston provides the design and marketing skills and the capital investment in the form of forward payments, and K.V.Kuppam provide the weaving and tailoring skills.

The company has grown to provide employment to almost 200 tailors, cutters, hand-finishers, embroiderers and craft workers. A further 90 people are employed as handloom weavers who produce handloom Fairtrade certified organic cotton cloth. A diverse range of cottons are available in an extensive colour range, from plain cottons to corduroy, velvet, calico and denim. www.bishopstontrading.co.uk

MEHERA SHAW Mehera Shaw is a fair trade full-production service founded in 2007 in Jaipur, India, specialising in high-end garment production for the women’s and children’s markets. Wovens in natural fibres and certified organic cotton are used and stitching techniques include pleating, pintucking, and quilting. Mehera Shaw also specialise in hand block and screen printing and offer pattern making, grading, sampling, fabric sourcing, and small-batch production.

Dye patterns, which are stamped directly onto the fabric with hand carved teak blocks, have been in use in North India for centuries. These prints are often produced using vegetable dyes. The “recipes” for these have been preserved for many generations by the artisans’ families. www.meherashaw.com

6.

N V L O N D O N - CALCUTTA NV London Calcutta is an ethical accessories production company dedicated to bridging the gap between high fashion and traditional ethical offerings. NV supports age-old Indian craftsmanship and artisanal skills and champions marginalised producer groups. NV’s manufacturing partner is a not for profit organisation, a founding member of the Fair Trade Forum India and member of the World Fair Trade Organization. They partner with and support over 26 grass roots producer groups, many rurally based. NV is a winner of EFF’s 2011 production INNOVATION award. www.nvlondoncalcutta.co.uk

TAMMACHAT TAMMACHAT Natural Textiles offers fairly traded, eco-friendly fashion accessories, home décor, clothing and fabric created by women artisans in rural Thailand and Laos.

Blending contemporary styling with traditional skills, each piece is exquisitely handwoven in limited editions and coloured with sustainably produced, local natural dyes, or certified low-impact dyes from the EU. Signature products are organic silk scarves and organic silk fabric; both can also be custom ordered. For every piece purchased, TAMMACHAT provides a child in Laos with their first book. www.tammachat.com  

7.

COTTON Commitment to sustainable cotton sourcing is at an all time high - from the largest global buyers of cotton to prominent and cutting edge designers and brands. In order to cater for demand- and with the goal of increasing availability and awareness around sustainable cotton, a raft of cotton initiatives have been launched in the last few years.

About 8% of the cotton traded in the world market is harvested in Sub-Saharan Africa. In many parts of the world, cotton is grown in large plantations, but in Africa it is almost exclusively grown by smallholder farmers, using crop rotation. In other words the cotton is grown alternately with other crops such as the basic food crops maize, soy or groundnuts. That reduces leaching of soils and the occurrence of pests. Cotton is often a complementary cash crop – it is grown for sale, alongside the foods grown in subsistence farming. Image: Cotton Made in Africa

  8.

WILD EARTH AND COTTON MADE IN AFRICA Cotton made in Africa is a project initiative launched and managed by the Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF). African smallholder cotton farmers receive on-site training in improved cultivation methods which allow them to increase their crop yields, generate higher income and thus raise their standard of living through their own efforts. Since 2005, Cotton made in Africa has directly benefited thousands of African Cotton farmers through fair trade practices. The CmiA program has succeeded in improving yields and encouraging best practice regarding use of pesticides and sustainable production methods.

Wild Earth Cotton by Hermes Otto International is a collection of mid to premium market Ladies’ and Men’s casual fashion designed to reflect the ethos and fashion influence of the sustainable CmiA cotton at its heart. The Wild Earth Cotton collection will evolve to include other better cotton products including recycled, organic and Fairtrade.

www.cotton-made-in-africa.com

  9.

The UK and European wool industry has seen significant decline in recent years. However, in the UK and across Europe, small spinning and weaving mills are getting back in business. If you decide to buy wool fleece directly from a breeder – rather than the finished product from a wholesaler – and contract the production process to one of the small local mills, the wool is fully traceable, sometimes even from ‘sheep to cone’. (Read more on the SOURCE: Woolfest: Developments in sustainable wool sourcing, by Dr Pamela Ravasio. www.source.ethicalfashionforum.com)

In Latin America, two trends have stimulated opportunities for the sourcing of sustainable wool products. Firstly government investment in niche and luxury product promotion and production capacity in several countries. Secondly, pioneering suppliers and dedicated entrepreneurs - such as the Animana team, building local and national networks that increase production and quality management capacity. Image: Ardalanish

   

 

WOOL

10.

CONTEMPORARY DESIGN, ANCIENT TRADITIONS: animaná Animaná work with the finest raw materials from Patagonia and the Andes, including Patagonian merino wool, a native organic cotton variety which offers a wide range of natural colours, silk and alpaca.

The supply chain begins with the sustainable breeding of South American camelids, which roam free in large pastures in their natural habitat in the Andes and Patagonia. Artisans spin the fibres by hand and dye them with pigments obtained from native plants, reviving the techniques inherited from our rich history. As a result, the products respect the unique quality of each fibre: their softness, delicacy and comfort. Natural fibres are an excellent renewable resource, being 100% biodegradable and carbon neutral. www.animanaonline.com

Ardalanish Ardalanish Organic Farm lies in the remote south west corner of the Isle of Mull in the Inner Hebrides. Ardalanish farming practices represent a belief in the importance of understanding the land and its needs and allowing eco logica l re la t ionsh ips to develop with animals that are already co-evolved with the environment.

Using undyed, and occasionally naturally dyed, wool of native breed sheep, Ardalanish produce a range of unique and distinctive tweeds in subtly beautiful patterns and shades, and can produce bespoke products to order. www.ardalanishfarm.co.uk

ORGANIC WOOL TWEEDS:

11.

INNOVATION W i t h s o m e o f t h e m o s t pioneering companies and entrepreneurs placing a focus on sustainability in the fashion industry, a raft of innovative products, processes, and business models are being developed in the supply sector.

To recognise this and put the spotlight on innovation, the EFF launched INNOVATION awards in tex t i le sus ta inabi l i ty, production and textile design in 2011, celebrating small and emerging initiatives, alongside the SOURCE Expo. 2011 winners include Aura Herbal for textile processes and NV London Calcutta for their production model. www.ethicalfashionforum.com/innovation

Image: Aura Herbal: Natural dye processes

12.

L IL I DESIGN: BIO BIJOUX

Lili Design has developed an innovative bio plastic process, BioBijoux™, made with food ingredients. Every piece is unique, bendable and skin-friendly.

BioBijoux™ is 100% natural and biodegradable and offers a range of jewellery, kits to create your own jewellery and sets of colourful bioplastics ready to be shaped.

www.lili-design.com

AURA HERBAL WEAR Aura is a pioneer in natural and herbal dye processes, combining traditional techniques historically done by hand and on a small scale, with the capacity to produce larger quantities. Lengths of up to 1000 metres are available in a wide range of fabrics and print designs, including voiles, poplins, twills, flannels, corduroys, denims, knits, and silks.

Aura Herbal Textiles Ltd is certified by Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) for their all natural/herbal dyeing processes, and recycle all waste produced. Aura is a winner of EFF’s 2011 textile INNOVATION award. www.auraherbalwear.com

13.

ETHICAL FASHION

SOURCE EXPO 2011 PARTNERS:

SPONSORS:

The ETHICAL FASHION FORUM (EFF) is the industry body dedicated to a sustainable future for fashion. Our goal is to create a collaborative movement that will transform standards in the fashion industry within a decade. A not for profit organisation, the EFF works with the industry and consumers to reduce poverty, create sustainable livelihoods and reduce the impact of the industry on the environment.

The EFF represents the world’s largest and most established network of fashion professionals dedicated to sustainability, bringing together thousands of members in over 100 countries - from fashion buyers to designers, suppliers, factories, press, entrepreneurs, students and graduates.

Not a member yet? 100 new members join the Ethical Fash ion Forum ever y week. F ind ou t why: www.ethicalfashionforum.com/membership

www.ethicalfashionforum.com