INDIGENOUS has decided to speak out about the current labor issues in the apparel industry given the recent tragedy in Bangladesh. Back in 1994, INDIGENOUS CEO Scott Leonard traveled to South America in hopes of creating a small fashion company focused on products that captured the spirit of indigenous artisans. It did not take long to see the deplorable conditions and tragic life circumstances of so many in the knitting trade. It also did not take long to see the ravages of non-organic cotton farming on the land and on the health of farmers and their children. The traditional livelihoods of generations that have relied on knitting and farming were literally killing those they should be sustaining. There are just some things in life that you can’t turn your back on and, for Scott Leonard, this was one of them. This was the moment that INDIGENOUS Fair Trade + Organic fashion was born.

Over the course of the past two decades the INDIGENOUS team has worked tirelessly to help improve and elevate the lives of artisans and farmers and their communities, and the results are astounding. Fully 75% of artisan knitters in our network are now no longer at risk of poverty. All work in safe, healthy conditions with benefits and the opportunity to make a better life for their families. Many have grown to start their own fair trade workshops and to employ and help others. There are now 500 boutiques, multiple catalogs, a deep partnership with Eileen Fisher and tens of thousands of customers who support our safe, ethical and sustainable way of doing business. It takes work for a brand to make these changes, but the results are worth the effort.

That’s why we are issuing this industry wide challenge, and at the same time offering our support, to every fashion brand: “If we can do it, why can’t you?”  We are asking everyone— manufacturers, retailers, and consumers—to share our commitment to fashion that honors people and planet, and to take and share a simple pledge:  “No one should have to suffer and die to produce the clothes we wear.” 

There are not many legitimate reasons that fashion brands can’t do as INDIGENOUS does. Some say consumers won’t pay the price for fair trade, organic and ethical fashion.  We believe once consumers know where their clothes are made, who makes them, what they are made of, and the social impact of their purchase they will do the right thing. What INDIGENOUS is interested in doing is creating consumer awareness by providing full supply chain transparency. We believe that there is no one who wants a garment born of pain, suffering and inequity. We also believe that that most people will happily pay a little more when they know for a fact that the simple act of buying one blouse or sweater over the other has given someone else the opportunity for a better life. There is plenty of objective data to support this premise.  This idea is not limited to the apparel industry, but includes any consumer product made in the developing world.

Many fashion industry executives claim full transparency is too hard to accomplish, too elusive, too big to get their arms around. At INDIGENOUS we believe they are not trying hard enough, and they are not using the right tools. This Fall every INDIGENOUS garment will include a QR code on its hang tag. This code launches our “Fair Trace Tool” application. The Fair Trace Tool shares the story of the artisans who make our clothing, information about our supply chain and social impact survey data. The social impact survey data is collected using a new SMS/cell phone based survey technology.  Every six months we gather data from the artisan workforce on working conditions, economic well-being and other factors. We then share this information with our employees, investors and our customers. This and other technologies make it possible to survey workers privately, via confidential voice response, away from employers and managers. It is an entry point to deeper workforce engagement in shaping the work environment.

Last, we have said transparency takes effort, but it’s completely doable. Our objective is to make it even easier for other apparel brands. The Fair Trace Tool is a proprietary application, and could be a major competitive brand asset. INDIGENOUS will share our transparency practices and license our Trace Tool technology with ANY brand that publically accepts the CHALLENGE that they will produce clothing in a way that is safe, ethical and honors people and planet.

Thankfully, we are not in this alone. Other brands in the fair trade and organic fashion space are doing their part. Boutiques and other retailers who are opening their doors to fair trade and organic fashion are doing theirs. There are a growing number of consumers who are insisting on consciously produced fashion.

Now is the time for a groundswell of consumer support. In all, we spend over a trillion dollars a year on clothes. Our spending on clothes truly has the power to change the world for good. We are asking you as consumers to take the PLEDGE: “I will find out where the garment I am about to purchase came from and who made it. I will not wear anything that people are suffering and dying to produce.”  It’s that simple. When you take steps to learn about your clothes, and spend in a way that demonstrates your values you are changing the fashion industry.

In conclusion, we must move quickly and collaboratively so that no more lives are lost or family futures compromised in making the clothes we wear. The good news is INDIGENOUS has a way that works. Incidents like the tragedy in Bangladesh just don’t happen in our supply chain. From our inception we have embraced the following principles:

• We Provide fair wages in the local context
• Support safe, healthy, and participatory workplaces
• Supply financial and technical support as well as shared community planning to build capacity
• Ensure environmental sustainability, (including using: Organic certified cotton, GOTS processing, and Oekotex 100 approved dyes)
• Respect and embrace cultural identity, of families and community
• Build direct and long-term relationships
• Educate and collaborate with partners on sustainability

INDIGENOUS is inviting every fashion brand to learn with us, and to join us in working for the day when no one suffers or dies to create the fashion we all wear. We are inviting the fashion industry to join us in fair trade practices and innovative production supply chain tools that enhance transparency. 

We are asking those of you who are reading this as a fashion consumer, to stop and ask before your next clothing purchase, where did this garment come from, who made it and what am I supporting when I buy it? We also asking that you pass this letter along to as many friends as possible and ask them to make the same commitment.

Everyone at INDIGENOUS thanks you with all our heart for helping us to change the lives of millions of people around the world by simply being thoughtful about your choices as consumers.

Scott Leonard and Matt Reynolds are available to talk to anyone from any industry or the media who want to take transparency and fair trade to the next level. Just ask!

Yours,

Team INDIGENOUS

Fair Trade + Organic

PS. If you have a moment, please listen to Debbi Smith’s brief interview with Scott and Matt about how the choices in our closets are connected to real people.
http://soundbitenewsservice.com/fmtrss.php?id=302-1

Watch the video: 

Co-producer and host of Conscious Living TV, Bianca Alexander, recently showed her love for eco fashion on a Salt Lake City morning show. Catch Bianca looking fabulous in an INDIGENOUS organic cotton Cold Shoulder Tee as she discusses her favorite green lifestyle products.

World Fair Trade Day is Saturday, May 11th!

INDIGENOUS is proud to sponsor World Fair Trade Day! Between May 4th and 11th, thousands of people will come together across the globe to support fair trade justice and celebrate ways to empower marginalized producers.

Every stitch of eco fashion created for the INDIGENOUS line is 100% Fair Trade. This is far from a charity. We provide fair wages and safe working conditions for the artisans who expertly handcraft our organic clothing. That’s because fashion that causes human suffering or environmental degradation is far from beautiful!

Join one of the hundreds of celebrations being held throughout the U.S. by visiting the Fair Trade Resource Network website and locating a WFTD event near you.

Click here to go directly to the petition.

Join the International Labor Rights Forum in calling on Walmart, H&M and Gap, the largest buyers of clothing made in Bangladesh, to make immediate safety improvements in their supplier factories by joining the legally-binding Bangladesh Fire and Building Safety Agreement. All three retailers have been involved in the scourge of factory disasters in Bangladesh.

Right now, scores of garment workers are still trapped under the rubble of a building in Bangladesh which housed six factories making clothes for dozens of US and European brands. These workers were denied their right to refuse dangerous work: they were told they would lose a month’s pay if they didn’t report to work the day after cracks appeared in the walls. Over 370 people have perished as a result of Wednesday’s tragedy, and it remains unclear how many more victims will lose their lives as the rescue operation continues.

The disaster at Rana Plaza is now the deadliest incident in the garment industry in known history. It is but one in a series of disasters that could have been preventable, had the largest apparel buyers learned from earlier tragedies and adopted the safety measures urged by unions and labor rights groups. In April 2005, 64 workers died when their warnings were ignored and Spectrum factory collapsed. In February 2010, 21 workers were killed in the fire at Garib & Garib, a factory that supplied H&M. In December 2010, 29 workers perished in the That’s It Sportswear factory fire, where burned remnants of Old Navy clothing (a Gap Inc. brand) was found. Then, just last fall disaster struck again. The fire at Tazreen, a supplier to Walmart and Sears, took the lives of 112 garment workers. These are only four of the dozens of preventable incidents that have taken garment workers’ lives in Bangladesh. This pattern of fires and building collapses will not end unless retailers make real change in their sourcing practices.

Please take action now and call on Walmart, H&M, and Gap to sign the Bangladesh Fire and Building Safety Agreement before the next factory fire or building collapse takes the lives of more garment workers. These murders must not be allowed to continue.

Update 5/7/13: Death Toll in Bangladesh Factory Collapse Rises Above 650.

Get the latest updates on the factory collapse and rescue efforts from Ecouterre.

In 1969, Jack and Linda Jones picked up a copy of Vogue Magazine and glanced at Jacks’ horoscope. The message was clear and emphatic: “Quit your job and start a new project.”

That same day they found their new project. While reading the Whole Earth Catalog, they came across these words: “…we’ve been telling everyone who’s inquired politely if they could open a store, Go Ahead.” So with the spirit of optimism and adventure that is just what they did. With the help of their friends and family, they quit their jobs and moved to Austin to start a new store based on the Whole Earth Catalog: Whole Earth Provision Co.

Early hand-lettered ad by Jack Jones, Whole Earth Provision Co. CEO.

Stocking their shelves with items reviewed in the Catalog, Whole Earth Provision Co. opened in Austin on December 14th, 1970. The sales were so tremendous that they closed the store 10 days later for lack of inventory and headed to Isla Mujeres to celebrate.

Whole Earth Provision Co. 1978 staff photo by Tim Shropshire

The rest, you might say, is history. Over the years, Whole Earth Provision Co. has expanded to eight stores in four Texas cities. In June they will open their 9th store in a fifth city—Southlake. Originally carrying mostly camping and travel gear—indeed, they were one of a handful stores to do so in the 1970’s—their wares have expanded to include extensive shoe and clothing departments for casual and active wear, gear to equip almost any outdoor need, accessories like Swiss Army knives, sunglasses, and compasses, nature gifts like wind chimes, bird feeders, and hammocks, and an unparalleled collection of delightful toys for adults and kids.

Better Choices for a Better World

Style, quality, comfort and craftsmanship are just a few of the reasons why Whole Earth Provision Co. has chosen to feature organic clothing from INDIGENOUS. By supporting people and planet, INDIGENOUS’ eco fashion fits perfectly with the philosophies upon which Whole Earth Provision Co. was founded. Together we’re providing better choices for a better world!

INDIGENOUS organic + fair trade fashion's Fall & Winter 2013 line displayed at Whole Earth Provision Co. 

Our ultimate favorite comes from Katrina, the author of The Demure Muse, She paired our scarf with a beautiful nude dress, black pumps, and a brown knitted hat. We love how she styled our “earthy-toned scarf with a muted palette.” The texture of the INDIGENOUS tassel scarf is the perfect pairing for her delicate and feminine pale color dress. Katrina wrote on her blog “The artisan-made tassel scarf really helped to tie the overall color palette together with the hat and shoes.” Katrina has partnered with us in the past, and we are thrilled that she decided to collaborate with our fair trade initiatives for the Worth Wearing Campaign. You can see the details of her outfit here. This look is totally Worth Wearing & worth stealing!

Our second favorite look comes from Erica, the author of Sweets and Hearts.  We absolutely love her look and how she styled the scarf.  Erica paired the tassel scarf with neutrals, high-waisted faux-leather shorts, a sheer cream polka dot blouse, nude wedges, and a black hat. The contrast between black and cream allows the scarf to really stand out and make an impression.  Erica blogged, “I partnered with the fashionably fair trade company Indigenous for their latest Worth Wearing campaign. The philosophy behind the company is great, as they believe in providing high-quality organic goods by supporting artisans around the world.” Yes Erica we do! And we are glad you support us! You can view the details of her outfit here!

We also love the way Laura, the author of the blog Laura Lily, styled our tassel scarf! Laura took a bohemian and earthy approach to styling her scarf. We LOVE the color palette Laura chose. She paired it with a floral maxi dress, flats and a jean jacket.  We love that Laura chose to pair the scarf with a dress. It shows how versatile this piece really is! The scarf made out of fair trade organic cotton and is REALLY the perfect accessory for every fashionista.

You can check out the other eco fashion looks that our bloggers styled on our Pinterest! Tell us which one is your favorite!! Click to see them all!

Matt Reynolds, INDIGENOUS President and Co-Founder, with Bonnie Kim, Founder of Freedom & Fashion and Kim Saquing, San Francisco Chapter Director and event host.

In attendance at the show was one of our fearless leaders and a pioneer in the Fair Trade Fashion industry, Matt Reynolds.

“It was an honor to take part in Freedom & Fashion’s 4th annual LA Runway Show.  Thank you for doing all you do to elevate the awareness of slavery in the fashion industry. Freedom & Fashion proves Sustainable, Fair Trade Fashion brings the opportunity to empower, beautify and fulfill lives”.  Matt Reynolds, President & Co-founder, INDIGENOUS

When you buy fair trade clothing and eco fashion, you're supporting a better world for all. Take a look at our fabulous runway pics and let us know what you think!

Look One: INDIGENOUS' fair trade, organic cotton Aerial Tee in Ivory.

Look Two: INDIGENOUS organic cotton Box Top.

Look Three: INDIGENOUS organic cotton Modern Pullover in Pearl. 

Look Four: INDIGENOUS organic cotton and tencel blend Urban Tank and Pocket Cardigan.

Look Five: INDIGENOUS organic cotton jersey Boat Neck Tee and Long Pocket Cardigan.

Look Six: INDIGENOUS organic cotton jersey Wrap Dress in white.

Leave a comment! Tell us your favorite look!

MODERN PULLOVER

We love this organic cotton top! Pair it with a long statement necklace, jeans and your favorite flats while running errands. It is a quick way to look polished around town. The relaxed look will give you all the comfort you need with your busy schedule!

SHEER SCARF

Scarves are an easy and quick way to embrace color trends any season. They can be worn many different ways to give your outfits an easy upgrade. For the warmer spring days ahead, pair one of our vibrant, lightweight, organic cotton sheer scarves with a simple jean and tee to give your outfit a pop of color!

Shop the site for more fun and easy fair trade fashion!

Eco-friendly fashion expresses your personal style while preserving the planet and artisan traditions. INDIGENOUS is a fair trade and organic apparel designer that chooses only the most supple organic cotton to create fashionable, fun and eco-friendly clothing. Timeless yet fashionable, INDIGENOUS pieces are worth wearing, worth sharing, and worth talking about!

Check out some of our favorite styles from our current line!

The Diamond Loop Scarf

Organic cotton scarves are popular accessories that add color to any outfit.  The INDIGENOUS,
100% organic, diamond loop scarf is available in three different color combinations; pewter & emerald, black & espresso, and ash & ivory. This accessory is lightweight and can be worn during the summer months with dresses, or tossed on with jeans and a tee in spring, fall or winter.

The right eco accessories add pop to any wardrobe, and this fair trade scarf is made with rich, low impact dyes to give you that effortless fashionable look!

The Luxury Dress

The INDIGENOUS Luxury Dress is one of our favorite pieces from the current line. You can dress it up with heels for an evening outfit, or keep it casual with flats for a more daytime look. 

The design has a clean, delicate V-neckline with cap sleeves and gathers at the waist creating a flattering silhouette on every female figure. To top it off, this organic cotton dress has fully functional pockets!

Made from organic pima cotton, the Luxury Dress is available in three different colors; dusk, white and copper (all of which are created from low impact dyes).