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The Triple Stitch: Sign Up for Free Today!

The Triple Stitch is FTA's monthly newsletter, and is a great way for you to stay informed on sustainable fashion.

Each newsletter will profile one of our members and partners, and will also take a deeper look into a featured topic as it relates to current news, standards, trends and events.

“The triple stitch” is a play on “the triple bottom line” - a phrase often used to describe what an approach to sustainable business is all about. Conventional businesses usually focus on one bottom line: profit. But at Fashion Takes Action, we’re aiming for a smarter bottom line: one that makes profit, engages and cares for people and uses the planet without depleting or damaging the resources that make it possible. Our vision is that every garment, shoe and accessory will have sustainability stitched in, from fibre to finish. To do that, we empower our members with the tools, ideas and community to create prosperity through positive social and environmental change.

More Than Fair

Text by Alleson Kase and photos by Ellen Agger, co-founders of TAMMACHAT Natural Textiles http://www.tammachat.com

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Fair trade is about much more than paying fair prices; fair trade is also about sustainability and commitment. And for these three aspects of fair trade to work, relationships need to be nurtured between producers and traders, and traders need to devote effort and resources to consumer awareness.

Allow me to shed some light on what this means by telling you about some silk scarves we ordered last winter from two producer groups in Laos.

We had purchased weaving from both these organizations in previous years. We chose their work not only because it was produced with natural dyes and beautifully handwoven, but because we also share their values and respect their practices.

When the time came for us to make custom orders, we did not shop around to see where we could get the lowest price or the quickest delivery. Rather, we continued to build our trading relationships with the same producer groups -- to honour our commitment to them and to fair trade principles.

Through the extended dialogues that these orders required, we learned that most of the “silk” woven in Laos is made from industrial yarns imported from China or Vietnam. These yarns are more readily available, less expensive and more uniform than organically produced and traditionally hand-reeled village silk yarns. On the other hand, the making of these “heritage silks” generates income for a greater number of villagers.

Because we have been building relationships with these producer groups, they trusted us with this information. We want these weavers to sustain their cultures, families and villages, so we specified that our order should be woven from village yarns. As a result, we paid 30% higher prices and accepted a greater number of variations in the finished scarves. They look handmade. They are entirely handmade.

When a customer chooses such artisanal work, they are choosing a unique fashion accessory that highlights the “hand” of the maker. They are also supporting rural development, the environment and cultural sustainability through fair trade.

Fair trade is more than fair prices; it is a way of doing business. It focuses not on the financial “bottom line” but on the well-being of people and the planet. As fair traders, we must take into account the needs of our producers and the desires of our customers. As entrepreneurs who want to make this business work, we look for directions and designs that do both.

Nicole Bridger Wins Inaugural Design Forward Award

After an intense voting period that saw more than 4000 votes from the public, and then a serious deep dive by the three judges, we at FTA are thrilled to announce that Nicole Bridger is the inaugural winner of Design Forward!

We created this award to recognize the many talented fashion designers in Canada who have gone out of their way to become more sustainable. With a set of criteria in place, we were able to filter nearly 40 designers down to the 14 nominees that were announced in March.

The top 3 finalists were announced on Earth Day, and our judges then spent a couple of weeks digging deeper into our criteria. We added two new categories for this round of judging: accountability and transparency. Each finalist was given a score out of 30 by each of the 3 judges who then submitted their scorecards to Pricewaterhouse Coopers, the award’s official vote counting partner.

We want to congratulate all of the nominees. In our opinion you are all winners. But an extra special kudos to Nicole Bridger, for being named Canada's favourite Eco Fashion Designer! Nicole will now enjoy a prize valued at over $50,000!

Read the interview with Nicole by Design Forward judge and Ecosalon.com Fashion Editor Amy DuFault!

Trends Magazine: Going Green by Kelly Drennan

goinggreen-2010-s Canada's new fashion industry magazine, Trends, supports sustainable initiatives with a regular "green" feature, written by FTA's own Kelly Drennan.

Click below to download the PDF, or view it online here!

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Eco Fashionistas We Love!

ecosalon-2010-2 Eco Salon includes FTA Founder Kelly Drennan as one of their top Eco Fashionistas!

It's a whole wild world of green fashion out there, and sometimes it can be hard to know who's in, who's out, and who is giving Stella McCartney's green eco-couture a real run for its money. So we went out into the world of green fashion to pick out some of the coolest, greenest ecofashionistas to follow.

Read the full story here www.ecosalon.com/eco-fashionistas-we-love

FTA Founder Kelly Drennan featured in FLARE Magazine!

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Kelly Drennan is featured in Flare Magazine (Canada's leading national fashion magazine) as the Eco-Chicster, in their Special 30th Anniversary Issue that features Canada's Finest - The 30 most inspiring, newsworthy women to watch. Read the full article on Flare.com