17 Mar “The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing.”

"The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake that, you've got it made."
Groucho Marx

I remember when I was a (eh-em, ultra-cool) preteen and split my free time between the skating rink and the mall.  While I could enthrall you stories of the endless entertainment that a skating rink can provide an 11 year old, I’ll skip right to the mall.  I was encaptured.  It was a wonderland of dress up and choices.  If I manage to provide an unfortunate look into my fashion-history – you’ll see that I was a mixology of Contempo, the occasional rad-fad find in Sears (the only credit card I was allowed to use, lest I walk out with a dishwasher), and Debbie Gibson.  Or more specifically the little fountain of hair she had on top with the big bangs.

But one thing that drew me in early was the idea that little kids made all of those clothes.  And while I was engrossed to singing chorus of various Phil Collin's songs, I imagined 6-year olds chained to all of those machines. While I’m positive now that child labor wasn’t as work-force consuming as I had imagined, it did bring me into a world where there is a giant line, nay – a chasm, of demarcation between textile and the consumer. 

I want to address an adjacent subject that is far more wide spread, and that is workers rights – or fair trade (or living-wage if no over sea's "trade" is involved).  These people are certainly of-age, skilled, usually from or living in developing countries, and being paid far less than what is necessary to live even an impoverished life.  And there is an industry of clothing that is based off of workers such as these.

When I began manufacturing my own clothing line, I began with a family factory through a contact.  Small and expensive though they were, it gave me a look into how to manufacture and see the difference it makes for each family who has a member that works for a fair wage. After traveling to Nicaragua and working with a Certified Fair Trade factory that had already been in business for almost a decade, I could see how much a fair-wage situation can benefit a community long term.  Since that time, I have made it a point to work with small families and small factories to help them not only acquire more skills and equipment, but to watch them grow on their own over time.  Picking battles, so to speak

Indigenous Design (http://www.indigenousdesigns.blogspot.com/) I see has a Fair Trade Pilot Program for some of the organic cotton farmers they work with.  I do like how they do it, and that is to take the idea of fair trade into their own hands and own it. Some clothing manufactures feel compelled to bring out third party organizations out to their facilities to certify manufacturing 'fair trade', and I also believe this is important – but in perspective as certifications such as these are very expensive for most involved and many smaller factories, designers, and farmers are unable to afford it even though they are working well with in the expectations of both fair trade and living wages.  Doing the right thing should be easy to vet though and if a buyer has any doubts, it is well with in one's rights to ask, and expect an answer.

I try not to be preachy with such soap boxes, so I'll start to end this.. but it truly is a passion of mine. I love the work, travel, and people, and I want to see friends and family employed and able to make ends meet with out having to figure out several other means to income just to survive.  If we have one life, let us help to spread around the joy – and if we get to enjoy a night on the town in a cute, silk-lined, hemp shift-dress, then even better.