the story so far.

On a trip to India in 2012, I was visiting a rural weaving village when the Master Weaver asked where my scarf was from. I had borrowed it from my sister who had bought in a store in Australia – however he wasn’t asking because he wanted to know where to get one, ‘that’s my work! He said ‘Come, and I will show you identical scarves’. I had no idea where my scarf was made yet I stood in the village in which it was woven.

How many people know where their clothing is made? How would you feel coming face to face with the producer? Hidden behind complex supply chains, textile artisans are paid a pittance for their work. Despite possessing incredible skills, marginalised artisans receive little recognition. 

Did you know that up to 50 per cent of clothes now sold in Australia are manufactured overseas mainly in low-wage countries?1 In addition, garment manufacturing in Australia is predominantly structured around outsourcing, with sewing commonly performed by outworkers—mainly migrant women with low English proficiency. The average rate of pay for outworkers is estimated at $3.60 per hour. Most average 12 hours per day, with 62 per cent stating they worked seven days a week 2.

Employment in the textiles, clothing and footwear industry in Australia is declining with the rise of offshore production. Engagement in handcrafting textiles is declining in India with increasing technology and the shift to mass production.

For artisans to receive recognition, fair treatment and a sustainable livelihood that supports their families, their stories need to be told. The Artisan Story Collective is a grassroots brand that exists to profile the people behind the products through creative storytelling and consumer engagement.

The Artisan Story Collective is currently being developed through the School for Social Enterprise. Stay tuned as the story unfolds...

1. ANZ 2005, Clothing wholesalers under pressure, ANZ Industry Brief, viewed

4 July 2007

2. Cregan, C 2001, Home sweat home, Department of Management, University of Melbourne

thrift

Who would have thought that one day I would get excited about mending?

This post is taken from a brief I came across today, I wrote it back in 2010 for a jewellery brief called Mikromegas "small works, large ideas". I wish I had a photo of the pins I produced but I don't seem to have any... they were displayed at COFA in a jewellery cabinet so long that I never got them back! It's nice to look back and remember the things that have inspired you!

4th August 2010

On July the 31^st I attended a mass clothing swap called ‘Rethreads’ which was part of the Exchange for change campaign run by Oxfam Australia. The festival is run to focus on and celebrate ethical practises in the textiles industry. Rethreads clothing swap promotes environmental and sustainable ideas where participants are invited to swap up to 20 of their best cast-offs and swap them for others. This encourages recycling to reduce landfill, reusing to reduce the demand for energy resources and reducing gas emissions. This initiative was incredibly creative and stacks of fun. 

For the 40-hour famine this year (as in 2010), I have decided to do something different. The fashion industry culture has pushed people into a mindset that to wear the same outfit twice is embarrassing, even disgraceful. Especially to be seen wearing the same clothes twice in a row! Yet some children in developing countries have no choice. They do not have clothes to choose from, they might have one set of clothes if they’re lucky. They don’t have a choice, that’s just what they wear. To raise money for poor communities in other countries I have decided to famine from the choice of clothes for 40 days. I am wearing the same t-shirt and jeans for 40 days (and washing them). As well as gaining sponsorship to raise money I am also aiming to raise awareness of the state of people in third world countries. I aim to get people to think about the issue in the textiles industry that pushes people to buy more new things and throw out the old, to encourage people to think about sustainable and ethical textile practises.

It is also a personal challenge to myself not to worry about the opinions of others about what I wear, to appreciate the fact that I have so many clothes to choose from every day, to think about others that wear the same clothes everyday and to consider the messages of the media that push people to have this mind set.

Back to the present, 7th October 2014.

Today, I am mending my husbands work pants which have 3 massive rips in them, (he must be working very hard!) He resisted the urge to just buy a new pair and instead asked if I could repair them for him. I would normally cringe at the thought of having to mend another pair of pants. However today, considering the waste I'm saving, instead I am thankful that I know how.

I would really enjoy running a small workshop around learning to sew & mending/altering clothes in the local community. If you are interested, comment below and I'll be in touch.

Fairtrade vs. Fair Trade

You says 'Tom-aye-toe'. I say 'Tom-ah-toe'.
You say 'Fairtrade', I said 'Fair Trade'.
What is the difference?

 Fairtrade (one word) 
The Fairtrade Labelling Organisation (FLO) runs a certification system that is a third party guarantee that a product has been produced under Fair Trade standards. To use this sign, a product must be certified by FLO. 'Fairtrade' (one word) is trademarked and there are strict guidelines for using this symbol. For example, a retailer whose products are certified cannot say 'We are Fairtrade', they must say instead 'We sell Fairtrade certified products'.

Fair Trade (two words) Unlike the restricted use of the word 'Fairtrade', use of Fair Trade (two words) is much looser. This is quite similar to the use of the word 'organic' ~ anyone can use it, however there are a few organisations that ensure that standards are adhered to.


The World Fair Trade Organization is the overarching body for Fair Trade, with member organisations all over the world. It is a global network of organisations including producers, marketers, exporters, importers, wholesalers and retailers from over 70 countries. They have just released the WFTO Product Label which is a guarantee system that ensures products are made under Fair Trade standards.

The Fair Trade Association (FTA) of Australia & New Zealand is The Voice of Fair Trade in Australia and New Zealand. They have staff and member organisations from Aus & NZ.
 The Fair Trade Association promotes the two above internationally recognised systems of fair trade and is crucial to the growth and development of the fair trade movement.

Fair Traders of Australia are endorsed by the Fair Trade Association (see above). They are Australian businesses that have committed to the standards of fair trade and their producers have completed the assessment process to ensure that all products are fairly traded.



In summary, all of these logos are signs that the organisation is following fair trade standards and disadvantaged producers have been empowered through trade. 

Full description of the Ten Fair Trade Principles.

legacy.

If I ever have children, I want poverty to be just a bedtime story that I tell them.

I recently volunteered at the TEAR National Conference. It was a refreshing and inspiring time for me as it renewed my hopes for the future.

As I sat with my sister for lunch one day she introduced me to Marty ~ it turns out this wasn't the first time I had met him, but it had been more than 20 years. My family lived in community for the first few years of my life ~ with another young family, and Marty. I remember sitting with him on the driveway eating a smartie cake!

As we caught up on each others lives, he talked proudly of his daughter and her passion to make a difference in the lives of the poor. She's 13 and doing incredible advocacy and fundraising with her friends. She's eager to take a InDeep trip with TEAR or a similar exposure trip.

Shortly after I spoke with Marty, his daughter Tahlia and her friends presented TEAR with a massive cheque. They had raised $10, 000 for TEAR through baking, sewing, even weeding! It was so inspirational I have to admit, I teared up!

Yesterday my dear friend Ruth Lesmana posted this quote:

 “We are the next generation. It’s up to us to speak out about what is right. To learn lots about what is going on. I am still learning. Get involved. Get in there and start talking about what you feel strongly and passionately about. We can make a difference. They think ‘It’s just little me and I can’t do anything’. But with a few friends, you can make a big difference"

This is a quote from Marty's daughter Tahlia.
Just beautiful.
Thankyou girls, for your deep passions and aspirations to make poverty history.

The entire article can be found here.

At our youth group, we've been encouraging our young people that they have the power to make a difference and pass on a great legacy for the future. Talk about legacy!!! This bunch of people are trail-blazing a legacy of passionate, knowledgable change-makers. And its also thanks to their families, friends and community that inspire their visions and support their ventures.

It takes a village to raise a child.
~Ancient African Proverb

fair trade faith group.

This year, my church decided to become a Fair Trade Faith Group. What does that mean you ask? Let me tell you!

The Fair Trade Association of Australia and New Zealand (FTA) have a way of recognising community groups and individuals for their support of Fair Trade. There are two minimum requirements for a Community Group to apply:

1. Supporting Fair Trade through using at least 2 products such as tea and coffee that is certified Fairtrade

2. Promoting Fair Trade to the community groups’ members

With these two simple minimum requirements, it’s easy to ‘tick the boxes’ and that’s that. But at our church, we wanted people to have a thorough understanding of why we support fair trade and foster a desire to expand on how we do that. I am really grateful that they wanted to get to the heart of what fair trade is all about.

In May this year, during Fair Trade Fortnight we held a Fair Trade Launch where we celebrated the start of our commitment to fair trade with a themed service, fair trade stall and taste testing during morning tea/supper. It was lots of fun, and wouldn’t have been possible without a fantastic team to pull it off! Massive thankyou to those people, who helped promote, decorate, sang, did a kids talk, brought tea/coffee/teapots & served. It’s because of you that we pulled it off!!! We would love more people on the team to make this happen so please let me know if you're interested!!! I am also greatly encouraged by our leadership who were key drivers in instigating this process.

Once a month we have ‘Social Justice Sunday’ where we focus on a particular Justice topic. This year we have started with the fair trade basics, drawing on the fair trade principles to explore ethical trade. We use Fairtrade certified tea & coffee, have the 10 fair trade principles on display and fair trade brochures available. We used a Fairtrade certified soccer ball for our church soccer game and very soon our youth group will start to fundraise with Fairtrade certified chocolates.

It has been a privilege to be a part of this process and have many people’s great feedback as they expand their understanding and start to promote fair trade themselves in cafes in our local area. I hope to see more community groups make this step and I am very excited by our church community getting on board with fair trade.

On Thursday the 11^th September I’m setting up a fair trade stall and guest speaking about fair trade at Turning Point Community Connections. I'll be sharing at the women's group which runs from 10am-2pm at 80 John St, Camden. We’d love to have you come along to taste test some fair trade tea and coffee, hear about some fair trade producer groups and some intriguing products, and then browse the range of fair trade handicrafts for sale. 

cultural textiles.

In my second year of my Bachelor of Design, I was starting to plan ahead for the professional placement that was to come in fourth year. I had begun to explore fair trade and was interested in pursuing a textiles career that empowered the poor.

I visited the office of the Head of Design, Liz Williamson.
“I’ve been considering where to do my professional placement and I wondered whether you knew where I could go for a fair trade internship?”
“In Australia?”
“…Yes?” (What a bizarre question, I thought, where else!)
“I know of plenty in India”

India! Of all places! Until that point I had never thought of going to India. To be honest, it wasn’t a place I desired to go. But as I left Liz’s office the thought started to tick around in my head.

Shortly afterwards, Liz was offered 12 places in a 3 week ‘Cultural Textiles Course’ in Ahmedabad, India. If it weren’t for the scholarships they offered that year I wouldn’t have even been able to consider going. But by this point I was completely convinced that this was what I was meant to do.

Liz took a group of COFA students, me included, to Gujarat in January 2012. We spent two weeks in Ahmedabad and one week in Bhuj, visiting a variety of textile artisans with a small group of Indian students from NID. Visiting India was honestly a big shock for me at first but as I got used to the environment I fell in love with the India and particularly the rich culture and history of Indian Textiles. I am sure I inherited this from Liz, with the way she explains and explores textiles, you are bound to be caught up in the admiration for the skill and detail of each piece in each artisan group or museum.

the weaver.

The first time I went to India on a cultural textiles tour, I found myself in a rural village in the middle of a desert, in the home of a weaving family. That day I had chosen to wear a scarf that I had borrowed from my sister. The Master Weaver said to me ‘Where did you get your scarf?’ I replied ‘It’s from Australia but now I think it’s originally from India”.

“That’s my work!” He said to me. “Come and I will show you identical scarves”.

I was amazed that God had brought me to the exact place where that scarf was made. So I bought another one, exactly the same. I was shocked at how little I knew about the people behind the products I buy and use everyday. They are invisible to me.

But they are not invisible to God. And He had brought me face to face with this producer. This is my passion played out through fair trade, to bring consumers face to face with the people behind the products; to value and appreciate their work through both acknowledging their skills and by treating them equally ~ as if they were family.

‘Love your neighbour as yourself’ ~Jesus (Matthew 22:39)