Indigenous Designs: Fair Trade and Organic
Scott Leonard founded Indigenous Designs 15 years ago, following a 1993 trip to Ecuador. There, he met a woman who owned her own fair trade knitting co-op.
After hearing that the artisans were paid below their worth, used outdated tools and couldn’t access quality fabrics, Leonard was inspired to start the company
Indigenous Designs, a Santa Rosa, California-based business couldn’t be more eco-oriented. Their clothes are made from organic cotton, alpaca, merino, tencel, or other natural fibers. They also use low-impact dyes or none at all.
Instead, the materials are left natural white, brown, tan, gray or black. Not only is the simplicity beautiful – it keeps workers from being exposed to toxic dyes.
Indigenous Design’s eco-friendly fabrics are produced adhering to strict fair trade standards. That means the designs you purchase come straight from local artisans in places like Ecuador, India, Guatemala and Peru, and the artisans benefit directly.
The craftspeople weaving these garments are provided professional training and skill development, earning three times more than typical wages. These artisans are part of knitting cooperatives that work with Indigenous Designs – there are over 300 of them worldwide, via nongovernmental organizations – to match their skills with the California team’s designs. And all the company’s fabrics are sourced within 400 miles of each knitting co-op.
Source: Jute & Jackfruit
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Read more about Indigenous’ fair-trade, organic practices through the life of its Ruffle Cardigan…
“In 1994, Indigenous set out to design fashions that honor both people and planet, establishing a commitment to use only all-natural and certified organic fibers and to actually organize fair-trade cooperatives in remote regions of the globe, considered impoverished due to a limited market and unattainable resources.
“Fourteen years later, without sweatshops or conventional assembly lines, each Indigenous garment is hand-crafted into a unique art form, directly impacting the lives of those involved in its creation. The Ruffle Cardigan, part of Indigenous’ extensive fall/winter ’08 line, tells this extraordinary story.”
READ MORE by clicking here:
http://www.thepressroom.com/mainreleases/indigenous/2008ind/Indigenous_Life_of_Sweater.pdf