Each time someone buys a Fair Trade garment, they are helping to change the world for the better. This is the belief of Ethos Paris founders who insist that when fashion is done right, everyone profits: consumers, farmers, workers, manufacturers, transporters as well as the creative and distribution teams.
Fair Trade + Green
Early on, Paris Ethos noticed that most of the initial Fair Trade companies dealing in textiles made a distinction between products of Fair Trade and those that issued from green initiatives (organic cotton and other ecological fibers). For Ethos, this way of thinking seemed absurd. How could we call ourselves “fair” yet permit chemical companies to promote and sell toxic chemical pesticides and fertilizers to peasant cotton farmers? Such cotton was entitled to the label of “Fair Trade” because of the higher price paid to producers, but the farmers and their families were ingesting poisonous substances, ruining their land and polluting their water supplies.
It was the refusal to accept this inconsistency that led to our firm commitment to use only organic fibers in our garments.
Fair Trade vs. Free Trade
When Ethos first tried to apply the Fair Trade business , we encountered resistance. In developing countries, it was not easy to find garment suppliers willing to pay workers more than the bare minimum. Higher wages meant less profit, and for suppliers grounded in the western business practices of consumer capitalism (Free Trade), this did not make sense.
There’s Nothing Free About It
The way Free Trade works is quite simple: buy cheap from producers and sell dear to consumers; enhance profit margins and shareholder values. As a business , Free Trade has its virtues but fairness is not one of them. In today’s globalized economy, 80 percent of the world’s resources are consumed by the richest 20 percent of its population. Under the banner of Free Trade, resources and the products of labor are flowing at an ever-increasing rate from the developing world to the developed. What consumer capitalism does is make monarchs of northern consumers and wage slaves of southern producers.
Purchasing Power
World trade has been following this direction since early European imperialism, gathering momentum as it passed through industrialization to arrive at the current corporate empires based on information and consumer capitalism. It is a system that is unlikely to change unless actively challenged. This is where Paris Ethos with its more equitable business comes in. As pioneers of a new economic system, we believe that the key to change lies in the hands of the wealthy 20 percent of the world’s population. If we, as individuals, can collectively use our purchasing power like a ballot, we can bring about the necessary change and restore some sanity to world trade. Organic Cotton from India All cotton is certified 100% organic and is produced, processed and manufactured into Ethos Paris garments according to Fair Trade practices.No genetically modified cotton is used to make the garments whose entire production process is quality controlled.Ethos Paris' partner since 2004 is based in central India and is a member of the Chetna Organic Cotton Project, an organic and Fair Trade-certified cooperative.
Many ethical fashion companies source their garments from Fair Trade partners yet continue to use non-organic cotton in their fabrics.For Ethos, this was not an option.Modern conventional cotton production is one of the world’s most toxic agricultural practices, polluting water systems and the land and destroying the health of farming families. Our refusal to accept this inconsistency led to our firm commitment to use only organic fibers in our Fair Trade garments.
Botanical Impressions
Ethos Paris has taken its commitment to green fashion to a new level with the delightful Botanic Impressions collection.All garments of this collection are colored with herbal dyes that involve completely natural color preparation and fixing agents.The process of herbal dyeing starts with the gray cloth passing through several stages of treatment before it becomes colorful and ready to wear. During this entire treatment only natural processes are used. Even waste water is recycled after the dyeing process.
Organic Alpaca from Bolivia Ethos Paris uses high-quality alpaca, certified 100% organic and is produced, processed and knitted into beautiful garments according to Fair Trade practices.Ethos' partner in Bolivia sources her alpaca from small indigenous alpaca farmers in the high Andean plateau country.They also run a workshop in La Paz that trains and employs impoverished Bolivian women in hand-knitting and the operation of industrial knitting machines.All of Ethos Paris alpaca knitwear comes from this Fair Trade-certified workshop.
Soft, Warm and Hypoallergenic
Ethos chose alpaca for its superb and “green” qualities as a textile fiber.Naturally hypoallergenic, alpaca fleece is silkier than sheep’s wool and bears no lanolin.Its soft fibers are similar to hair yet have a hollow core that gives the fleece excellent insulation properties.The “prickle-free” fleece contains minimal guard hair and is free from cuticle and dander.Alpaca is naturally glossy but unlike wool, does not cause itching when worn against the skin.
Organic Raffia from Madagascar
All Ethos raffia is 100% organic and is harvested, processed and crocheted into original Paris Ethos accessories according to Fair Trade practices.Our raffia initiative in Madagascar is our oldest partnership, established in 2002 with a cooperative of local women artisans.Ethos also helped train the local marginalized women to fabricate original accessories such as hats, bags and necklaces that are exclusive to the Ethos line.Today our Fair Trade partner is thriving in Madagascar and pays its artisans 50% higher than the local rate for their work.
Natural Sustainable Resource
The raffia palm (Raphia farinifera or R. ruffia) grows to 60ft and is a sustainable organic resource that grows in abundance in Madagascar.The enormous leaves of the palm are composed of 80 to 100 leaflets, which are peeled from either side of the palm fronds then hung out in the sun.Once dry, they are collected and sorted into different classifications, pressed and dyed.The finished raffia is not only soft, pliable and strong but is also non-shrinking.This natural fiber also offers excellent colorability.
