Fashion Revolution - RIGHTS

April 17, 2021

Fashion Revolution  - RIGHTS

Worker Rights

We would like to share more about how we work and our policies around worker rights, all of which involve ensuring equitable relationships, transparency and safe working conditions.

 

Mehera Shaw is dedicated to hiring artisans from disadvantaged and marginalized communities for the positions of stitching, block printing, and all other related work within our garment and homewares production. 

 

Ensuring equality in the workplace starts at the very beginning of the relationship with every worker during the hiring process. All terms and conditions of employment are made transparent and clearly communicated at the time of hire.  The company holds itself accountable for its end of the agreement, attested by external audit.  Terms and conditions are the same for all employees. We do not discriminate on the basis of religion, gender, caste, creed, sexual orientation, or health status.

Transparency, accountability, equitable terms, and clear communication are at the core of the of the relationship.  The goal is always to maintain a positive, sustainable working relationship to the benefit of all and for the greatest good.  We provide regular training sessions on the standards of fair trade, on financial management, and life skills management to ensure artisan workers are best able to effectively manage their work, finances and, life goals.

At the time of hiring, new employees are given a 3 month trial period before signing a permanent contract.  The contract includes full details regarding salary, time and method of payment, benefits, bonuses, hours, conditions, annual salary increases.  The contract is in Hindi, the language our employees speak. If an employee is not literate, it is explained verbally.


Mehera Shaw provides a Worker Manual available to all employees, and its contents are explained verbally to everyone.  Mehera Shaw promotes a work environment of harmony and cooperation and does not tolerate harassment or abuse between any workers or between management and workers. The Manual clarifies our commitment to nondiscrimination, no harassment, no forced labor, no child labor, clean and safe working conditions.  It also explains the process of addressing issues or complaints in a transparent and protected manner. We hold weekly meetings with our full staff to discuss standards of fair trade, aspects of worker contracts, offer help with finances, and support with banking, pension funds, health insurance. 

 

All workers must be employed by their own free will and have freedom of association. A Right to Free Work and Freedom of Movement Statement is included in the worker manual and posted in the workshop in Hindi and English and explained verbally in Hindi.


A worker's employment is strictly voluntary and not agreed to upon any threat of penalty, debt or obligation. Pay, benefits, or documents are never held by the business in order to force continued employment. There are no restraints on workers' freedom of movement related to toilet use, access to water, access to necessary medical attention or access to religious facilities.

 

Regular attendance to work, punctuality, and consistent rules around work hours are important factors in creating success for each artisan business. When hiring a worker, the expectations of their work hours and specific company policies around work hours are clearly communicated. Working hours are standardized and clear so that workers always know what is expected of them and are clear that management holds itself to the same expectations.

 

Wage calculations and fair compensation is discussed directly with workers and explained verbally to all workers. Upon hire, every worker should understand how much they will be paid and how these wages may change based on their hours. A written, standardized policy provides clear expectations for wages.  Management provides regular financial planning assistance to all employees based on cost of living data.

 

The use of child labor is strictly prohibited at Mehera Shaw and all possible actions will be taken to prevent it from occurring. The minimum hiring age is 18 years old.  No workers below the age of 18 are allowed to work at Mehera Shaw.  The age of all workers must be verified prior to hiring by means of authentic government identity cards or other proof of age documents including birth certificate, national identity card, driver’s license or voting registration card. Proof of age verification is kept on file for each worker for the length of their employment.

 

We work on a daily basis to ensure all standards are maintained.  This post is intended to give further insight into all the pieces of labor standards.  It does take a group effort, training, commitment.




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Fit/Sizing/Care

FIT

Our styles are meant to give room to breath and move.  We use fine tailoring coupled with a relaxed, comfortable fit.

We use a fit guide for each of our styles to provide more information about the fit that was intended.

Slim Fit: a close fit to the body. Regular Fit: a comfortable, relaxed fit with room around the body. Generous Fit: a very loose fit (such as in our oversized blouses) with lots of room around the body for ease of movement.

SIZING

h4XS/ 36

h4S/ 38

h4M/40

h4L/ 42

h4XL/44

h4chest

h435.5 inches/ 90 cm

h437.5 inches/95 cm

h439.5 inches/ 100 cm

h441.5 inches/ 105 cm

h444.5 inches. 113 cm

h44cm extra from body

h4waist

h426 inches/ 66 cm

h428 inches/ 71 cm

h430 inches/ 76 cm

h432 inches/ 81 cm

h435 inches/ 89 cm

h4fitted

h4low waist

h428 inches/71 cm

h430 inches/76 cm

h432 inches/ 81 cm

h434 inches/ 86 cm

h437 inches/ 94 cm

h4fitted

h4hip

h437 inches/ 94 cm

h439 inches/ 99 cm

h441 inches/ 104 cm

h443 inches/ 109 cm

h446 inches/ 1

h44cm extra from body

WASHCARE

All garments have been washed several times during the printing/dyeing and manufacturing process.  

CARE for 100% cotton

We recommend cold water machine wash (up to 30 degrees celsius) with a bio detergent and either tumble dry on low heat or line dry in shade for all of our 100% cotton garments/homewares (except for quilts).  

Iron on reverse side of garment following fabric settings.  

Do not use bleach or stain remover.

Cold water wash and low heat drying or line drying in the shade will increase the life of the garment, prolong the vibrancy of the colors and reduce energy use. Shrinkage on all cottons is minimal, approximately 3%.

Garments/homewares are dyed or printed using AZO free, low-impact, pigment or reactive dyes unless otherwise noted.  These dyes are color-fast, but care should still be taken to wash with like colors to retain the vibrancy of the colors.

CARE for 100% cotton quilts

For quilts with cotton fill, we recommend spot or light surface cleaning only with a damp cloth and mild detergent.  Eco-friendly dry cleaning is also recommended. 

CARE for herbal/vegetable dye items

Vegetable dyes are not colorfast and are specifically marked in the product description.  We strongly recommend that all vegetable dye products be washed once before use in a cold water wash with minimal detergent.  Wash separately. Tumble dry on low heat or line dry in shade.  Iron on reverse side.  Do not use bleach or stain remover.

Please keep in mind that indigo dye does continually fade over time.  This is the nature of true indigo dye and is not a defect, but rather a sign of the 'living' nature of the dye.

CARE for silk and cotton/silk

For our silk and cotton silk garments/homewares, we also recommend gentle cycle machine wash cold water (up to 30 degrees celsius) or delicate hand washing to increase the life of the garment and reduce the environmental footprint from energy use, detergents and water wastage.  

Tumble dry on low heat or line dry in shade.  

Iron on reverse side of garment following fabric settings.

Do not use bleach or stain remover.

Dry cleaning using an eco-friendly service is also recommended.

CARE for linen and cotton/linen

For our linen and cotton linen garments/homewares, we also recommend gentle cycle machine wash cold water (up to 30 degrees celsius) or delicate hand washing to increase the life of the garment and reduce the environmental footprint from energy use, detergents and water wastage.  

Tumble dry on low heat or line dry in shade.  

Iron on reverse side of garment following fabric settings.

Do not use bleach or stain remover.