grace & cello is as much about fair labour as it is about the environment.
i mentioned the other day about how grace & cello is not just an organic clothing line, but also a line that is made in our neighbourhood in montreal. we care about the fact that most clothes are made in sweatshops in third world locations … and this includes many of the new eco-lines that have come out in the past few years. organics made in china don’t impress us at all, unless the factories used have been shown to be healthy and fair working environments …
organics might be more available then ever, but looking at the care label shows that the majority of lines still come from china, india and vietnam.
anyway, we are trying to ensure that our clothes are made in a way that allows people here in canada to earn their livelihoods … because, seriously, making clothes takes skill, and we are impressed with the people we do business with. it is not our goal to pay them as little as possible.
it is our goal to provide our customers with the highest quality, fashion forward, clothing they can find … all the while ensuring that the processes we use minimize harm to the environment, and treat our workers with the respect they deserve. because fair-trade certification for clothing has been lagging behind some other goods (like coffee and chocolate), we have been frustrated by the fact that there does not exist a clear third-party verification for ‘fair-trade’ clothing made in canada (or north america, for that matter).
so, we have been focusing on the fact that we make our clothes in our neighbourhood, and that we have been personally working to ensure the people we do business with are those who we know, trust and can access for more information regarding working conditions. besides all this, we visit the sites where our clothes are being made regularly, and we can do this since we are a small company dealing with other small companies … in other words, we are confident about our system of production, but we haven’t found a great way for translating that into proof for you.
the reason i am going into all this here is that on the weekend i found this article about the garment industry in toronto, and how it is nothing to be that proud about. although this article focuses on toronto, you can rest assured that these criticisms could be raised against the garment industry in montreal, as well.
i am sharing this with you because this is exactly the sort of challenge that we are up against. as a company that is dedicated to doing business ethically, we are constantly up against on-the-ground challenges that pit getting the job done on time, and well, with making sure that everyone involved is being treated fairly (including, of course, the environment). this is complicated by the fact that we are small, and it isn’t always easy to make your voice heard when you are small.
i am sharing this article with you because i found it very educational, and we will use this to help us verify that those we are working with are legit … i am sharing this with you, because i am confident that you care about these issues as much as we do (in fact, we are banking on that), and so would find this interesting too.
in the next couple of weeks i will be posting some photos of those we do business with. these photos will show where they work, who they are, and will include some text about where they come from, and what they like and think about. (we can do this now because i just got a nice little digital camera (i know … i’m behind the times!)).
anyway, keep posted, and rested assured … we are doing everything we can to give you clothes you’ll look fabulous in, and can feel beautiful (on so many levels) wearing …
(photos of mile end: christopher dewolf)
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c.
