the official grace & cello blog

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)

 : )

c.

probably has to do with the fact that we are in the thick of production, and things are crazy! so that immediately alters one’s perception of the world … also, it has been so incredibly hot lately that all my synapses have melted into one globular central station where all my thoughts, dreams and perceptions are mushed together haphazardly.

for example, have you ever considered the links between chile’s violeta parra and ani difranco? me neither, really; but, i now see that there is something there. that’s what brain-mushing will do for you. personally, i think of them both as heroes…

…also, do you happen to know any animators that are into dreaming up images of sustainable cities? i have a ton of ideas and would like to give them some sort of shape, but to do this i need someone with animating skills. where does one find such a person? i know i live in an animation capital of the world … but still. i mean, do these people even like living green things? …

the other day i stumbled across this installation artist who does a “live dining” thing … her name is nicole fournier, and she has created a nice little “cuisine vivante” that changes ever week! very neat.

i love the idea of living, breathing art!

also, i have been reading with interest lately the blogs of john grant, otherwise known as brandtarot. what an interesting person, full of idealism and an obvious passion for marketing! … i didn’t know those 2 things really went together. i wonder what he thinks of adbusters, and vice versa.

anyway … happy summer! profitez-en bien …

c.

this article pretty much sums it up. the reason we slave, stress and persevere at grace & cello, is because we believe that business should be conducted differently. seriously … we are fed up with large corporate irresponsbility, in terms of how the environment is treated, and in terms of how people are treated. we’re not saying that large companies are always bad … but maybe, like this article is hinting at, smaller companies are more often capable of being better.

the reason we started grace & cello was to create high quality, fashionable clothes that didn’t needlessly hurt the environment (which most clothes do), and which weren’t made in corporate structures that used and abused workers because the bottom-line was the only line.

it didn’t have to be fashion, but we felt whatever it was it should be one of the basics … food, shelter, clothing … you know, those things you go to daily in the course of a lifetime. because if our daily lives aren’t sustainable, our socieites can’t be sustainable.

well, we’ve been working 3 seasons now (and we’re already sewing samples for our 4th), and it hasn’t been easy … but it has been satisfying.

i’m not saying all this to brag, or win sympathy. but, articles that speak about the beauty of small, dedicated companies makes me proud of the team we have, the vision we’ve set for ourselves. it makes me proud that we are following in a tradition of innovators who also cared about more than just making money. it gives me confidence that we can make meaningful change.

the article talks about anchor brewing… the first micro-brew in the usa, started in the hay-days of the 60s, when peace, love and lsd were all we needed …. well, anchor thought we needed good beer, too! clif bar, de kuyper, new seasons markets (in portland, oregon … one of my all-time favourite cities!), and comet skateboards all attest to how following your dreams, and adhering to your ethics, can be a successful model of business, too; these companies show that profits above all, and growth-for-growth’s sake aren’t the only way.

i want to be perfectly clear … i think all of these companies are awesome, and deserve our support!

some of our favourite boutiques have had to pass on some of our (non-organic) pieces, because they are more difficult to sell. while organics are more popular right now (and we are glad they are increasingly popular), we believe that we are more than just organics. we are also a small company that makes clothes in our neighbourhood. we know the people we do business with, and we are all working on a scale of business that is more humane, and better for society. and sometimes i think we need to speak more proudly of that.

so if you are looking for a suit, look to us. even though our wool isn’t organic (yet!), it is 100% wool, and contains no synthetic material. and, it is made ethically, and by people earning their livelihood in montreal. that’s more than can be said of most suits out there being worn to work each day. plus … if you’re looking for organics and eco-fabrics … we can help you out there, too!

anyway, i am going on … i realize. but, i was glad to see the idealism, success and joy these entrepreneurs speak to; i was glad to see how their ideals are integral to how they make their products. it re-invigorates me, and reminds me that we need to be proud too that we are doing our small, but significant, part in making our world a better place.

end of rant!

peace out!

actually, we just had a little bread emergency since ours had gone moldy … so i trudged my way out to the only place open this time of night (close to 10pm), which happened to be a big food distributor here in canada. we don’t go there often, but nowhere else was open. anyway, while walking the two or three aisles they dedicate to organics, i was struck by how insignificant the organic section was in that mass of processed, and largely unhealthy, foods … and then, by how few small companies there were in that little organic section, and by comparison, how well represented were the big corporate entities who had wisely jumped the organic band-wagon.

surprisingly, i didn’t find this realization depressing, but reassuring! it reminded me of how important it is that we support local and/or small producers, because it is here that we will make meaningful change. because these companies are the ones that care … not the big corporate industrial farms and packers from california and florida. and as i picked up some organic spelt bagel/buns from a local organic bakery (one of the few local products there), i felt good that at grace & cello, a bunch of insignificant but dedicated souls are working to do the same thing in the fashion industry … namely, put out a sincere product in a sea of corporate opportunism.

little realizations like that make the rigours of production (which we are in right now!) a lot easier. remembering the ‘why’ provides so much staying power …

night!

c.

i love night sounds. crickets, frogs, toads and night birds, especially. cicadas are cool, too. and the nice thing is that around my place here in montreal, i have 3 different species of crickets that keep the rhythm going nights. two perch out front, and seem not to mind at all that a whole other animal is chipping up a storm less than 5 feet away; and, the third one is out back. i couldn’t imagine nighttime without crickets. it’s like running water for me … there must be positive ions associated, or something. or maybe a universal language of song, or some such nonsense.

frogs and toads; c’mon! there are so many i won’t even go into it here. although, there aren’t any in my neighbourhood. when my partner was working out on an organic farm last summer, however, i would drive out there frequently, and upon emerging from the timeless vacuum of my nighttime (rented) car, i would always be struck by out loud eastern nights are! … and how beautifully warm and welcoming. a veritable chorus of biodiversity.

night birds in montreal are primarily the common nighthawks, which is fine by me since this bird has long been one of my favourites (see pic above). they belong to the bird family known as goatsuckers, because hundreds of years ago it was believed they suckled on the teats of goats due to the incredibly large mouths they have! ah, sheesh. the good ol’ days …

the east is different than the west, btw … in terms of night sounds, i am speaking specifically here. i come from the west where the pine and spruce forests sit wonderfully silent most of the night, except for excitable owls and the odd insect here and there. well, there is always a period of coyote cackling and wolf howling, but you know what i mean … there are sounds in the west, but nothing symphonic like there is out east … there is beauty in each.

another favourite summer night sound for me, here in my little neighbourhood tucked lovingly into this fine town, is the ‘night time conversation’. this conversation wafts into my window at all hours of night, from couples or groups of people doing all sorts of things, i guess. coming back from shows, going from one house to another, walking and talking aimlessly … falling in love, maybe!

i actually don’t know what these people are doing, to be honest. i often wonder. i think, ‘how can it be that these people are still up, and that they sound so awake?!’ … but it really pleases me that they are there. it pleases me to know that other people are living different lives than me, with different concepts of what day and night mean. this pleases me like 3 crickets please me, chirping me softly into a sense of deep, comfortable slumber. maybe because it reminds me that my concept of how i organize my day isn’t the only one; which means i could potentially change, should i choose …

i’m tired, btw … but just wanted to say hi! just wanted to let it be known that montreal is beautiful, and the summer feels like it is really just coming into its own. it seems like summer has finally reached its zenith; that it has just now achieved its essence. so funny that soon (in about a month) it will be closing in on autumn! alright alright; i won’t start with that. but, sometimes it just amazes me how short summer is, and how i always seem to remember it for its shortest, but most brilliant peak of existence!

but, tonight i feel content, and happy to be sitting here … listening lazily to night sounds on st.viateur. tomorrow, we will make some fair-trade, eco-clothes, how-about …

c.

ps - thanks kristinl356 for the nighthawk pic and shadow mason for the night pic!

i’ve been spending some time in another city lately, a city not montreal. this is a sort of passing, work-related relationship of a type that i have known in the past. the thing is, this ‘other city’ has been giving me a really hard time; i just find it hard to deal with, somehow. i am a place ‘nut’, and have had strange and varied encounters with many places, finding intimacy in the most unexpected of backwoods and mid-sized no-wheres … i have often been amazed at how each place has a beauty ready to be discovered by those willing to look, or to just sit and listen. i’ve always maintained that if a person can’t find anything redeeming about a place, it probably isn’t the place but the person.

so what is my problem with this new work-inspired geographical relationship? why am i finding it so hard to find beauty in this one particular place when so many others have moved me? i see all sorts of redeeming qualities there (or, i see at least a few … or a couple … of them); i don’t want you to think that i can’t find anything worthwhile there. but overall i am left feeling that this ‘other city’ is a depressing place. but following my own time-tested logic it should hold true that the problem isn’t the city, but me. could it be that my capacity for giving attention to new, less obviously stunning, places has passed — and with it my ability to be moved by them? is my age starting to betray my sense of exploratory playfulness? … or, could it be that this place is just exceptionally unimpressive?

i’d have to conclude (and here i admit i could be biased) that it is indeed an unimpressive city and not me, and here is my current working theory: this ‘other city’ lacks any sense of magic. the neighbourhoods are cute enough, but it all feels a little stale and lifeless; and, there is no sense of discovery in this ‘other city’; there is no sense that this ‘other city’ has the capacity to provide for moments of unexpected joy hidden randomly around this bend or another. 

yup, that’s my best guess: no magic. one thing that units all of the other places i have fallen in love with, be they small or large, urban or rural, has been the presence of magical moments sprinkled unexpected across their territories. hmm. yeah, i think that’s it.

just to be fair to those who have managed to capture some magical moments in their own perambulations, from top left to right: lonelywolphoto, christopher dewolf, katjato, and gudmpall.

facebook or myspace? starbucks or tim hortons (or dunkin donuts for my american friends)? social networks to change the world as we know it, or just another way to create divisions between us and them? here is a fascinating blog entry about how class (defined in some rather original (and refreshing) ways) is being further replicated and entrenched with the help of web 2.0, forcing us to stop and reconsider some of our grandiose notions of how far technology can really take us from being who we essentially are.

this makes me think of a discussion i had a couple months ago with a ‘new technology’ nut, who spoke of those who ‘aren’t branched in (to the internet)’ as being more prone to backwards thinking, and having a less open-minded view of the world. my question at the time was: ‘does the internet really expand our horizons’?

just thinking about some recent mass shooting events, and the fact that some of these shooters were very much ‘branched in’ led me to suspect that the internet wasn’t necessarily opening anybody’s eyes. it could, there is no doubt; but it seemed more realistic to me that the majority of people used the internet to talk with more people just like themselves, at least in certain ways: other star wars nuts, friends from high school, people who love japanese animation, stuff like that.

henry jenkins talks exactly about this tendency; about how the internet is as much a tool for maintaining our social divisions as are more traditional venues for networking. he is actually commenting in detail on a very well-informed brainstorm by danah boyd, but i think the two entries deserve reading.

i believe the internet and social networking sites do have the possibility of facilitating massive social change, providing those traditionally without a say the space and the tools necessary for meeting, interacting, and imagining collectively — in collectives until now unheard of. but, these articles remind us that this technology too can fall short if we are not careful, and vigilant. radio and television could have been incredible tools for building vibrant communities if their waves weren’t privatized (and those non-commercial spaces that still exist can attest to this). the danger to realizing the full potential of social networking might not be a corporate vs. community battle, but more of a battle within communities. hopefully we’ll find ways to see beyond our own comfort zones, and preconceived notions of what (and who) is right, acceptable and worthy of paying attention to.

diversity isn’t only for biology, after all.

c.

yup, things have started to get busy for us, trying to arrange all the pieces in advance so when everything starts to get complicated a month from now, we’ll already be ahead of the game! so far so good, thanks to victoria and her knack for covering her bases. the biggest challenge we’ve been noticing this season is finding those boutiques willing to invest in us and work with us to grow this eco-movement into something with a genuine, solid base of sustainability. seems with all the fervour around green fashion these days people are all or nothing. if it’s not organic it isn’t worth putting in a store. i don’t want to contradict that reflex because it always makes me happy to meet boutique owners who are serious about this stuff and not just tuning into a quick green fix. still, to get garments that are eco and made under fair labour conditions, we have to be realistic and accept some compromises. for example, our beautiful suits haven’t sold nearly as much as they should, given their style, quality and story (as of yet! i am still sure they’ll sell like organic hotcakes with organic blueberries sprinkled on top … ) because they are conventional wool. the true problem is: there doesn’t exist high quality organic wool suiting like we need for the women who buy our line, and so we have to make do with the next best (which is a gorgeous, 100% conventionally grown wool). but at the end of the day, our suits are still more environmentally-friendly than the majority of the alternatives women are wearing to work (which are typically mixed with some sort of synthetic petroleum-based product), and our stuff is made in good working environments here in montreal …. if we were bigger we could maybe order the organic wool we need, but we can’t get big until we have more support, and we can’t get the support we need if we don’t have that organic wool ! that’s what makes eco-fashion so satisfying: never a dull moment. oh well, we’ve been lucky to have a crew of great boutiques who have treated us fantastically, and with a little more hard work on our part, i’m sure we’ll find others … do you know of any?

c.

i have been dreaming a lot about art lately, and how interesting it is … how viscerally crucial to our meaningful existence (which is any existence, mind you). in the way it makes room for voices, ideas, challenges, perspective, it has no equivalent in terms of sheer force of presence. it is likely that nothing profound has ever passed without the unexpected guidance of artistic perspective, be it walking on the moon, seeing god on the mount, or discovering how the universe sings in its own language, and numbers can trace sometimes these mad verses of imagination …

speaking of music, there were shootings in toronto a couple of weeks ago, and the city decided to send 100 extra police officers into jane and finch (the neighbourhood in question) to crack down on crime. a savvy editorialist at the globe and mail wondered aloud, with pen in hand, what would happen if 100 musicians were sent in instead? … what a beautiful idea. i wonder what would happen … 

on a similar note, i heard from ivan today, one of my oldest friends, who has recently returned from camping on beaches in northern california. one night, alone, sitting around the fire, ivan saw a lone figure approaching from out of the night, from along the beach. the quiet stranger had long hair and was a carpenter — his eyes were abundant in peace and calm apparently. this jesuit soul sat down and soon an easy, meandering conversation accompanied them around the fire for the next few hours. in the morning, this gentle stranger had simply disappeared. ivan knows for certain only that his ‘name’ was matthew, and that one couldn’t help but feeling peaceful and good in his presence. could it actually have been jesus, pondered ivan (who himself had long gone astray from the flock, so to speak), alone in the deep dark night of his tent, and later the next day as the miles hummed beneath his northbound, road-weary car tires … was it jesus walking the stunningly beautiful hippy trail of northern california, meeting up with like souls and passing the time in friendly moments of camaraderie? we’re still not sure, but in the morning on my friend’s car was a note with a little travelling buddha! … the question is: how did matthew know which car was ivan’s? … 

and before calling it a night, i should mention that today was gloriously hot … something that brings me my own sort of peace. the cheapest southern getaway for winter-burned canadians, is the ridiculous summer heatwave that makes day-dreaming about a slower, simpler, hotter way of life a whole lot easier!

ahhh, c.

my short (and long) answer is no … absolutely, NO! parents might be bad for the environment, but that’s not the same thing, in my book.

as someone who buys almost exclusively organic for our home, takes public transit, bike or feet everywhere i go, and who otherwise tries to live as sustainably as possible it can be frustrating to always hear the same types of comments emanating from the mouths of new (or older) parents: “well, wait until you have kids and then you’ll see … you’ll HAVE to have a mini-van” … or … ”you won’t be able to afford organics when you have kids” … or … “when you have kids you won’t have time to worry about things like that” … and more of the like.

first of all: there are many north americans who have kids and ride the bus. the hard part isn’t taking the bus, it’s the poor service most communities have in terms of public transportation. and, the organic food question often concerns me the most, since i intend to be extra vigilant regarding the food we eat when we have kids … if genetically-modified foods do create health issues in humans (which they very well might, although no one is really studying this for some odd reason … ), they will cause these affects most in kids (since kids have cells that are still actively developing). personally, i am not comfortable with our children being the canaries in the coal mine …

but all bickering aside … it is impossible to claim that having kids is bad for the environment. having kids is a completely natural phenomenon (obviously), and arguably the only reason we exist (biologically speaking) … if we live well in our place, having kids should not degrade it. the real problem is that if we live poorly (living in a car culture, supporting industries that harm our societies and environments, wasting water and resources), then yes … having kids in such a situation won’t help. but notice, it’s not the kids that are the problem.

anyway, pointless to argue with a blank page at this early stage of the morning … i just wanted to say hi and post this artist … maybe smith will start your friday off with just the mix of fun, distortion and quirkiness that you were looking for! happy friday!!

: )

c.