The month of October is celebrated as the “Month of fair trade” by the Fair Trade organisation. At Capsule Studio we want to take the opportunity to bring attention to ethical clothing production, both from the industry perspective and from our own. We also want to give something back to the community, and at the same time bring positive attention to Fair Trade and ethical clothing production by offering our customers a discount to celebrate and support a brand that truly follows ethical standards in our production.
What is fair trade?
What’s Fair trade? Fair trade is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world.
By requiring companies to pay sustainable prices (which must never fall lower than the market price), Fair trade addresses the injustices of conventional trade, which traditionally discriminates against the poorest, weakest producers. It enables them to improve their position and have more control over their lives.
With Fair trade you have the power to change the world every day. With simple shopping choices you can get farmers and workers a better deal. And that means they can make their own decisions, control their future and lead the dignified life everyone deserves.
How does Capsule Studio do it
At Capsule Studio we have made a conscious choice from the very beginning to maintain our production here in the EU. This brings us many benefits such as being close to the factory so we can visit them, being able to communicate directly with the people working in the factories, and being able to say that our clothes are made in the EU.
We do know that this comes at a cost. There are ample opportunities for us to move production to a lower cost country, where we would be able to to increase our margins by lowering the production cost. But that would come at an ethical cost, where we would lose track of who makes the clothes we sell, what their living and working conditions are, and how much they get paid for their work.
What will we do in the month of October
In the month of October we offer all our customers a 30% discount on our whole collection to celebrate the ethics of Fair Trade, and remind consumers and other brands that it is possible to make ethical choices when buying clothes or running a fashion brand. In addition to that we will donate 5% of the proceeds of our sales in October to the Fair Trade organisation, so they can keep doing their important work in ensuring that workers in lower cost countries can get some protection and fair wages. We also challenge the rest of the industry to follow our example - produce close to home, pay a living wage, and offer consumers a premium quality product that allows them to look good while doing good.