People Tree
By

Safia Minney, Eco Warrior, Fair Trade Advocate, Author, and founder of People Tree, featured in a blog post by EcoGoodz, a bulk linens supplier
Safia Minney, founder of People Tree

People Tree is a fair trade clothing company based in the U.K. It was founded in Tokyo, Japan by Safia Minney in 1991. ‘People Tree began as a clothing catalog which featured hand woven and natural dyed hand bags, clothing, and clogs made by women from Bangladesh…The initial start up was incredibly difficult as it was the first of its kind. Safia once said, ‘When I started out, I wasn’t very realistic on how difficult it would be to make People Tree work. We were investing in labour-intensive process while the industry was going in the other direction: mass-manufactured fashion, using synthetics instead of natural materials. We were dealing with very disadvantage people in remote places, and the business costs were huge. It was a massive undertaking, but it needed to be done.’ In 1995, Fair Trade Company was formed as a limited company and a shop was opened in the fashionable Jiyugaoka district, in Tokyo. In 1997, Safia Minney added a Fair Trade Fashion Collection, using eco-textiles, including organic cotton, to the products sold by Fair Trade Company, and the first People Tree collection was launched. People Tree was working closely with textile artisan groups to help them meet environmental standards and develop their market potential, with two full-time designers at People Tree. In 1998, the first flagship store in Tokyo.” (source)

People Tree...Was a massive undertaking but it needed to be done. -Safia Minney, founder of People Tree, featured in a blog post by bulk linens supplier EcoGoodz
“[Starting People Tree] was a massive undertaking but it needed to be done.”
-Safia Minney
to fully appreciate the scope of People Tree’s impact, you’ve got to understand the concept (and realization) of fair trade. “Fair trade is a social movement whose stated goal is to help producers in developing countries achieve better trading conditions and to promote sustainability. Members of the movement advocate the payment of higher prices to exporters, as well as improved social and environmental standards…The movement seeks to promote greater equity in international trading partnerships through dialogue, transparency, and respect. It promotes sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to, and securing the rights of, marginalized producers and workers in developing countries.” (source)

 

You can support this and other eco-friendly movements by purchasing high-quality fair-trade clothing which will last for years to come, and also by remembering to donate your gently used clothing items when you no longer need/want them. Remember: Textiles are not trash and together we can make a difference!

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