Pachacuti - a pioneer in fair trade clothing & accessories

Carry's Blog has moved!

2010-05-08T04:10:00.000-07:00

My blog has moved! Please go to http://www.panamas.co.uk/journal

My blog has moved!

2009-12-14T14:09:00.001-08:00

My blog has now moved to: http://www.panamas.co.uk/journal/

Fiesta thrown for me by our Panama Hat association!

2009-10-30T15:12:00.000-07:00

We spent most of this week in Cuenca, Ecuador, travelling several hours each day on winding roads to see our two panama hat co-operatives in the region.

Sara and Mark spent the first few days working on Quality Control and finalising ribbons and trims for our SS10 collection. I didn't get to our main Panama hat association until Wednesday as I had to make a presentation to members of WFTO Latin America in Quito. Several Latin American members are starting to implement the Sustainable Fair Trade Management System and I talked about the tools we had developed to assess our producer groups.

I arrived at the hat weavers HQ to find the courtyard filled with the record-breaking 'biggest hat in the world'. Very impressive and HUGE! Around 100 weavers had gathered, all in their finest clothes, and were sitting around the giant Panama hat, weaving as they waited for the day's festivities to commence.

Sara, Mark and I were shown upstairs to a large meeting room, filled with our Panama hat weavers, along with the mayoress and local dignitaries from the town. The surprise ceremony for me started with the Ecuadorian on Wednesdaynational anthem. I stood at the front as guest of honour, looking out on all these women and realising the huge responsibility which I bear in getting enough orders to ensure that they earn enough money to feed them and their families each year. They rely on me for 95% of their orders.

After a short, taped 'musical interlude' which was quite amusing, it was time for a poem written by one of the weavers to Senora Carry. Next, it was time for the presentation of a plaque by the mayoress of the canton in appreciation of my work in the community. Very moving and was trying to hold back tears. Then realised that both Mark and Sara were finding it all very emotional as well! After another musical interlude, it was a song about hat weaving dedicated to me and then a glass of very sweet bubbly. Just as I thought it was all over and I could get to work as everyone moved downstairs, another celebration started in the courtyard. Several dances by small groups of weavers from different communities, one involving dancing around fireworks and another with one boy dressed as a soldier and another dressed as a pig who had obviously got the day off school for this special occasion! Then another really beautiful song by Zoila Aleman, a weaver proudly sporting the glasses we had bought for her a few years ago. Finally, some loud music started playing from speakers and Sara and I had to get up and dance with the dignitaries for about 10 minutes - not easy at that altitude! Finally, the celebration drew to an end and we were taken through to the dining room where Guinea Pig was served. Delicious crackling!

It really was such an incredible honour to have this ceremony thrown for me and the weavers and community had obviously spent a long time preparing for it. Now I have to do my part and try to increase our Panama Hat orders for 2010 so that the weavers all have enough work for next year.

Our Panama Hat fibre is both sustainable and organic

2009-10-19T08:43:00.000-07:00

I had a really fascinating trip down to the coast of Ecuador this week to meet the community who supply the Carludovia Palmata fibre (also known as paja toquilla) for our Panama Hats.

Mark (our Marketing Manager & my husband) and Sara (our Quality Manager) drove to a small community of 3000 people about 3 hours south of Manta and then it was an hour off road up into the mountains to reach the plantations of the paja. The community has been working hard to protect their area of land and to increase sustainability and biodiversity in the area. They have protected an area of 5600 hectares and are now seeing a lot more birds and animals in the area such as toucans, armadillos and monkeys. The plants also help to improve the air quality and the producers were keen to emphasise that the work they are doing is providing oxygen for the world. They are hoping to make the area a Patrimonio Cultural in the future.

A new paja toquilla palm can't be harvested for 3 years as it needs to produce runners and baby plants before it can be harvested. After this period, the paja can be harvested every 30 days as it is a very fast growing plant and takes just a month to reach full height (around 12 feet) again. The paja is grown in 100% organic conditions and so we should look into the possibility of organic certification for the fibre in the future.

During our walk through the forest, we saw this huge tarantula and so we definitely stepped a lot more carefully after that!

It was so encouraging to meet the producers of paja for Pachacuti's Panama Hats and to be able to document the sustainability of the production process. Pachacuti has been certified by the WFTO against the Sustainable Fair Trade Management System and we really can say that Pachacuti's Panama Hats are not only sustainable but are actually bringing about positive environmental impact within the community.

Felt Hood Production

2009-10-13T15:41:00.000-07:00

Pachacuti works with a felt hat making workshop in northern Ecuador. In a village which had over 30 hat making workshops in the early 1990s, now only half a dozen remain. This is principally due to the decline in wearing of traditional dress which has meant that they have lost their local market and Pachacuti's work in designing new styles of hat is therefore vitally important for the survival of the workshop with whom we work. In addition to producing for Pachacuti, we also do private label work producing felt hats for companies such as Brora. As well as designing new styles, we also rework the classic felt hats such as the Bowler, the Trilby and the Fedora.

In addition to ensuring that our production process complies with Fair Trade standards, we have undertaken to ensure that our raw materials are produced in as ethical a manner as possible. We were therefore really pleased to have a full tour of the felt-making factory which produces the 'hoods' which are then made into hats by our Fair Trade producers.

The Health & Safety and environmental standards were extremely high, all water was being put through a filtration system and the workers all made far more than the minimum wage. Any leftover wool from the felting process is recycled and given to artisan upholstery workshops to use for padding chairs.

It was fascinating to watch the production of the hoods from the raw sheep's wool as a lot of the machinery used is over 70 years old and the process has changed very little over the years.

Paris Fashion Week

2009-10-07T13:20:00.000-07:00

Just back from Ethical Fashion Show during Paris Fashion Week. Loved being in Paris, as ever, enjoying fantastic food and hospitality from friends in the city.

Exciting to get some orders from new Japanese customers, one of whom has two of the most stunning designer boutiques. Also some leads for collaborations with top designers, so exciting if these opportunities materialise.

Now a quick turnaround, battling colds, to prepare for Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia trip - leaving Monday.

CNN Presenter wearing Pachacuti Panama

2009-10-07T12:54:00.000-07:00

CNN presenter Zain Verjee filmed at Estethica, London Fashion Week,
wearing our new African Queen Panama hat for SS10.

WFTO Fair Trade Certification

2009-10-05T11:18:00.000-07:00

Finally... several months since completing our audits and being the first organisation in the world certified against the Sustainable Fair Trade Management System, I have heard from the World Fair Trade Organisation that they are going to allow us to write on our products that Pachacuti is Fair Trade Certified.

It isn't quite a 'label' yet, but is a really positive step as these will be the first products in the world to state that they come from a Certified Fair Trade Organisation where all business, from the supply chain through to packaging and environmental issues, have been externally audited. All labelling to date has concentrated on the raw material. Although Fairtrade certified cotton is undoubtedly important, in the fashion industry the added value comes from the design and manufacture of the garment. High ethical standards in garment manufacture is undoubtedly of concern to consumers given the reaction to recent reports from War on Want about sweatshop labour at 15 High Street stores (visit http://www.lovefashionhatesweatshops.org/Disgraced )

Pachacuti shop

2009-09-16T14:12:00.000-07:00

Whilst in Wirksworth on the Art & Architecture trail on Saturday, I
found this fantastic print of our shop by Graeme Reed.

London Fashion Week stand

2009-09-16T14:03:00.000-07:00

Here is our stand at Estethica, London Fashion Week. Was delighted
that the two lovely merchandising girls from Liberty loved the Panamas
and said they could really see them working in Liberty...and we'd love
to supply them.

Later in the week, not only Liberty came by, but all the big stores. I was just so overwhelmed that everyone loved our hats. All of the major magazines and newspapers came by and Vogue even rang the office a few days later to request photos. Very exciting times for Pachacuti.

London Fashion Week

2009-09-15T12:00:00.000-07:00

We're off to London Fashion Week to set up our stand at Estethica. Very exciting to be there and apparently we sailed through the vetting process!

We'll be showing our SS10 collection of Panama Hats. Some great colours, from a fuschia 'Cusco' hat to tie in with the South American folkloric influence through to some fabulous checked Panamas, including red houndstooth which I love. It's our strongest collection to date and we're excited to see the reaction of buyers and the press.

Photo: Sienna

Alumna of the Year

2009-07-18T01:59:00.000-07:00

I have just returned from attending a Graduation ceremony at the University of Essex where I received the award of Alumna of the Year . It was fantastic to meet up with my old lecturers again and to have the opportunity to look around the Latin American art collection.

Here is a copy of my speech:

I feel very honoured to be here speaking to you all at the start of your careers. When I was asked to speak, I deliberated over how I could draw from my experience and talk about the importance of working ethically in your future careers. Surveys have found that almost 90% of graduates consider high ethical standards to be important when deciding where to work, but will you still have the luxury of that sort of choice in the current economic climate?

I really believe that it is important not to adopt the cynicism of the marketplace. Not all organisations and markets are in decline and the good news is that ethics are going to be increasingly important in this post-recession world. I believe that a new approach to conducting business must arise from the ashes of this boom and bust period in our economic history and that actually makes this a very exciting time to be graduating. At a time when the world is struggling to recover from financial crisis, as well as dealing with political uncertainties, economic disparity and the challenge of climate change, we need new political, economic and cultural models which can change people's attitudes and behaviour. I hope that you leave this University with high aspirations that you can be role models for a new way of doing business.

I certainly know about working counter to prevailing trends and I also know that many alternative business models are thriving in these challenging times. I started Pachacuti in the last recession in 1992, the year after I completed my Masters in Native American Studies here at Essex. Whilst researching for my dissertation, I went to Ecuador and saw the opportunity to provide work for producers with traditional skills by providing training anddesign input. I set up my business with a small loan and the belief that I could make a difference to preserving traditional skills and improving the livelihoods of textile producers in the Andes. Seventeen years on I now have1200 people who depend on me for their income. As an entrepreneur and an optimist, I went into this currentrecession with very a positive outlook, really believing that it was an opportunity for us to dig out a bigger niche in the marketplace and oust some of the brands who had become complacent over the years. Well it certainly seems to have worked as sales are up over 100% on last year.

I believe that the reason Pachacuti has been so successful is that I

didn't simply pioneer working ethically in the fashion industry and then rest on my laurels, but I have constantly pushed standards higher, frustrated at the low ethical claims many high street retailers are making. Pachacuti this year became the first organisation in the world to be certified by the World Fair Trade Organisation for our sustainable, fair trade supply chain. We will be exhibiting at both London and Paris fashion week where we will launch a new fair trade label on our Panama hats. We are now working on an EU project to track our Panama hats by satellite from the communities where they are woven to provide visible accountabilty of their provenance. If I can push Fair Trade standards as high as possible, I can use this vantage point to shine a light back on the abysmally poor working practices in other parts of the industry and help to bring about positive change for garment workers around the world.

As you embark on the start of your careers, or set up your own businesses, every single one of you has an important contribution to make to society. We all need to play our part in making sense of the world we live in today and to create more sustainable ways of living and working in the future. You will need to react to change quickly, to seize opportunities and find ways to work collaboratively, tohelp create sustainable institutions which put people and the environment ahead of the need to maximise profits. Your task as the new generation entering the workplace is to propel our society toward a better way of life based on the growth of the arts, science, culture, experience, education, rather than the interminable and unsustainable growth of mass production and mass consumption.

As you leave this phase of your education, be brave, be creative, be optimistic, keep learning and believe that you can play a positive role in creating a more sustainable society for our future.

Busiest month ever for Pachacuti

2009-06-18T14:06:00.000-07:00

Well, we certainly seem to be bucking the recession. Busiest month ever in May by miles (in 17 years of running Pachacuti). Need to take on at least 3 new members of staff to keep up as everyone is run off their feet. It seems like all the world want Panama Hats at the moment, which is fantastic news for us! They always say that a recession is a good time to differentiate your business and it seems to have worked for us. We are going to be rebranding in the autumn, with a nice new website as well, so we are really excited to see how this develops.

We have so many exciting projects in the pipeline at the moment, both in the UK and with our producers in South America. As well as our ongoing work on the SFTMS action plans with our producers, our panama weavers are going to be partipating in an EU Geo-Fair Trade project. This will track the provenance of our products back to the communities where they are made. Of course, this is really essential for Panama hats as genuine Panamas are only made in Ecuador. I'd love to think that sometime soon a customer could buy one of our hats, put a code into the GPS and see exactly where their hat was made.

Travels in May

2009-06-03T02:40:00.000-07:00

What a busy month. Haven't yet worked out how to update my blog from the IPhone, but you can see updates on Twitter @Carrysomers

In the middle of May I was invited by the World Fair Trade Organisation WFTO to go out to Nepal to address the conference on our experience of participating in the pilot for the SFTMS. As the first organisation in the world to go through external auditing against the draft standard, both in the UK and in South America, it was really valuable to be there and to tell everyone about the positive benefits which the certification process has brought to the structure of our business. The process has given the producers a real say in how we development our annual improvement programme so that they can direct how Fair Trade can best benefit their business, whether through improvements in health & safety, training in skills, environmental sustainability or community projects.

I got so much positive feedback about my talk at the conference, even from people who I knew were not in favour of the new label, that it has certainly boosted my confidence in public speaking and I now feel that I could talk anywhere! It's a hurdle I've wanted to get over and I knew that speaking to 200 people would be a good way to get over my nerves and I actually quite enjoyed the experience in the end!

Sunrise flight over the Himalayas to see Mount Everest was a definite highlight of the trip and the only thing I got to see outside of the hotel.

Straight after coming back from Nepal (with horrible bug or food poisoning, still haven't worked out what it is and no time to go to doctor) it was straight to Chelsea Flower Show the next day. What madness! Everyone loved our hats and some people were walking out with four or five at a time! We had a great reaction to our new range of narrow brimmed panama hats in a range of colours and styles.

Then up to Scotland for a three day family holiday near Loch Morlich, where I used to spend every childhood holiday. Could have done without being laid up with Kathmandu tummy, but it was lovely to revisit all the places where we used to walk every year. Back down to the Lake District then for the Holker Festival - always one of our favourite events of the year.

This morning it has been the filming for my video for the Women in Ethical Business Awards and now off to London for the Observer Ethical Awards tonight. Off to pick up my dress which I haven't even seen yet! It is made by the incredibly talented Amin Phillips (Love and be Loved) who made my dress for my visit to the Queen, so I have every confidence in his ability to create something stunning for this evening.

Awards & Press

2009-05-09T02:43:00.000-07:00

Here at Pachacuti we have had an exciting few weeks hearing that we are shortlisted for 3 awards:

I am a down to the final 3 in the Women in Ethical Business Awards Small Business category. You can vote for me at The Times online here
I am also shortlisted in the Social Entrepreneur category of the Ernst&Young Entrepreneur of the Year awards in the Midlands/Northern region
Finally, we are finalists in the Observer Ethical Awards with our Panama Hats in the Fashion category.
June will be an exciting month with three award ceremonies to attend.

Pachacuti has had some fantastic press and PR over the past few months, featuring in The Telegraph, The Times, Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, Easy Living, French Elle and more... see our press photos here

Our mail order department and shop have been very busy over the past month with sales substantially up on last year. Pachacuti started in a recession in '92 and so we feel well placed to weather this downturn. In fact, we see it as an opportunity to carve out a niche for ourselves and thrive. I believe that consumers are looking for ways to connect with the products they buy. They want to know that the money they spend is well spent, both in terms of buying a quality, durable product and also knowing that the purchase will benefit marginalised producer groups on the other side of the world. Stylish designs which will last for years, made slowly, with care and attention to detail, under the highest fair trade and environmental standards - all of these will set us apart from the competition and I believe that we will be a stronger organisation at the end of 2009.

Our First Fair Trade Report

2009-05-05T06:19:00.000-07:00

Just in time for World Fair Trade Day!

Pachacuti is the first 100% Fair Trade company to complete the Pilot for the World Fair Trade Organisation's new certification process. We have been audited by certified EU auditors, both in the UK and in South America. As part of the requirements of the SFTMS standard, we have completed our first Fair Trade Report which gives details of our fair trade and environmental work from last year and commitments undertaken during the current year. To download a copy of the report click on the following link:

Pachacuti Fair Trade Report 2008-9

Sustainable Fair Trade Management System completed

2009-04-11T12:48:00.000-07:00

We have finally completed the SFTMS - the first pilot fair trade organisation in the world to pass through the process and be audited. It has been a lot of work and a steep learning curve over the past 9 months for myself, Mark, my staff and all of our producer groups in Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. This month an auditor visited some of our Ecuadorian producer groups and we also received an auditor at our Ashbourne offices. We have completed our first Fair Trade report which gives details of our fair trade and environmental work last year and commitments undertaken during the current year as a result of our assessments of producer groups carried out last October.

All of our producer groups have kept to their action plans which are bringing about social, health and safety and capacity building improvements. For example, our embroidery group have all had eye tests and I will be buying glasses for those who need them. It seems that a lot of the embroiderers require an eye operation rather than glasses and so this will be a large additional expense. However, the embroiderers themselves certainly do not have the finances for an operation and so this will have to be paid for by Pachacuti.

We have seen so many improvements since starting work on the SFTMS in terms of our relationship with our producers, particularly with regard to implementing quality control checks, improving processes and procedures and finding ways to improve transatlantic communication. It has really brought about long-lasting benefits to the way we operate and we are excited to be the first Fair Trade organisation in the world to have completed the pilot. We look forward to the eventual launch of the label by the WFTO as we hope that this certification will lead to increased sales from mainstream buyers and bring lasting benefit to our producer groups.

Hatty Award Winner

2009-01-11T12:36:00.000-08:00

I am really honoured to have been chosen as a winner in the first-ever Hat Life Hatty Awards. Hatty Awards for 2008 have been given to designers or companies that have shown leadership and inventiveness in the headwear industry.

Hat Life Magazine said "This years’ winners were chosen by a panel of judges from a large group of nominees. Although creativity is an important ingredient in the Hatty Award mix, it takes more than just a pretty hat to make the grade. It takes a bit of bravado and a lot of dedication to be singled out among your peers". Hat Life was established in 1872 and a page about my work will appear in the 2009 Hat Life Directory - the encyclopedia of the hat industry.

University of Essex Alumnus of the Year 2009

2008-12-09T13:47:00.000-08:00

I was working at home today on the SFTMS as I needed to concentrate on analysing the data we had collected on our trip. It wasn't until the end of the day that I walked down the path of our little cottage in the chilly Staffordshire hills and checked the letterbox. Inside the box was a letter from the University of Essex saying that I had been chosen as their Alumnus of the Year for 2009. I feel incredibly honoured at receiving such an accolade, particularly when I think about how many graduates and postgraduates pass through the University each year in such a variety of fields.

I gave up my chance of a fully funded PhD in order to work with the co-operatives I had met whilst on the research trip for my MA in Native American Studies (University of Essex 1990-91). Two of the groups had experienced arson attacks due to the threat they posed to the power of the middlemen and I realised that the access to market which I provided was their only source of income. As I result, I made the hard decisions to postpone my PhD at Essex (indefinitely it seems, as it is now over 16 years later) and instead to spend my time helping these groups by designing knitwear suitable for export and training them in design skills and business development. I'm sure that I made the right decision, but do often regret that I was not able to spend the time researching my PhD. This award of Alumnus of the Year provides a real validation of the worth of the work I have been carrying out and I hope that I will be able to set an example to other graduates when I attend the graduation ceremony in July and demonstrate that ethics and entrepreneurship can combine to create a successful business model.

SFTMS Baseline Assessment in South America

2008-12-09T13:21:00.000-08:00

Evaluation of Pachacuti's SFTMS Baseline Assessment Trip

15 October – 2 November 2008

We have recently completed our first baseline for the SFTMS (Sustainable Fair Trade Management System) with 8 producer groups in Ecuador, Bolivia and Peru. The assessments were led by Belen Sanchez, a Masters student from Ecuador who worked with us as an intern for two months over the summer and developed the tools for this work. I gave a presentation to each group about Fair Trade and the work of Pachacuti in South America and took notes throughout the process and Mark Rogers, my husband, did the Eco Mapping and took photographs of the day's activities.

The assessments took the form of 1-2 day long meetings designed to engage and elicit input from each group’s administration, employees and/or homeworkers. Each assessment involved:

1. Pre-screening in the UK- analysing market, legal, quality and customer requirements pertinent to each group
2. Fair Trade Principles Analysis– investigating producers’ understanding of and adherence to Fair Trade princples.
3. Group Structure/Organigram- defining different roles within each group to facilitate communication
4. Employees / Homeworkers Feedback- providing feedback from the workers on how Fair Trade is affecting their lives, covering issues such as Fair Wage, Training, Satisfaction with the quantity of work, Health and Safety and Satisfaction with the management of the group.
5. Production flow chart- analysing the workflow of the organisation with the aim of implementing quality control practices in the production process
6. Eco-mapping- identifying social, environmental and health and safety issues in our producer’s production processes and premises
7. Working plan- mutually identifying and prioritising actions to be implemented as a result of discussion about the above points which will improve their adherence to fair trade principles and our fair trade business relationship.

I believe that the SFTMS baseline assessment allowed us to gain a greater understanding of our producer groups and provided a basis for effectively communicating and planning our fair trade business relationship. Feedback provided by the groups generally found the SFTMS baseline assessments to be a very rewarding and educational experience for them.

A few common observances were deduced from our SFTMS baseline assessment experience.
The SFTMS:
1. Provides a structured and objective way of looking at each organisation and their FT business relationship with Pachacuti. This was the first time for many groups to sit down and take a strategic look at their business and how it works.
2. Cleared up confusion, over what is Fair Trade and the FT requirements. Remarkably, after a 7 year trading relationship with Pachacuti, one group still thought Fair Trade was a european company .
3. Helped to identify weaknesses and opportunities for improvement within each organisation and their fair trade relationship with Pachacuti. During the assessments, most organisations appointed new responisibilities to members which will improve their efficiency.
4. Gives a greater voice to the workers. By speaking directly to us without management present, workers were able to give unhindered feedback about the amount they were being paid, their health and safety, skills development and the general conditions of their work. This allows Pachacuti to have real information to assess and develop how our fair trade activities can improve the quality of our producers lives.
5. Immediate positive impacts to the health and safety of our workers. Many workers complained about the dust from raw materials, but didn’t like wearing their mask while working. We agreed with management that a new policy be implemented making workers wear masks when needed. Pachacuti has also agreed to purchase 2 professional respirators for chemical handling. We have also agreed to pay for eye tests for our embroiderers and look into ways of providing glasses for all 80 members of the embroidery group and will pay for a medical examination for our alpaca knitters who cannot afford to visit the doctor.
6. Gave us greater insight into the importance of the organisations for the participating members. We were told by one embroidery group- “We are more than a business, we are community and a family.” Another group of knitters said – “There are no chiefs here- we are all equal parts of the community. “
7. Highlighted positive environmental improvements already being made by our groups. We were very pleased to see the water filtering and recycling system of our hat producers and the solar hot water heater of our natural dye knitters. We are also exploring how we might be able fund one group’s water motor project as part of our carbon offsetting.
8. Strengthen Pachacuti’s ability to offer assistance to our suppliers. By taking an in-depth look into how our suppliers work, we were able to pass on best business practice.
9. Allows producers to direct how Fair Trade will benefit them the most. By developing an annual action plan with Pachacuti, producers prioritise and commit to activities which will strengthen their organisation.

The trip provided a valuable insight into the work of our producers and we were really pleased with the standards which we saw and the feedback which we received about the difference which our fair trade purchasing makes to the producers and their communities.

Winner of two Re:Fashion Awards

2008-11-14T13:19:00.000-08:00

What an incredible evening we had last night! Shoreditch Town Hall was the setting for the very glamorous Re:Fashion Awards, the world's first awards dedicated to ethical fashion.

I really hadn't expected to win - and certainly not to win two awards! The list of finalists was impressive (Pachacuti was up against the likes of People Tree and Pants to Poverty) and there are so many of the finalists who didn't win but have made such a significant contribution to ethical fashion, such as Junky Styling. Walking away with two awards - Re:Business and Re:People - on the night was amazing recognition of the integrity of Pachacuti as a fair trade, sustainable fashion brand. I feel so honoured to have received such a high level acknowledgment of my work as one of the very first pioneers in the world of ethical fashion and also the current groundbreaking work we are doing in the pilot for the new standard on fair trade, sustainable product certification. It really is a very exciting time for all of us at Pachacuti!

In the past, we have often felt that being out of the fashion epicentre of London works against our business; somehow the idea that you can't have a credible fashion label based in rural Derbyshire. I think that these two awards have catapulted us into the spotlight as so many people hadn't heard of Pachacuti, although they have probably seen a lot of clothing and accessories which are own-labelled for major retailers without being conscious of the fact that they are produced by us.

The Re:Business Award was the first of the night and when Pachacuti was announced as the winner I just about leapt out of my chair in excitement. However, when I went forward to collect the award, there was no obvious way to reach the stage and when Mark and I looked up, the award had been taken off the stage. We went back to our seats and thought that it was a bit odd that the awards weren't actually being presented to the winners. As the shortlist for the Re:People Awards was being announced, I was told to go around to the backstage area to receive my award and so missed the actual announcement about the winner of the next category. I went onto the stage expecting to now receive my Re:Business Award and was confused to receive the People Award instead - a beautiful, giant recycled glass construction. We came off stage and mentioned to one of the organisers that we had been given the wrong award. It was only when I got back to our table and asked who had won the Re:People Award as we had missed it, that we were told that we had in fact won that as well! It just had never crossed my mind as I had thought that People Tree would undoubtedly win the People Award. So I left clutching two huge, and rather fragile, glass trophies which we will exhibit with great pride in our shop window.

I really hope that winning this award will raise Pachacuti's profile and that this will, in turn, result in more orders for our producer groups. Having just returned from South America, the one thing every group wanted was more work and so I hope that, through these two awards, our clothing and accessories will become known to a wider audience.

Re:Fashion Awards Finalist

2008-11-05T13:52:00.000-08:00

The RE:Fashion Awards are the first awards dedicated to ethical fashion and I am very pleased to have been selected as a finalist in two categories, Re:People and Re:Business. The awards are designed to recognise designers and manufacturers who are making the fashion industry more ethical and sustainable through improving social and environmental standards.

The judging panel includes Katharine Hamnett, Hilary Alexander and Jane Shepherdson. It sounds as if it will be a very glamorous evening culminating in a fashion show featuring outfits by Vivienne Westwood, Zandra Rhodes, Preen and more.

Having spent the past three weeks in Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia carrying out a busy schedule of producer workshops to analyse and improve ethical and environmental standards with our producers, I certainly feel that the nomination has come at a very appropriate time. We are carrying out the pilot for the Sustainable Fair Trade Management System which will certify the production process, as opposed to the current label on the raw materials. As such, we have worked with each producer group to look at issues ranging from a fair price to health and safety to recycling of waste.

The findings were fascinating and we have strengthened the relationship with our producer groups as a result. In addition, we now have an action plan for the next year, both for ourselves and each producer group, in order to improve any areas where we have identified the need for improvement. This has ranged from undertaking to pay for sight tests and finding charities providing reduced price glasses for the embroiderers of our childrenswear to looking into the creation of a Spring/Summer range of alpaca/silk knitwear for 2010 as many of our knitters desperately need more work in the early Spring.

On the whole, we were incredibly impressed by all of our producer groups and their commitment to Fair Trade values and environmental compliance. Whilst carrying out an Eco Map of our panama hat associations premises, we found they had recently installed a complete water recycling system to re-use all water used in the production process. In Bolivia, our natural dye group had a solar water heater waiting to be installed.

The most common problems were probably the most easy to address: health issues resulting from workers not wearing face masks, which in most cases they possessed but they didn't like wearing them!

We worked with several of the groups to look at their pricing policy, calculating everything from the cost of raw materials to the minimum wage for everyone involved in the production process down to final cent for the bag to deliver the goods to the shipper. It was very rewarding to hear from groups about how excited they were to have a Pachacuti order as they knew they would earn more money.

However, there is still a lot more to do and many more of our producers who, although paid a good price for the items they make for us, are just not making the volume of products to earn a good living. Despite the economic gloom, I know that the clothing and accessories we make sell incredibly well for us and for our trade customers - I just need to find more outlets for their beautiful products so that I can keep these women in year round employment, supporting their families and strengthening their communities.

Winner - Entrepreneur with a Conscience 2008

2008-09-16T06:39:00.001-07:00

I was very excited to be named the winner of the Make your Mark/handbag.com Entrepreneur with a Conscience award. The award recognises an entrepreneur who has combined the principles of a successful business with an emphasis on addressing issues concerning society and the environment. The list of finalists for the award was very impressive, including Safia Minney of People Tree, and I was really surprised when John Bird, founder of the Big Issue, read out my name.

I was presented with a beautiful necklace from La Diosa by Carrie Grant (Fame Academy). Coincidentally, back in the late 80s I once operated a spotlight on Carrie's husband David Grant during one of his concerts which is probably one of the hardest jobs I have ever had in my life! I will also receive exclusive one-to-one mentoring and advice from Margaret Heffernan – famed chief executive, author and star of The Secret Millionaire.

Make Your Mark is the national campaign to unlock the UK’s enterprise potential. I hope that winning this award will provide me with a platform from which to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs to work more ethically.

Girls, Make Your Mark! Awards

2008-08-17T06:06:00.000-07:00

I am very pleased to have been selected as a finalist in the Entrepreneur with a Conscience category in the Girls Make your Mark Awards. I have been working as a Female Ambassador for the past year and this has involved many visits to schools and colleges, as well as accepting students on work placements at Pachacuti, in order to encourage girls and young women to become the entrepreneurs of the future. It is a role which I really enjoy and it has been very satisfying to see the fruits of some of this work, such as the fashion show at our local secondary school. I am passionate about encouraging the next generation of fashion and textile entrepreneurs to work more ethically and I have taken four undergraduates and graduates in fashion and design out to South America so that they could see their designs being made, work with our producer groups and eventually take the finished garments to trade shows in the UK and Paris. This is really an unparalleled opportunity to undertake fair trade fashion placements and I know that the trips have inspired the students in their future careers.

Belén, our Ecuadorian Intern

2008-07-31T23:08:00.000-07:00

Belén Sanchez starts a seven week internship with Pachacuti today. I met her from the train station and I am really excited to work with her on the fair trade label over the next few months. She is currently taking an MA in Microenterprise in Leipzig and has worked in Ecuador with small co-operatives teaching them how to cost their products and how to manage the organisation of their business. I am sure that she will bring a lot of knowledge to our work on the label pilot and will be invaluable in preparing a lot of the paperwork in Spanish.

Sustainable Fair Trade Management System Pilot in Thailand

2008-07-07T09:02:00.000-07:00

I have spent the past five days in Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand where the pilot project for the SFTMS has been taking shape.

Several years ago, when peope started talking about the possibiity of a Fair Trade label for handicrafts, I thought that Panama hats would be the perfect product to bear this label as they once symbolised colonial rule, but our Fair Trade panamas now demonstrate the benefit of putting the power in the hands of the produers. A few months ago I was informed that Pachacuti had been selected for the pilot project which is very exciting.

The Sustainable Fair Trade Management System is being established to address a significant gap in product labelling of Fair Trade goods and their production processes. It is intended to provide an independent, transparent and robust third party certification process for Fair Trade Organisations that have Fair Trade at the heart of their mission.

This will be the first international fair trade label which guarantees a fair trade supply chain, as opposed to the FLO label on the commodity, and the label will be given to Fair Trade Organisation who can demonstrate that Fair Trade and sustainability permeate their business practices. Our first challenge will be to carry out a baseline assessment of the majority of our producer groups in Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. This will include partipatory workshops with our producers to look at the supply chain, waste management, energy efficiency, health and safety, business capability, product design and quality, producer wealth, indigenous resources, skills and knowledge.

I am looking forward to the challenge of carrying out this pilot project and producing working models which can be replicated on a large scale by other Fair Trade Organisations. As many of our producers are illiterate, a lot of the participatory assessments will be based on eco-mapping and weather map models which are visual and easy to understand by all involved in the process.

Work/Life Balance

2008-07-02T10:21:00.000-07:00

It’s my daughter Sienna’s birthday and I have to go to Thailand for a conference. I know that she doesn’t mind the fact that we only have time for a brief ‘birthday breakfast’ before I fly out to Thailand for the week, but I have missed her birthday so many times for work engagements and wish I could be there more often. However, I do feel that I have really started to establish a much better work/life balance over the past two years, partly down to having more and better staff who can be left in charge of running the different sections of the business. I have spent so many years juggling working an 80 hour week with bringing up my daughter, that I am relieved to feel that a work/life balance is starting to materialise. I still work a full day and most nights until late, but I at least have a scattering of weekends at home over the Summer now, which is something which never occurred before. My husband, daughter and I even had our first fortnight family holiday together this year. It's the longest time I've taken off work since I started Pachacuti 16 years ago (even when Sienna was born I was out working at a show after 10 days with her slung in a hammock under rails of dresses!)

WEBA Awards

2008-06-22T06:22:00.000-07:00

Although I was obviously disappointed not to win the Ethical Entrepreneur of the Year in the WEBA awards on Thursday, I had an amazing evening and met so many women from ethical businesses around the UK. Everybody was incredibly kind and I had a queue of people at the end telling me that they thought ours was the best video of the night! You can watch the video here
I left feeling very proud of my achievements, despite not winning, as I can't ever remember receiving so many wonderful comments about our work before.

Many congratulations to Solitaire Townsend from Futerra Communications who carried off the award on the night.

Hopefully, through being a finalist in the WEBAs, I can continue to inspire the ethical fashion entrepreneurs of the future. In fact, this week we are taking on a new placement student, Lydia Squire, who has just graduated from Derby University. She will be working with us to gain a deeper knowledge of ethical business practice and to put the skills she has learnt during her fashion degree to practical use. So many of the students and graduates who have worked with us have now set up their own ethical fashion labels and it really is a privilege to be in a position to be able to inspire and encourage the designers and makers of future years.

Derby University Student Fashion Show

2008-06-17T18:52:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I attended the Derby University final year Fashion Show and was really impressed by the collection of Lydia Squire. When I looked through her portfolio I found that she had an interest in ethical fashion and had undertaken some ethical work placements as part of her degree. As a result, she came for an interview today and will start a work placement with Pachacuti for the summer, followed by part-time work for the next year while she undertakes further studies. I have always seen the provision of work placements as a key part of Pachacuti’s work as it is vital to encourage the next generation of designers to work more ethically if we are to create a more sustainable fashion industry.

QEGS Fashion Show

2008-05-22T23:15:00.000-07:00

I have been working with the textiles students at the Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School in order to put on an Eco Chic Fashion Show tonight. In addition to clothing which the students had made in their textiles class, we were also helped by Cancer Research who provided some very high quality clothing for the students to wear, along with Pachacuti outfits which the students picked out themselves on a class visit to our shop. The evening was well attended and was a great success for the students who looked poised and confident on the catwalk and put on a really impressive performance. The fashion show was followed by a talk by Julie from Rags4Riches about the importance of good undergarments and the power of accessories. It was certainly an enjoyable evening for the audience and the students should feel really proud of themselves as I know that it took a lot for some of them to go out onto the catwalk and they all pulled it off with great aplomb!

Women in Ethical Business Entrepreneur Award

2008-03-19T13:56:00.000-07:00

I am very pleased to have been shortlisted in the Eve magazine/Triodos Bank Women in Ethical Business Award (WEBA) Entrepreneur category 2008. This is fantastic recognition of our pioneering work in fair trade fashion and will help us to continue raising awareness of the inequalties in the fashion industry and draw attention to fairer, more sustainable working practices.

Winner - Commitment to the Community Award

2008-03-07T09:40:00.000-08:00

The Business Awards Derbyshire is the county’s premier showcase for enterprise, endeavour and commercial success. At the 2008 awards ceremony on Friday, hosted by Giles Brandreth, Pachacuti was announced as the winner of the Commitment to the Community Award.

The Award is designed to demonstrate that community engagement can actively enhance a company’s business model and reinforce success. This award category attracted many high calibre applicants and we fought off strong competition to carry off the award on the night.

Pachacuti’s involvement with its local community includes participation in the Fairtrade Town initiative, One World Group, Ashbourne Reward Scheme, offering placements to fashion students from Derby University and working with textiles students at QEGS to put on a fashion show this spring. I am also a Business Language Champion, part of a national scheme designed to pair schools, in this case QEGS, with local businesses in order to demonstrate the relevance of languages for the students future careers. As a member of the UK Female Amabassadors Programme, I also spend time providing advice for female entrepreneurs of the future, particularly those involved in ethical businesses.

As a fair trade business, we are also committed to supporting development projects in the South American communities who make their clothing, accessories and panama hats. Recent projects include the construction of a co-operative grocery shop and support for alcoholics and their wives. This year we will begin to fund an annual panama hat apprenticeship scheme which will enable 20 young weavers to undertake two year apprenticeships and will help to stem the migration of young people to urban areas.

I also made it through several rounds of judging to be one of three finalists in the Entrepreneur of the Year category. Although I was disappointed not to be the eventual winner, Gyles Brandreth called for a special round of applause for the two female entrepreneurs, myself and Rebecca Cadnam-Jones of KC Jones Events and said that we had both demonstrated remarkable business skills to make it through to the final.

Regional Winner in the Edge Awards

2007-11-01T06:17:00.000-07:00

We are very excited to have been crowned the regional winner of the Edge Awards 2007, winning a prize of £5,000 for further investment into training and development of young people. After battling it out to win the small business category, we will now go through to the national finals to be held in November.

Edge is an independent foundation dedicated to raising the desirability and status of vocational and practical learning among 14 - 25 year olds of all levels of ability. Pachacuti has been involved in providing practical learning for young people for over a decade. We have close links with Derby University and have worked with many students and graduates from the fashion and textiles courses. Several of the placements have included trips to South America, funded by Pachacuti, which provides an incredible opportunity for the students to work with fair trade producers in order to see their designs being made (see photograph). So many fashion students want to work ethically but there are very few opportunities for training in the field of fair trade fashion. I hope that we can use this award money to expand our current training programme and ultimately to establish a fair trade apprenticeship scheme. We have already used some of the prize money to fund an 8 weeks training opportunity for a marketing graduate from Derby University who started working with us this week.

Andy Powell, CEO of Edge said, “Edge is delighted to award this prize to Pachacuti ... This is a great example of the good work we want to praise and reward.”

On 22 November I will be attending the awards ceremony in London, together with some of our young learners, to discover whether we have won the national award.

Top 100 Ethical Heroes

2007-07-10T14:40:00.000-07:00

New Consumer magazine has chosen the 100 people who they think have made the biggest contribution to ethical consumption over the past five years. I came in at no. 77 and feel quite honoured to have beaten Bono and Sienna Miller! Read more at www.newconsumer.com

Winner of British Small Business Champions Ethical Award

2007-06-16T12:26:00.001-07:00

We are delighted to have won the FSB British Small Business Champions Ethical Award 2007.

We attended the black tie Gala Award dinner at Gibson Hall in London on 12th June, one of the finest old banking halls in the City, where I was presented with the award by a representative from the Co-operative Bank.

It was a wonderful evening with family and friends and winning the award is fantastic recognition for the hard work which myself and all my staff have put into Pachacuti over the last 15 years.

Encouraging Women Entrepreneurs

2007-05-20T09:07:00.000-07:00

Margaret Hodge, Minister of Industry and the Regions, called a Women’s Enterprise Summit in London in March in order to hear about the challenges facing women entrepreneurs. I was one of 15 entrepreneurs invited to give the Government a better understanding of the problems and barriers women face in business. Margaret Hodge will now consider whether there are any practical policies which would help to increase the number of female-owned ventures. She has proposed a follow-up meeting to which Gordon Brown will also be invited. The women entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to put forward to him their suggestions as to how the Government can encourage more women into setting up business ventures.

Regional Finalist in British Small Business Champions

2007-05-20T09:03:00.000-07:00

Pachacuti has been selected as a regional finalist for the Midlands region in the ethical category of the FSB Small Business Champions Award. We feel very proud to have reached this stage of the awards. Judging will take place in May to select the overall category winner from the Midlands region who will then go on to a glittering national awards ceremony in London.

Ashbourne Local Loyalty Cards

2007-05-20T09:02:00.000-07:00

On 8th June, Ashbourne will be launching a Shop Local loyalty card scheme, rewarding shoppers for their purchases at participating retailers in the town.

Pachacuti is delighted to be participating in the Ashbourne loyalty card scheme as this is an idea which I have been talking about for years! Shopping locally brings huge financial benefits to the local economy. Every £1 spent with a local supplier is worth £1.76 to the local economy, but only 36p if it is spent out of the area. The card costs £5 and can then be used in any of the shops to accrue points. Pachacuti will be donating profits from the sale of our cards to renovating the homes of our elderly panama hat weavers who always complain about the poor state of repair of their small adobe houses whenever I visit them in Ecuador. Pachacuti will be offering a £10 voucher for every 100 points spent in our shop, with 1 point earnt per £1 spent.

A Royal Valentine's Day

2007-02-18T04:09:00.000-08:00

I was surprised to receive a rather special Valentine’s card this year - an invitation to meet The Queen! I was invited to Buckingham Palace on 14th February in recognition of my significant contribution to UK business.

The reception for Women in Business took place in the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace where champagne and canapes were served to 200 guests. All of the male members of the royal household were banished for the day and the female members of the family were all there to recognise the achievements of the country’s top businesswomen who have made it to the top by their own efforts. The royal line-up was composed of The Queen, The Princess Royal, The Duchess of Cornwall, The Countess of Wessex and The Duchess of Gloucester.

It was an incredible honour to be invited to meet The Queen and other members of the Royal Family and to receive royal recognition for my work. I also met the designer Cath Kidston who has been an inspiration to me as she also started her business with no design experience and I enjoyed talking to Sharon Osbourne as well. Other guests included Jacqueline Gold, founder of Ann Summers, Debbie Moore of Pineapple Dance Studios and Emma Harrison, formerly on Dragon’s Den. We were all so delighted that our hard work had been recognised at the highest level and there was an incredible sense of camaraderie amongst all of the guests.

It is certainly a Valentine’s Day which I shall remember for the rest of my life!

Meeting the Queen

2007-01-18T14:27:00.000-08:00

I am very honoured to have been invited to Buckingham Palace on 14th February to meet The Queen in recognition of my 'significant contribution to UK business'. I am wondering whether to turn up in my morris minor at the palace!

Embroidered belts and bags from Peru

2006-12-20T19:36:00.000-08:00

My latest project involves working with wives of alcoholics in the sierra of Peru to give them an independent means of income and restore their self-esteem. I am committed to the sustainable use of natural dyes which formed part of the research for my proposed PhD and the wool is dyed with natural dyes from within their community, then hand-loomed and hand-embroidered.

I have just returned from Top Drawer, a London wholesale show, where we received a significant number of orders for these beautiful belts and bags and I have already sold over 500 in three months to retail customers. I am excited about the possibility of being able to make such a difference to the lives of these rural women who will be able to earn enough independent income to support their families.

Visiting my Panama weavers on All Soul's Day

2006-11-01T21:30:00.000-08:00

Sometimes it seems that I can do so little in the face of so much need in rural Andean communities and yet when I visit them they are so grateful for the trade which I bring and the extra money I put into various projects. It was the Ist of the month and so all of the elderly weavers were arriving to collect their small pensions. I agreed to extend the pension provision to a further 10 weavers whose situation is particularly precarious and gave all of the elderly weavers in the association an All Soul's Day bonus. They were obviously so grateful for the financial gift that some of them were in tears and they called me 'the Queen of all the Saints'! It really is very humbling to see how much difference a small amount of money can make to their lives.

Not only do my weavers receive good remuneration for their skills, but I provide a monthly wage for the director of the association so that she no longer has to tend to cows at 4am to earn extra income. The additional income generated provides a medical and funeral fund and I also contribute to capital expenditure such as new hat blocks. The extra income from the sale of Pachacuti's panama hats has been used to buy land to build a grocery store which will be built in 2007 in order to improve levels of nutrition within the community.

Winner of Country Living Enterprising Rural Women Awards 2006

2006-08-02T16:50:00.001-07:00

I am delighted to have won the award for the best growing business in the Country Living Enterprising Rural Women Awards 2006 which recognises and rewards excellence in rural-based businesses. I attended the award ceremony at Hampton Court in July where I learnt that I had won the award, accompanied by my daughter Sienna who was the inspiration for my latest business venture.

The judges were looking for a growing business and chose me as the winner as I have dramatically increased sales this year, supporting over 400 panama hat weavers and 300 milliners, felt makers and knitters throughout Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. Moreover, with my husband, Mark Rogers, I have set up the UK's first fair trade, organic school uniform company. The judges said “Passion, principles and perseverance have helped Carry Somers take her clothing company Pachacuti from strength to strength, to the benefit of third world communities and her local market town, Ashbourne, in Derbyshire".

Winning this award shows that it is possible to run a successful fashion business from a rural location. It also demonstrates the growing acceptance of fair trade and environmentally conscious clothing. The award couldn't have come at a better time as we have just received our first delivery of 100 boxes of junior school uniforms - shirts, skirts, pinafores, trousers, PE kits and sweatshirts. Clean Slate was created in response to concern about the potentially harmful effects of chemical finishes commonly used on school uniforms. I was unable to buy teflon-free schoolwear for my daughter Sienna and this inspired me to invest in an alternative, sweatshop-free, ‘clean’ uniform.

Clean Slate embodies the socially-responsible business model - school uniforms are all made from certified organic cotton, by a non-profit organisation run by catholic nuns in India. Many of the workers are disadvantaged and disabled women who, through the training, support and employment provided, are able to be rehabilitated into mainstream society. Moreover, any surplus generated in India is then used to fund social projects, such as schools for children with disabilities, orphanages and nursing homes.

Country Living editor Suzy Smith says “These awards celebrate the ingenuity and drive of women who have brought real benefit to their local communities. In Carry’s case, her business has completely changed the fortune of a number of poor rural communities in South America as well. Add to this the green credentials of her products and Carry’s company, Pachacuti, becomes the personification of everything that Country Living espouses".

Welcome to Pachacuti

2006-05-12T22:11:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Pachacuti Diary. Regularly updated with news and information.

Pachacuti offers fair trade clothing and accessories, designed by Pachacuti and created by our producer groups in the Andes who use their traditional skills to create beautiful, individual garments.

Finalist in Country Living Enterprising Rural Women Award 2006

2006-05-12T11:29:00.000-07:00

For the second year running I have been selected as a finalist in the prestigious Country Living Enterprising Rural Women Award.

I was in Cusco,Peru when my husband called to tell me of my success. I know that the judging panel are looking for a creative, growing business. Being selected for the second consecutive year out of hundreds of nominations is a real achievment and I was delighted when I heard the news. I am a finalist in the Best Growing Business category and in the past year, in addition to developing my current range of clothing and accessories, my husband and I have set up Clean Slate producing the UK's first fair trade organic school uniforms.

I have just returned from a two week trip to Peru and Ecuador where I have been visiting existing producer groups and working on samples for my collection for 2007. I also made contact with some new organisations which I will be supporting in the future, one of which is a home for teenage single mothers, some as young as 13, many of whom have been the victims of sexual abuse. The Peruvian government discourages these girls from attending school which means that they and their children face a cycle of poverty. The Mantay organisation is providing these girls and their babies with a home, food and an education. The older girls spend four hours a day learning skills which will help to improve their chances of obtaining work when they leave the home. Pachacuti will be selling a range of their woven wool and leather bags and hopes to be able to provide places at the home for four additional girls. When I was walking up the dirt track to the home on the outskirts of Cusco and a stream of small children ran out to meet me and clustered around to hug my knees, I knew then and there that I wanted to do all I could to help these children have a better start in life.

Being selected as a finalist in the Enterprising Rural Women Awards is not only a great privilege but means that I will be able to continue to increase awareness of the difference fair trade makes.

The Awards ceremony and announcement of the winner will be made at Hampton Court on 6th July 2006.

UK's First Fair Trade School Uniform

2006-03-10T14:42:00.000-08:00

The First Fair Trade School Uniform

Clean Slate is launching the UK’s first range of Fair Trade and Organic School Uniforms during Fairtrade Fortnight. Clean Slate aims to be a revolutionary force in the £1billion schoolwear market by providing an ethical alternative for parents and schools who for the first time can purchase uniforms made from certified organic cotton fabrics and produced according to fair trade principles.

Carry Somers, co-founder of Clean Slate, says “Jamie Oliver brought the poor quality of school dinners to the awareness of the public and the government and his campaign inspired me to extend this accountability to the clothing our children wear to school. I have been designing fair trade clothing since 1992 and am excited at the response which my new project has already elicited from parents and teachers who share my concerns about sweatshop labour and environmental pollution”.

Worker exploitation is all too common in the garment industry where production migrates to the cheapest possible suppliers. Furthermore, cotton is the world’s most heavily sprayed agricultural crop accounting for 25% of annual insecticide use, posing a serious threat to the environment and the health of third world farmers.

Also of concern is the recent announcement by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency of the phase-out of a potentially carcinogenic compound, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), used in the manufacture of stain-resistant coatings for fabrics which are commonly used in ‘easycare’ children’s school uniforms.. According to EPA, PFOA can remain in the human body for up to four years, and small amounts of the chemical are found in a large portion of the general public.

WWF is one of the environmental groups that is working to highlight the dangers of PFOA and other man-made hazardous chemicals. "The recent revelations about PFOA are yet another example of why we need strong chemicals regulation in the EU and why related substances should not be used in school clothing" said Dr. Richard Dixon, Director of WWF Scotland.

As a result of these concerns, Clean Slate is offering a junior range of school uniform for ages 4-12. Most of the garments are made with certified organic cotton and all are produced following fair trade practices which include paying producers fair prices, ensuring good working conditions, promoting rural development and a committment to long-term relationships with suppliers. Clean Slate uniforms are made by an organisation in India which provides employment for women with disabilities and supports three schools.

Clean Slate will be launched at the New Consumer Fair Trade Experience in Glasgow which takes place on the 10th-11th March 2006 during Fairtrade Fortnight. Clean Slate school uniforms will be sold directly through schools and PTAs, enabling them to earn a percentage for their school fund. Parents will soon be able to purchase school uniforms and PE kits for their children direct from the website www.cleanslateclothing.co.uk

Clean Slate contact: Mark Rogers or Carry Somers
Office: 01335 345851 Mobile: 079800 46132 Home: 01538 266246
Email: enquiries@cleanslateclothing.co.uk

*WWF's Chemicals and Health Campaign has been working since 2003 to raise awareness of man-made hazardous chemicals and to lobby for improved legislation. WWF is concerned about the impacts of two groups of chemicals that are 'very persistent and very bioaccumulative chemicals' - those which persist for a long time and accumulate in our bodies and wildlife.

Nicky Golding, WWF Scotland, Communications Officer, mobile: 07771 818 683
email: ngolding@wwfscotland.org.uk

Pachacuti wins Central/Burton Business of the Year

2006-02-12T14:45:00.000-08:00

At a glamorous black tie dinner, I accepted the Business of the Year Award (under 10 employees) in the Central/Burton Mail Business Awards designed to recognise exceptional local business in Derbyshire and Staffordshire. The award was presented to me by BBC Midlands Today presenter Kay Alexander.

The judges of the Business of the Year Award were looking for a business which demonstrated all-round excellence. The award was the most highly contested category and the judges praised the high standard of all of the finalists. Pachacuti was chosen as the winner of the award for demonstrating that it is possible to create a successful fashion business founded on the principles of respect for the environment and fair trade working practices. The sponsors were impressed by Pachacuti’s rapid growth over the past year with retail and mail order sales increasing by 50% and wholesale by almost 150%.

I am surprised and delighted to have won this award. It is encouraging that the sponsors of the award saw that my success is measured by more than sales and profit levels. Every time I visit my producers in South America I can see the difference which my fair trade business makes to the lives of hundreds of families.

In addition to winning Business of the Year, Pachacuti was also runner-up in the Innovation and Creativity Award. The sponsors of this award, Mitel, said that the finalists showed a high degree of creativity and dynamism as well as ingenuity in exploring new ways to exploit their innovation to its fullest potential.

Fair Trade Fashion at Prêt-à-Porter, Paris

2006-02-10T14:51:00.000-08:00

I have recently returned from exhibiting Pachacuti's Autumn/Winter 2006 alpaca range alongside major fashion companies at Prêt-à-Porter in Paris. The organisers of this key international fashion event are so concerned at exploitation within the garment industry that they set aside an area of the show for fair trade, sustainable, organic and recycled fashion. I was able to use this opportunity to address the inequalities in the global fashion trade through raising awareness that Pachacuti offers a viable alternative to sweatshop-manufactured garments. I was really encouraged to see the interest in fair trade and buyers were concerned to see a link between fair trade production processes and environmental issues such as AZO free dyes and organic cotton. Pachacuti received some very large orders to supply shops in both France and Belgium.

Hats off to Harry Potter

2005-11-20T14:57:00.000-08:00

Warner Bros. scoured London to find hats which were appropriate for the visiting dignitaries to the Quidditch World Cup in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. They finally came across my website at www.panamas.co.uk and found exactly the styles they required.

I received a letter from the Wardrobe Department at Warner Bros. thanking her for the panamas and saying how impressed they were by the quality of the hats and the ethics behind Pachacuti, adding that they would continue to recommend my hats to other potential clients. They also sent a signed photograph of the cast for my daughter, Sienna.

I work with the only women’s panama co-operative in Ecuador, supporting 400 hat weavers. Panama hats traditionally pass through a chain of middlemen but with a Pachacuti panama the women undertake the entire process from weaving to finishing. Not only do the weavers receive good remuneration for their skills, but profits are used for medical expenses, community development and pensions for elderly weavers.

Just as the commodities which were exploited by colonists to the third world are now readily available as fair trade products - tea, coffee, cocoa, sugar - so one of the symbols of colonial rule, the ubiquitous panama hat, is starting a new life as a product which is created without the exploitation of the workers.