We are always looking for organisations to work with that go further than the minimum legal requirements for employment. And, we are very happy to be working with Fabric Works in the manufacture of our 002 Musette Bag.
Fabric Works is an ethical clothing and textile manufacturer based in Tower Hamlets, East London. They are a social enterprise, producing new and mending old garments, homeware and textile items. Stitches in Time is a wonderful charity that teams up with Fabric Works to provide free professional sewing skills training for women working there.
Ethical can mean many things. Here it means wrap around support for the makers - from employment skills, English classes, access to multiple support services, and a friendly compassionate atmosphere. Many of their workers are previously unemployed, often with multiple barriers to employment.
“I came to classes at Stitches in Time for 5 years, and have been working in the charity for 10 years now. I am one of the main manufacturers for FabricWorks and I have made many items, for Birdsong, Markus Lupfer, Aerende, and many more. I feel so happy and proud to make things for so many people. The money I have earned means I am able to support my family.” FabricWorks maker
We have designed a product in order that it can be made at Fabric Works, without compromise: our 002 Musette Bag. Not only are the makers paid a Living Wage for it's manufacture, the 002 Musette Bag is also made of organic rip stop cotton fabric, organic cotton straps, 100% cellulose biodegradable wood pulp thread which is biological and compostable, and reflectivity that is OEKO-TEX 100 certified by Avery Dennison who is certified Eco-Lighthouse.
The manufacture of clothing is fraught with employment risks and issues. We aim to go further than the basic right to decent and safe employment and to also positively impact people through work and strive to avoid the potential for workers to be exploited in our supply chain.
One of our core ambitions is to provide decent employment, which you can read a bit more about here, notably our commitment to Living Wages.