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Musings

  • Sewing Dollar Bills in Front of H&M Store to Protest Garment Workers Treatment in Phnom Penh

     We came across this article on the site www.ecouterre.com.  A brilliant and powerful way to send a message to large clothing companies and to the rest of us!

     

    The blog post from Ecouterre reads: 

    "On a frigid January morning, Khmer-American artist Kat Eng sat in the shadow of H&M's 42,000-square-foot flagship at 4 Times Square, where she toiled over a hand-operated sewing machine as commuters and tourists passed her by. For eight hours, Eng ran green and black thread over two and two-thirds dollar bills, affixed with an H&M clothing tag, in an act of solidarity with the500,000 Cambodian garment workers who are calling for a living wage. At least four people were killed and 20 others injured in the capital of Phnom Pen earlier this month after police fired on striking workers who demanded a doubling of the $80 minimum wage. Local human-rights groupLICADHO described the affair as "the worst state violence against civilians to hit Cambodia in 15 years."

  • Mother's Day and World Fair Trade Day

    Both Mother's Day and World Fair Trade Day are this weekend!  Here's a lovely photo of a mother in Hyderabad, India with her baby:

     

    Photo: SOSchildrensvillages.org.uk

    It's also a good time to reflect on where all of the STUFF that we buy, comes from.  That's where the concept of fair trade comes in.  Are the things we buy made under conditions that cause another human being somewhere in the world to suffer?  If so, it doesn't have to be that way.  I hope that some day there won't be any such thing as "fair trade" because all trade will be fair!

    The theme of this year's World Fair Trade Day is "Fair Trade People."  The following are excerpts from the World Fair Trade Organization's 2014 Press Release.  http://www.wfto.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2031&Itemid=417

    The People behind the Product
    Fair Trade is a transparent trading system that supports economically marginalised people, fair prices, good working conditions, and long-term partnership through trade. Behind every Fair Trade product on the market there are real people. We tell their story through the WFTO Product Label, which was launched last year when the WFTO Membership approved the new WFTO Guarantee System.  
    The People promoting Fair Trade 
    Consumers and Fair Trade promoters are central to building the Fair Trade movement. By buying Fair Trade products, consumers have helped strengthen Fair Trade groups and supply chains, built a network of over 1,000 Fair Trade towns, cities and universities globally; and put pressure on governments and big businesses to improve their business practices.
    Supporting the change
    Fair Trade has produced change, and we will continue to do so. Fair Trade has improved the lives of several million small producers worldwide and their communities. 
  • Jamdani Weaver in Shantipur, West Bengal

    We are totally in love with and fascinated by the intricate, labor intensive and gorgeous weaving technique known as jamdani.  Below are photos from a village in Shantipur, a city and a municipality in Nadia district in the Indian state of West Bengal, where most of the jamdani weaving takes place.  The photos are from artisansoffashion.tumblr.com.

     

  • Weaver in West Bengal where Rain Lily's Jamdani Scarves are Made

    This photo is from the weaving village in West Bengal where our jamdani scarves are made.