Why is fair trade clothing important?

There has been a growing trend and a growing demand for fair trade clothes in the last decade. Consumers are beginning to ask questions about where their clothes are made and who, in fact, makes them.

Here are a few reasons why buying fairly is so important:

1.) To promote traditional skills.

2.) To pay employees fair wages.

3.) To pay producers fair prices.

4.) To promote development and growth in rural areas.

5.) To operate with transparency.

6.) To put the value of people before machines.

The fair trade clothing network called People Tree, started by CEO Safia Minney, is one of the leading pioneers in the industry and organic cotton clothing. The Japanese and UK-based company has a network of small cooperatives in over 20 different countries that provides jobs and training for workers of the developing world.

People Tree has grown exponentially since it first started in 1995 and has provided an ethical alternative to buying clothes made in sweatshops. It's clear that the world, as a whole, can not continue consuming this way. By continuing to purchase clothing produced in sub-par garment factories, the consumer is helping to perpetuate a continual cycle of poverty in the developing world.

Until we realize the clothes we buy have a much higher price than the one on the tag, the people of the developing world will continue make unfair wages and be forced to work in slave-like conditions. Your purchase has a voice.

You can read more about the importance of the fair and organic trade industry at http://www.allofusrevolution.com/.

The author is a start-up fashion designer who blogs about owning a small clothing business and also contributes to http://www.startingaclothingline.net/, the "Ultimate Guide for Dreamers, Designers, and Entrepreneurs."

View the original article here