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Videos - fair trade

Triple Bottom Line-The Rise of the B Corp
As history tells it, the renaissance was led by a small group of less than 1,000 committed individuals. Similarly, non-profit think-tank BLab, along with a group of 315 talented entrepreneurs, is evolving the way the world does business.

By certifying companies who meet rigorous triple bottom line criteria as "B" (for benefit) Corporations, BLab is helping socially responsible businesses stay true to their mission. In addition to making the world a better place through social, environmental, and humanitarian initiatives, B Corps also mean business: collectively, they are generating $1.5 billion in annual revenues across 54 different industries. This spring, Maryland and Vermont were the first two states to pass Benefit Corp legislation. In 2001, several other states are scheduled to follow suit.

To learn more about B Corporations, watch the premier episode of Triple Bottom Line, featuring real-life success stories of three B Corps spanning the country, including California-based fair trade clothing company Indigenous Designs D.C.'s conscious cafe chain, Busboys & Poets, and Chicago green event company Pivotal Production.
Fair Trade and the Triple Bottom Line
Watch this episode of Triple Bottom Line as we meet with Scott Leonard, CEO of Indigenous Designs to learn how they are harnessing the power of fair trade exchanges to drive profits and revenues in their fashion business. This episode first aired on our Taxi Cab platform.
Conscious Holiday Gift Ideas
We are bringing you some great holiday conscious gifting ideas from some of our favorite advertisers including Allyu Spa,Fair Trade and Organic Gift Baskets from That's Caring, Conscience Eating, City Tree Delivery and Kailia Footwear. Enjoy and Happy Holidays!
Indigenous Designs: 15 Years of Fair Trade Fashion
On this episode of Conscious Living, we’re kicking it in Hollywood, California--on the red carpet--for the 15th Anniversary of Indigenous Designs, a certified fair trade, organic clothing line.

On the guest list were some of Indigenous Designs’ biggest fans, including Hollywood fashionistas, entertainers, and actors, like Edin Gali of the hit series Mad Men. The highlight of the event was an eco-fashion show, which featured models wearing beautiful organic wool and cotton designs made by Peruvian artisans who are paid a fair living wage. Watch this episode to see how Co-founders Scott Leonard and Matt Reynolds are turning fashionistas into Passionistas!
Chicago's Fair Trade Fashion Scene
Live from Green Heart Shop, Chicago's Fair Trade Mecca, watch this interview with Mata Traders, Co-Owner Maureen Dunn as she discusses the case for fair trade Fashion, and shows off some of her funky pieces to Conscious Living's Bianca Alexander.
Africa Rising: Modahnik- Fair Trade Haute Couture
Watch this episode of Conscious Living TV, as we visit with rising, haute couture fashion star, Kahindo Mateene, in the studio for her breakthrough fair trade line, Modahnik. Kahindo shares with us her inspiration behind the line, the importance of fair trade in fashion and what's next with her recent acceptance in the 2011 class of Macy's Chicago Fashion Incubator program.
Vert Couture: Sexy & Sustainable Spring 2011
This episode of Conscious Living TV gives you an inside look at the spring 2011 collections of some of Chicago's hottest ethical designers at the annual Vert Couture Fashion Show benefiting Chicago Gateway Green. Featured designers include: Modahnik, Silk Utopia, 71Jules, Crescendo Apparel, Enamore, Junk Drawers, Fanta Celah, Sophia Forero, Five Accessories, Choosy Jewels by Manny B, RFRM, and Hard Wear.

Blogs - fair trade

Conscious Consumerism: Power to the People
We live in a Supersize Me society where over-consumption and instant gratification are the norm. We have become accustomed to indulging ourselves by buying whatever makes us feel good from one moment to the next. For the most part, we are unconscious consumers. We consume unconsciously for a myriad of reasons: to fill our bellies, to fill the void in our lives, to pass the time, or just to keep up with the ‘Joneses’. We consume without giving thought to where our products are produced or where they go after we “throw them away.” As a result, obesity and disease rates are higher than ever, our landfills are overflowing, and the planet is slowly but surely warming up.
B's Cool List: A Sexy and Sustainable Valentine's Day
Valentine’s Day is a perfect opportunity to show love for your honey—and the planet. Here are 10 eco-friendly gift ideas, as well as fun ways to make this Valentine’s Day both sexy and sustainable.
Conscious Shopping Resolutions for 2011
Unconscious consumption is one of the biggest culprits responsible for over-pollution, global warming, and the deterioration of our planet and our pocketbooks. But in our modern society where most people don’t grow their own food or sew their own clothes, it’s unrealistic to just stop shopping all together. To do my part to shop more consciously this year, I’m resolving to vote with my spending dollars wherever possible. Here are a few of the ways I’m planning to do it:
Balancing the Scales
The true cost of cheap fashion and the case for Fair Trade. According to the Department of Labor, over half of the garment factories in the United States are sweatshops. The popularity of sweatshops began at the turn of the 20th century, as consumer demand rose for trendy but inexpensive off-the-rack clothing. Given the difficulty of mechanizing the clothing manufacture process, cheap human labor was needed to produce more garments by hand. Manufacturers reacted by outsourcing production globally to countries like Asia for low-wage, union-free “sweatshop” contractors, allowing them to cut costs and increase profits at the expense of human labor.

Blog

The Purest Thread

Jill Heller, founder, Pure Thread, in her Upper West Side atelier. Photo, Bianca Alexander

By Bianca Alexander

Under the cacophony of honking taxi cabs and revving engines, four inch stilettos pound the sooty streets between 5th and 8th Avenues on the East Side. It’s an average day in the New York Fashion District. Buyers, designers and fashionistas dressed to the nines hurry to and fro without making eye contact. They’ve come far and wide to shop and peddle the latest runway trends, hoping to set the bar for what the rest of us will be wearing next season.

On the other side of town--the Upper West Side--a different scene unfolds. Perhaps because of its proximity to Central Park West, the vibe is cleaner, quieter, greener. Sidewalk cafés abound. Chic moms in colorful ballet flats chat over lattes while pushing baby strollers. Patches of sage-colored trees create a soft hammock over this residential neighborhood, making it feel more livable than other parts of the city.

Perhaps that’s why eco-stylist Jill Heller, founder of Pure Thread, calls this neighborhood home. After twenty years of success in retail, she launched Pure Thread four years ago as an alternative to the hustle, bustle and waste of the conventional fashion industry.

The PureThread ambiance: candles, flowers and inspirational literature.

Bianca: How did you get started in the fashion industry?
Jill: I was born loving clothes. My grandfather and father manufactured women’s clothing. As a young girl I was fascinated with the idea of connecting the designers’ sketch to the fabric, the final design, and the people who wear them. I realized early on that I was best suited for a retail environment where I could trust my natural instincts and curate my own looks. In the late ‘80's I launched Chilly, a profitable young contemporary boutique on NYC's Columbus Avenue, noted for great fashion and innovative window and merchandising displays. In 2003, I launched another successful boutique in Westchester, On the One, which captured my vision of sophisticated American and International style.

As a fashion expert, and a person who has always been interested in health, wellness and concern for the environment, I couldn’t help but notice how wasteful and destructive the conventional garment industry is to people and the planet. As such, I decided to become a catalyst for ethical positive change and founded Pure Thread, a company that sources beautifully designed clothing that puts environmental and social responsibility at the forefront.

Jill styling me for my SS/resort wardrobe, including this luxurious georgette silk scarf by Privatsacken.

Bianca: What is your philosophy as a stylist?
Jill: We have a niche: making ethical fashion an easier, more accessible choice for consumers. Our commitment to pushing the needle on sustainable fashion means staying up on the latest trends, materials, innovations and designers. As stylists, we spend a lot of time at first getting to know our clients’ goals and needs. Then, we select looks that fit their lifestyle but are also ethically sourced, well-made and will make them feel gorgeous.

Customer education is key: each product has a story and we love to share it in an intimate, upbeat setting. Because of our personal relationships with designers, we can form a bridge between clients and designers, allowing them to visit their favorite designer studios to create one of a kind items, including jewelry and accessories. As a result, PureThread clients become collectors, and I am grateful to be a catalyst for that. Our clients love the results. Shopping and transforming wardrobes for the good of the world is so much fun, and thankfully our clients do a great job of spreading the word about us to their friends.

Vintage copy of LIFE magazine in Jill’s office.

Bianca: What are some of your favorite sustainable brands?
Jill: At the core of PureThread's merchandising mix is a strategy of curating styles from eco-conscious brands who are redefining the fashion industry in a variety of ways: using alternative materials; more efficient manufacturing, dyeing and supply chain processes; local production; and a commitment to fair trade and human rights. There are dozens of brands on the market revolutionizing the way we dress, but some of my favorites are Stewart + Brown, Kami, Suzanne Rae, Titania Inglis, Indigenous, H Fredriksson, MarYsol, Panchaculi, Loomstate 321, Upstate and Edun. They are all taking very creative approaches to evolving the fashion industry.

On location in Maui at the Fairmont Kea Lani Hotel. Silk vegetable dyed dress and scarf by Upstate, styled by Jill Heller of Pure Thread. Recycled brass and citrine jewelry, Bittersweet.

Bianca: The fashion world can be very professionally demanding, unconscious and superficial. What keeps you centered and conscious in your work?
Jill: People like you! Love and emotional support from family and friends, proper nutrition, yoga, walking in nature and shedding tears when necessary...all of which have nothing to do with business and fashion. For me personally, it’s about being good to myself and others and having faith that I am on the right path. Faith in something much larger than myself. I also work closely with 3 expert stylists: Tracey Ravdin, Wendi Winshall, and Jocelyn Whipple in London, who work passionately to promote sustainability in fashion and textiles, and whose advice, wisdom and encouragement help keep me going.

On location in Hilo, Hawaii at the Kalani yoga retreat and eco-resort. Organic cotton sheath dress, Suzanne Rae, gyspy earrings, Hearts.com.

Bianca: What’s next for Pure Thread and the sustainable fashion industry?
Jill: I am thrilled to announce that in addition to running Pure Thread, I am providing fashion direction for online sustainable fashion retailer Modavant i, who seeks to establish itself as the premiere site for socially conscious fashionistas looking for clothing that fits their values without compromising style. With Modavanti, I’ll be adding luxury products from leading brands in the industry as it continues on its path to becoming the go-to online destination for sustainable fashion.

The Pure Thread label, which serves to educate consumers about the materials and ethics and design approach of each garment.

Bianca Alexander is the Emmy© award winning host of Conscious Living. A passionate eco-fashionista and yogi, she has covered the latest trends in sustainable design from Paris to L.A since 2006.