People Tree wins “Most Sustainable Brand”
On the 10th November ethical fashion brand, People Tree, added another string to their bow by winning ‘Most Sustainable Brand‘ at WGSN Global Fashion Awards, in New York. The award is one of the most prestigious and marks a triumphant year for People Tree. Founder and CEO Safia Minney, continues to break boundaries and challenge mainstream fashion with her mission to attain a more ethical production process within the fashion industry. Her teaming up with no other than Harry Potter actress Emma Watson, shows that this business woman and campaigner means business.
People Tree work closely with 50 Fair Trade groups in 15 countries. This has been done to enable them to bring benefits to people and the planet at as many steps of the production process as possible – growing cotton, weaving, dyeing, embroidery, stitching etc. – subsequently assisting in alleviating the poverty that is still present in some of the world’s most marginalised communities. All products are sourced locally wherever possible and the company pride themselves on the fact that all clothes are dyed using safe and natural dyes. That’s right, this is all possible without having to compensate on beautiful clothes.
In 2006 People Tree first had their concession in Topshop and got everyone talking as they demonstrated that ethical/green fashion can be affordable, trendy and comfortable whilst having a conscience. The change in attitude towards the green industry is further proven with The Green Room, which is an ethical space by online retail giants ASOS – another stockist of People Tree. This new addition has expanded since it launched in 2009 and is attracting new clientele to the store. Ethical fashion is on the rise as we as consumers are becoming more educated about our purchases, opting for greener and guilt free pieces resulting in some mainstream retailers appealing to this market as well. On discussing the recent award Safia explains on her blog that there is still more to do:
“I am grateful for this award, that is for our Producers hard work + our customers who have helped us grow, but we need the big brands of fashion to come with me to see for themselves the change that Fair Trade can bring.”
A woman after my own heart…
Nics
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