Ethically-Made Clothing

Valsa das Máquinas, Paramount Têxteis from grafikonstruct on Vimeo.

Titled Valsa das Máquinas (Machine´s Waltz), it is an ad for Brazilian textile factory Collezione Paramount set to a waltz soundtrack specially composed by Lucas Lima. It is beautifully orchestrated and cut, but because it has no people in it, it got me thinking – certainly not for the first time – about ethically-made clothing and cloth.

Really the only standards that I know of are Fair Trade ones. For a clothing organization to be considered certified Fair Trade, it must adhere to the 10 principles of the World Fair Trade Organization (and get the label, also Fair Trade International has another set of standards and a longer set of complex guidelines, in terms of clothing):

Standard One: Creating Opportunities for Economically Disadvantaged Producers

Standard Two: Transparency and Accountability

Standard Three: Trading Practices

Standard Four: Payment of a Fair Price

Standard Five: Child Labour and Forced Labour

Standard Six: Non Discrimination, Gender Equity and Freedom of Association

Standard Seven: Working Conditions

Standard Eight: Capacity Building

Standard Nine: Promotion of Fair Trade

Standard Ten: Environment

More info see it here

Needless to say, most of the clothing we see is nowhere near Fair Trade. Heck, not even the staff working in some of the common shops would meet those standards... Also, though I admit that I am no Fair Trade angel, it really riles me up to walk by H&M and see their “Conscious” line, all organic fibres. Organic does not translate to Fair Trade. So I ask, conscious of what? Or, rather, whom? We forget that these are lives, and many of these seamstresses are women, maybe mothers, sisters, daughters. The conditions in industrial production in Canada may not be grand – don’t even get me started on what I’m learning about environmental occupational health effects – but we all know a great portion of our labels read like an atlas of the world’s most economically disadvantaged countries, to be politically correct. The conditions of some of these workplaces are profoundly disturbing.

So, on a lighter note...

Ten Thousand Villages

We all love it, I know it’s fair to say that this Fair Trade Certified shop is wonderful. They have beautiful things, for a whole range of prices. It smells good and the staff and volunteers are welcoming. As for clothing, let’s just say they still haven’t got much, but they have so many neat things to look at.
Check them out online: http://www.tenthousandvillages.com/

Freedom Clothing Collective

This itty-bitty shop sells predominantly locally-made clothing and crafts with a flair for environmental sustainability, as well. Located on Bloor, snugly beside Long & McQuade, it’s almost not seen. Inside, the walls are covered in things and at the back there is a “crafting” area and cashier, possibly crafting on the job. It may not be Fair Trade to the standard, but it’s pretty good.
See them online here: http://www.freedomclothingcollective.com/