Unprecendented - Challenge, Change, Hope

April 06, 2020

Unprecendented - Challenge, Change, Hope

We are experiencing unprecendented times and challenges. As I imagine is true of every small business right now, we are acutely aware of the fragility of our supply chains and that it ‘takes a village’ to support our business and way of life.

 

We are a small, independent business in a global market.  We are a vertical company, meaning we design and make all in-house in the same company.  We also manufacture for many other independent, ethical brands across the world.  Our fair trade manufacturing is located in Jaipur, India and is closed until mid-April due to the mandatory quarantine.  We are supporting our artisan employees in Jaipur through this crisis thus far and have made several contingency plans for moving forward once we can re-open our manufacturing and Jaipur offices.  Fortunately our workers are safe at home now and taking care of their families. 

 

While the challenges are vast and deep on every level and across the globe, these challenges have again brought many underlying issues to the forefront of our concerns.  Issues which have plagued the garment industry for far too long now: lack of transparency, the need for living wages and equitable relationships between buyers and makers.  It is important actually tackle these issues now.  We need consider and protect the very people growing the food, making the goods.  We need to work together so everyone has enough.

 

We need to bring things back to scale—a human scale—so life is liveable for us all.  Supply chain transparency, supporting independent businesses, thoughtful design meant to last, sharing resources, paying living wages—these are some of the most pressing concerns of our time.  If we can work on these issues, we can gradually bring our consumption and our way of life back to a liveable scale, but also a more equitable way of working.

 

We stand united in facing these challenging times. We stand by all other small business owners in solidarity and in hopes we can collectively pull through this time. These businesses are the real heart and soul of our towns and backbone of our economy. They meet community needs, but also breath life and character into our daily lives.  They also often rely on small farmers or artisan suppliers. We are all linked through our supply chains: from farmers and artisans to small, independent businesses. 

 

We don't know what tomorrow will bring and how this will all play out.  But what I can say today, is that I've appreciated the many kindnesses and positive attitudes, the willingness to rethink things and put new models into action.

 

We thank you, our customers for your understanding and support.  It means a great deal to us all, especially to our artisans. I also thank our artisans. I am deeply moved at how our artisans have expressed renewed commitment, a positive mindset, hope.

 

We hope that together, as a community, we will work on solutions for a better way of working, more transparency and equity in the workplace and more resiliency in times of crisis and at all times.  The fair trade community has worked tirelessly on becoming more resilient and offering support during this crisis.  We hope that we can rebuild our local communities across the world with all the vibrancy and character that makes us unique.  




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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.