People Tree

For over twenty years, People Tree has worked with fair trade artisans and farmers in developing countries to make “ethical and eco fashion.” Here’s one of their shirts that I adore.

The People Tree website introduced me to the concept of “slow fashion”. It’s defined as “standing up against exploitation, family separation, slum cities and pollution.” Their slow fashion garments are “hand crafted in organic cotton and sustainable materials, using traditional skills that support rural communities.” In addition to labeling itself as slow fashion, People Tree also identifies itself as fair trade and sustainable fashion. I’ve provided their explanation for both titles below.

Fair Trade Fashion: People Tree provides fashion that improves the lives and environment of the artisans and farmers in developing countries. They work to follow Fair Trade principles into every aspect of their business.

Sustainable Fashion: According to the website, People Tree developed the first “integrated supply chain for organic cotton from farm to final product.” The company works to develop sustainable methods to minimize impact on environmental impact. They accomplish this by the following:

• The cotton used is certified organic and Fairtrade, all our clothes are dyed using safe and natural dyes.
• They source as many products locally as possible, choosing natural and recycled products over toxic, synthetic and non-biodegradable materials.
• They ship our products by sea instead of air and weave fabric by hand, reducing the impact on global warming.

Check ’em out!