MADE FOR GOOD.
As we head into April and look back at this time last year, despite the hardships and struggles we've all been through we count our blessings for where we are today, living in Australia and enjoying the relative freedom that so many others around the world have been denied due to the pandemic.
Despite the challenges we have had one constant, the support of our customers and we wanted to say a big thank you for this! Your support goes much deeper than a surface level purchase, it provides our artisan communities with the opportunity to work and the ability to develop their skills.
As you are such a big part of what we do, we want to share our stories with you; stories from the communities we work with where we are committed to building and sustaining our long term holistic partnerships with artisan producer groups and women's cooperatives.
To celebrate our partnerships we have produced a beautiful Made for Good Tote that have been hand loomed in 100% GOTS certified organic cotton by a small women's cooperative, from a village outside Madurai in Southern India.
We are offering a free tote with any purchase online valued at over $150 or you can purchase one for $30
We are delighted that we can offer these women the opportunity to build on their existing skills which will not only enhance their lives but create opportunity and empowerment for generations to come. Providing continuity in employment is vital in empowering these women to feel independent, strong and the ability to support their own family.
The Madurai Weavers
Our Madurai Weavers are a beautiful community of women who are employed by a wonderful small cooperative founded specifically to help empower women and alleviate poverty. These women are part of the Dalit community - otherwise known as scheduled caste or untouchables who were mostly illiterate and unskilled, living a life of social backwardness, poverty and oppression.
We have partnered with this organisation for almost 4 years now where we have been able to help provide employment to 37 women through this time. These women participate in training programs across all aspects of weaving from pre-looming to finishing and quality control, enabling them to increase their income potential and ensuring self reliance and social respect. Beyond the skills development this organisation also provides childcare and full health care facilities for the women and their children.
Next month is Fashion Revolution Week where we will showcase the transparency of our supply chain and the measures we are taking to play our part in working towards the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDG's)
THE NEXT DECADE WILL BE CRUCIAL TO STAVE OFF THE RISK OF CATASTROPHIC CLIMATE CHANGE AND MEET THE 2030 MILESTONE TO ACHIEVE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS LAID OUT BY THE UN.
To learn more about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and what we can do as individuals you can register for this virtual event running throughout April:
Discover the SDGs - To Make Peace With Nature, convened by the Conscious Fashion Campaign in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Partnerships, is a virtual educational experience to accelerate climate action and ambition from the global fashion industry.
To keep updated on our progress towards SDG's and Fashion Revolution Week, head over to our Instagram and turn your notifications on so that you don't miss out!
It is through the challenging year that was 2020 we have learnt to find new meaning, value and understand just how important it is to preserve our environment and invest in the people who are doing good!
Our Made for Good Tote's have so much love, attention and care built into them, so we hope you can wear yours with pride.
Thank you for your support.
Cloth & Co. xx
