Five outdoor apparel brands celebrated Fair Trade Month by releasing new Fair Trade Certified apparel, including Prana, which announced it had invested in two factories in India to quintuple its assortment of such styles for Spring 2015.
Were going from nine pieces in Fall 2014, to 45 in Spring 2015, and that helps ensure more workers have safe conditions, are able to strengthen their communities, all while creating high-quality apparel and accessories for prAna, said prAnas Design Director, Ellen Krimmel.
For every Fair Trade Certified product a company sells, it pays a premium directly into a special fund controlled by workers at the factory that made it, according to Fair Trade USA, the non-profit that offers the certification. Workers decide collectively how to spend this fund, based on what they deem to be their communitys greatest needs: from scholarships and disaster relief funds, to medical care and transportation. Workers can also vote to take the Fair Trade premium dollars as a cash bonus, which can be equivalent to an entire months salary or more.
At the factories prAna works with in Rajlakshmi and Esteam, India, employment turnover rates were under five per cent.
“When we work with a Fair Trade factory, they can count on our business, and we can count on their goods,” prAnas Director of Sustainability Nicole Bassett said this spring. “That takes away a lot of the risk for both of us and we can do more together to support people and boost a communitys economy, all while making clothes that look good and feel good.
PrAna became one of the first major apparel brands to offer Fair Trade Certified apparel in 2010, when it launched its Soul T through Fair Trade USA’s apparel pilot program. The program was finalized and officially launched in 2012, but is attracting some major brands. In 2013, 114,356 garments certified garments were sold, up from 49,561 in 2012, said Jenna Larson, a spokesperson for Fair Trade USA.
“It’s still in its infancy, but we have a number of the brands just getting started,” Larson said of the apparel program. “Weve seen a lot of momentum lately in this specific category and really think this is going to continue.”
Columbia Sportswear acquired Prana in June, in part to gain access to what its CEO Tim Boyle called the “conscientious consumer.”
Prana’s Fair Factory Collection for this fall spans six styles of men’s T-shirts and three styles of women’s tops, including the popular Therese sweater. Patagonia introduced its first line of 10 womens yoga styles. Oliberté, whose factory in Ethiopia became the first Fair Trade Certified footwear factory in the world a year ago, added new womens styles and now owns its own certified factory in Africa. In Canada, MEC launched womens tees. PACT, a San Francisco company that sells its organic cotton T-shirts to Whole Foods stores, launched 78 different items across 19 product styles this fall, including the first ever Fair Trade Certified baby clothes.
By investing in Fair Trade, our intention is to help create the paradigm shift we need across the apparel industry, said Bassett. From the seeds in the ground to the shirt on your back, its an alternative way of doing business that empowers workers and strengthens their communities.
