Bishopston Trading Company

Fair Traders Co-operative's First Birthday celebrations!

2011-05-25T03:34:00.000-07:00

The Fair Traders Co-operative celebrates its first birthday during Holmfirth Arts Festival
If you like a good party, support fair trade or just enjoy piano music and cake, then you won’t want to miss The Fair Traders Co-operative’s first birthday party celebrations. These will be taking place as just one of the wide variety of fantastic events planned for Holmfirth Arts Festival’s Street Pianos project. Do come along and join in!

Holmfirth Street Pianos is an absolute must see event, running throughout the Arts Festival from 11th – 26th June 2011. In fact it’s not just about ‘seeing’, it’s about listening, discovering and getting involved. For the duration of the Arts Festival, five upright pianos will be placed around the streets of Holmfirth for anyone to play. As well as impromptu performances by the passing public, there will be organised events around each piano, from teddy bears’ picnics for tots, to pensioners playing the golden oldies; and from rock dads, to partying fair traders!
Each piano will be ‘themed’ to draw attention to the benefits of fair trade and sustainable living, and plenty of information will be available for people to find out more about the issues behind the themes. The ‘cotton piano’ will be decorated with vintage cotton patches and will be used to highlight the way conventional trade leaves millions of cotton farmers in poverty around the world. The ‘banana piano’ - and accompanying gorilla - will be difficult to miss, and will draw attention to the plight of struggling banana farmers. The ‘coffee piano’ will emphasize the scale of child labour involved in conventional coffee production and the ‘recycle piano’ may look like a pile of old junk, but will aim to make people think about the impact of our ‘disposable’ lifestyles.
And of course, the ‘party piano’, to be placed outside The Fair Traders Co-operative, will be festooned with balloons and bunting and will be the hub of the party – with plenty of fair trade cake and local beer available for those who like to indulge while they celebrate!

The Fair Traders Co-operative started trading a year ago as a result of investments from individuals, community groups, businesses and other co-operatives both locally and from further afield (our most distant investors are from a fair-trade banana farming community in the Caribbean). We sell fairly traded, ethical and sustainable products from the local area and producer groups across the world. The business now has nearly 500 members, an online store has been launched, and there is an ongoing programme of workshops and events held in the shop’s stone vaulted Community Room.
The focus of the birthday celebrations will be on Sunday 12th June; exactly one year after The Fair Traders Co-operative first opened its doors to the public. The party will be in full swing from 1pm to 4pm, complete with street entertainers, presents and music from local jazz band New Orleans Wiggle. And to tie in with the celebrations and with Holmfirth Arts Festival, there will also be a unique ‘living window display’ on 12th June in The Fair Traders Co-operative’s large window on Huddersfield Road.
Holmfirth Street Pianos is a partnership event between Holmfirth Arts Festival 2011 and The Fair Traders Co-operative. If you are interested in getting involved there are weekend workshops dedicated to decorating the pianos and generating interest, commitment and enthusiasm. Or else just come along and give us a tune during the festival fortnight. Find out more on our events calendar or on the Holmfirth Street Pianos facebook page.

March 2011

2011-03-04T04:31:00.000-08:00

Well we’ve been a bit busy to update our blog but we thought it was time to share what has been happening with you all.

It’s been a long winter but this has meant our cosy velvet and cord have been hot sellers all through the cold winter months.

The country has gone bunting crazy for Fairtrade Fortnight and our beautiful handloom has been winging its way to schools and community groups all over the country, all taking part in the Fairtrade Foundation’s campaign to create the world’s longest string!!

Our fashion show kits have been especially popular this year and they are currently out on tour – look out for an event near you and a chance to see the clothes in the flesh – and maybe even try them on!

Now at last spring is coming and with the focus on Fairtrade cotton our SpringCollection is, as we speak on its way from India and will be in our shops next week. The colours this year are vibrant greens, purples and turquoises inspired by the lovely colours on the Island of Crete – have a look and see what takes your fancy!

We are continuing our programme of updating our shops, the Totnes shop has recently been repainted in our new smart cream and grey livery – if you are on holiday in the area why not pop in and pay a visit and say hello to Karen our manager there.

She can even offer you a place to stay in her newly opened, green bed and breakfast – Birds Rest www.birdsrest.com - you even get to sleep under our beautiful organic cotton duvet covers!

Finally and sadly we are having to close our Malmesbury shop – we are all disappointed at this – but there is still time to pick up some fantastic bargains before we close the doors at the end of March.

We’ll try and be back with more regular updates – so come back and have a look soon!

Autumn Update!

2010-10-24T14:43:00.000-07:00

Well George left us at the beginning of September and moved north to Newcastle. Since then we have been so busy we have neglected our blog, so we had better tell you some of the things we have been up to.

September is the start of a new season for us when lots of our fabulous Fairtrade organic cotton clothes, bags and household items are delivered. This autumn we have a wonderful colour palette of rich autumn reds, greens and blues and in addition to our trademark handwoven fabric, we also have sumptuous organic velvets and soft organic needlecords in our range.

It all started with a container arriving from KV Kuppam with over 450 or our big boxes to unload and unpack. We quickly set to with a team of willing helpers, everyone mucks in from directors to Saturday girls and friends. We distributed these goods to our wholesale customers all over the country and indeed many in Europe and further afield.

We put together our fashion show kits which are so popular with Fairtrade groups everywhere, and of course we stocked up our shops which are always busy.

At the end of September, Carolyn Whitwell, our founder travelled to KV Kuppam to spend some time with our producer partners.

On 6 October we exhibited at the Ethical Fahsion Forum Source Expo in Westminster. It was a very busy and well attended event. We had masses of interest in our Fairtrade certified organic cotton fabrics and have already received some orders. There was a wonderful array of eithical products from bags and buttons to hangers and hats from every corner of the globe.

Last week a further 110 large boxes arrived and we expect more at the end of this week, our warehouse is a very busy and crowded place at the moment. It generally takes us 2 days to turn around a delivery this size. Last week we despatched organic cotton velvet and corduroy fabric and clothes to Estonia, Germany, Holland, France, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Finland, and probaly several more which I can’t remember!

The Patchai Kili Play Centre and Centre for the Elderly

2010-08-04T06:24:00.000-07:00

As keen readers of George’s blog will know, Bishopston Trading Co has its origins in the Bishopston Kuppam Link, which was established in 1978 as – at the time - quite a groundbreaking link between Bishopston and a small village community in a developing country. Carolyn Whitwell was one of the three founders of this link, and I was another. I remained very active in the Link until 2004, when my husband and I (who by then made up one sixth of the remaining committee) retired to the SW of France.

My first visit to the village was in 1991. Tragically Barbara Jennings who worked in the Glastonbury BTC shop had been killed just before Christmas 1990 on her way to work. Her husband asked for donations in her memory, to the work of the Link, and with this seed money we were able to set up a small play centre in KVKuppam. Subsequently further small versions of the play centre were established in several other villages in the area and I visited over the years to do further training with the teachers. When we wound up the Link in 2004, we decided to put the money remaining in funds towards building a purpose-built play centre which could later become a model centre for training in the play approach to early childhood learning.

Last January we visited for a month and during this time the play centre was set up, equipped and teachers selected and given rudimentary training. We have just come back from a second visit when we were able to see how well the work of the centre was going and to give some guidance for future development. As you can see from the photos, there are some very happy children clearly enjoying their play in the Patchai kili centre. The name incidentally means Green Parrot in Tamil. If things go to plan we will return next year to set the centre up for training other nursery teachers, and thus disseminate the methods more widely. Learning through play is not traditional in India but in recent years has begun to be practised.

In addition this year we opened the centre for a second use, thanks largely to a generous donation from the South Indian Rural Development trust, which is the charity set up by Bishopston Trading Ccompany and into which all profits not used to grow the business are put. The other room in the building is to be a day centre for elderly people who will come five mornings a week to meet together, to play games, to read the newspaper and to watch television. The ayah who looks after the play centre will also make snacks and hot milk for the elderly people. Just before we left the village we were able to meet those who have been chosen to benefit, six women and four men who seemed very happy to be offered this.

The centre is set, as you will see in the photo above, in a grove of coconuts. It is on the outskirts of Seetaramanpet which is near K V Kuppam. The other village from whom children and old people are drawn is Kamanchemanpet, and both villages share the management of the work of the centre. They are both traditionally weavers’ villages and many of the families are dependent on Bishopston Trading Co for their livelihoods. As you can see, and as is very obvious to us during our visits to the area, Bishopston Trading has made such a difference to the lives of many families over the years, in many different ways.

Sally Whittingham

Lighting Candles in K.V.Kuppam

2010-07-30T08:15:00.000-07:00

As many of you will know, Bishopston Trading Company grew out of a twinning link that was established in 1978 between the area of Bishopston in Bristol and the South Indian village of K.V.Kuppam. The twinning link is still going strong, and two of its most active members are Sally Whittingham and Pam Morris. Here is something Pam recently wrote for us about one of the projects she runs.

The One Candle Project

“In our village so many poor people are not able to study. Parents have so many dreams about their children’s future. They can only able to dream because they are very poor, but now because of you they are fulfilling their dreams........ Not only you’re fulfilling their dreams, actually you’re fulfilling their golden dreams because you are giving a very good education in English Medium........You people have a place in our heart.”

(Extract from a letter from Balaji who lives in Seetharamanpet village and is a member of the One Candle Fund committee)

In 2004 my husband Brian and I spent several months in the K V Kuppam area, researching many aspects of daily life in order to produce our web site www.kvkuppam.info

Whilst carrying out our research, we made friends with a large number of families. We were shown great hospitality and were privileged to hear about the hopes and fears of these families, both from parents and children. Over time, we began to hear more and more distressing stories of hardships, sometimes caused by illness or death. In times of trouble, people usually strive to help out family members if possible as there is no welfare state safety net for this community.

The concept of the One Candle Project arose out of a desire, shared by other visitors from Bishopston, to do something to help out, specifically when family problems mean that it becomes difficult or impossible to keep a child in education. After discussion with Mr Immanuel, who is the administrator of the Rural Unit for Health and Social Affairs (RUHSA), the development organization based in K V Kuppam Block, the simple structure of the One Candle Project was agreed. We made a bursary available for families who would otherwise not be able to afford to support their children to continue in school. This is for approximately £20-£25 per year and is paid by cheque directly to the children we support and administrated by me with a committee of people from the community and Rural Community Officers from RUHSA. We are extremely fortunate to have the support of RUHSA and some excellent local people. We started with eleven children in 2004 and this number has risen each year as we have been able to raise the funds to support the project. The aim of the fund is simply to enable children from lower income families to complete their education and when a child is granted a bursary we commit to supporting them each year.

In January 2010 we once again visited India and celebrated six years of this successful project with almost one hundred children attending a gathering in the new Pachai Kili Centre which houses the play centre and our new centre for the elderly. The One Candle Fund is now helping sixty children and we are extremely grateful to Bishopston Trading Company for their recent generous support which enables us to help an additional thirty four children from weaving families. It was heart warming to meet so many young ‘Candles’ and to hear them express their thanks so eloquently. It is very humbling to realise what a difference a relatively small amount of support can make. If anyone would like to know more about The One Candle Project, The Pachai Kili Play Centre and/or the latest exciting project with the elderly I would love to hear from you. Also if anyone would like to support us please get in touch.

There are further details about the One Candle Project online here, and Pam welcomes emails from interested people: pam@kvkuppam.info

Sally's daughter, Rosie, will be running the Indian Queen's Half Marathon on August 1st and all funds she raises will be donated to the projects run by Sally and Pam in K.V.Kuppam. Sponsorship donations can be placed online here.

The Bishopston-Kuppam link is a registered charity (number 283659).

The One Candle Project takes its name from a saying sometimes attributed to Gandhi:

‘It is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness’

Bishopston Trading Opens in Clifton

2010-07-26T05:32:00.001-07:00

On Friday of last week we opened the doors of our new outlet store in Clifton village, Bristol. The shop can be found at 14 Clifton Down Road, see here for a map of the area. The shop is just open for four weeks, and is full of our organic Fairtrade cotton clothing at reduced prices. We're very happy to be adding this temporary outlet to our chain of shops as part of the celebrations of our 25th anniversary. Our other shops can be found in Bishopston-Bristol, Bradford on Avon, Glastonbury, Malmesbury and Totnes.

For 25 years this year, we have worked in partnership with the South Indian village of K.V.Kuppam, providing long-term, stable employment to hundreds of local villagers. The original inspiration for the business was a simple statement made by one of the villagers that as skilled craftspeople they need work not charity: this has remained the founding principle of the business since then.

Career Opportunity with Bishopston Trading

2010-07-19T05:22:00.001-07:00

We are currently looking for a dynamic person with retail sales experience to lead the team in our Malmesbury store. This is great opportunity for someone who is motivated by Fair Trade and passionate about fashion to join our pioneer Fair Trade company.

Have a look here for further details.

Ethical Clothing Questionaire

2010-07-16T07:16:00.000-07:00

My colleague Judi was recently accosted in Camden Lock Market by a student undertaking some research into how personal values relate to our decisions to buy ethical clothing.

You can complete her survey here, it sounds like a very interesting research project.

500 Fairtrade Towns, Boroughs, Counties, Kingdoms and Villages

2010-07-13T13:35:00.000-07:00

Take a look at this short video clip on the guardian site with soundbites from Fairtrade campaigners from across the country.

Video: Fairtrade heroes: 'It's bigger than a money thing' Society guardian.co.uk

The Fair Trade movement is about to celebrate the 500th Fairtrade town in Britain - here town is used in quite a loose sense: it covers Boroughs, Counties, Villages and even Kingdoms! Many of the Fairtrade groups behind these campaigns have had Fairtrade cotton bags produced for them by Bishopston Trading Company, some have gone on to have their own promotional Fairtrade cotton tea towels as well.

We're happy to say we're members of the Bristol Fairtrade Network which is the steering group behind Bristol's Fairtrade City status. We're also proud to say that the spirit of solidarity and justice that underpins the whole Fair Trade movement runs deep in our veins here at Bishopston Trading. The company grew out of a twinning link that was established between the area of Bishopston in Bristol and the South Indian village of K.V.Kuppam all the way back in 1978.

Bishopstonians have been supporting social development projects in K.V.Kuppam since that time and the trading company itself grew out of a direct request from some of the villagers for stable jobs. As a company we exist solely to provide stable, well-paid employment for the people of K.V.Kuppam; any profits that we make which aren't used to grow the business and generate further employment are donated to our sister charity to fund development projects in the area.

Here's to the next 500 Fairtrade towns!

Eco-Fashion in Greece

2010-07-06T06:51:00.000-07:00

For anyone planning a holiday to the beautiful Greek islands, we recommend a visit to sun-soaked Syros. In the picturesque town of Ermoupoli, you'll find Mumu, an eco-boutique selling stylish summer frocks designed and made by Athena Bentila using our organic Fairtrade cotton cloth.

Read her blog here and find her shop on Google Earth lat=37.4444484519, lon=24.9432047814. I tried installing a gadget to embed Google Earth into this post, but my technical skills failed me, so instead I've put an old-fashioned photo of the town, one of the map and a couple of Athena's beautiful designs.

For those of us not fortunate to be holidaying in Syros this year, you can instead visit Mumu's online Etsy shop.

Fair Trade Fashion Shows

2010-07-02T02:59:00.000-07:00

We send out kits to people across the country who are organising Fair Trade Fashion Shows. The summer seasons is drawing to a close now in terms of bookings, but Gill has been busy putting together the kits for the Autumn range. The colours of the Autumn range are inspired by the deep reds and greens of Midwinter. The Autumn fashion show kits will contain 3 colour stories, each with a range of garments to create 3 full-outfits, although of course these can be mixed and matched in whatever way you like. There is also a selection of men's garments, jewellery and accessories in each kit, as well as a CD-rom that contains photos of the garments in production in K.V.Kuppam.

Here are some photos from recent fashion shows:

Bristol

Derby

Devizes

Organic Cotton Vegetable Bags

2010-06-29T08:59:00.000-07:00

Earlier in the year we were contacted by some very concerned people from Seattle. They were very happy about the decrease in plastic-bag-use that has been seen in both the UK and the USA over the last few years and the increased consciousness generally about the damaging effects of our plastic-bag habit. But they'd noticed that when people buy their groceries they still tend to pack each different kind of vegetable and fruit in its own little plastic bag. So they had come up with an attractive and affordable solution which they wanted us to make for them using our organic cotton cloth.

Have a look here at Wonder Thunder's blog posts for a short video clip about their breathable, washable and reusable organic cotton fruit and veg bags with quirky cartoon toast and other friendly characters printed on them.

Here are the Wonder Thunder fruit and veg bags in production in K.V.Kuppam

Fairtrade Cotton Project: Northumbria University

2010-06-24T03:04:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of 2010 we were contacted by the Design School at Northumbria University. Their Fashion Textile students were embarking on a design project and keen to use our organic Fairtrade certified cotton cloth and integrate the ethos of Fair Trade into the design work.

Last month I caught up with Rosey, one of the students on the course, and tutor, Doug Miller, at a conference in Liverpool. They gave a presentation about the project and explained how much the students had enjoyed the work.

Here is the brief and some photos of the finished garments. We are really impressed by the standard of the work and very pleased to have supplied the cloth for these fantastic pieces.

Using your research as inspiration, design and make a one-off piece using Fairtrade cotton. Focus on one Fairtrade producing region and use your design to communicate the cultural heritage of where the cotton was produced. This piece should show that Fairtrade cotton can be used in cutting-edge fashion."

Organic Fairtrade Cotton Aprons

2010-06-18T06:48:00.000-07:00

Recently we were contacted by a bakery with the intriguing name of Quangle Wangle. They were interested in our organic Fairtrade cotton catering aprons. We sent them the information, they placed an order, our partners in K.V.Kuppam produced them, we delivered them to Quangle Wangle... and a few days later we received a very friendly thankyou-email from them saying how much they adore the aprons.

Here's what they have to say about themselves:

Quangle Wangle Foods is a small artisan bakery business selling hand made, stone baked breads and patisserie from organic ingredients to a gaggle of local customers and a couple of village shops. In addition I make limited edition seasonal jams and jellies from the fruits of my garden and yummies like real lemon curd when my hens are laying more eggs than I can bake solidiers for.

As well as sporting the aprons myself, they will be part of a gift pack containing a lovely loaf of bread and some jams - perfect as a new house pressie, or people who already have everything - as in the picture!

Me? I love them because they are big enough to fold a tuck into at the waist, then tie round at the front and hide the tie in the tuck - then I feel ready for anything - to bake without one now would feel like riding my bike without a helmet!

The Company name comes from an Edward Lear nonsense poem. The Quangle Wangle sits on his Crumpetty tree and declares that jam and jelly and bread are the best of foods, and that's what I make - mostly bread but also jams and jellies from home grown fruits...!

Jemma - Quangle Wangle

They are based in Shaftesbury, Wiltshire. One day we'd like to visit them and sample their delicious stone-baked breads with seasonal jam.... mmmm!

Quangle Wangle Foods
The Rectory
Semley
Shaftesbury
Wiltshire
SP7 9AU

Fair Trade Panamas

2010-06-16T05:54:00.000-07:00

Now the summer sun is out, our shops are finding the Fair Trade Panama hats we source from Pachacuti are selling fast. Pachacuti are fellow World Fair Trade Organisation members and work with women's cooperatives in the mountainous regions of Ecuador. Yesterday a team of local butchers came into our Bristol shop to each buy a panama hat as part of their staff uniform.

Barry and Ophelia proudly sporting their Fair Trade Panamas

Murrays is a delicatessen butchers specialising in local, free-range meat, poultry and cheese. Every Saturday a long queue of people stretches down the Gloucester Road, hungry for a famous Murray's burger - barbecued to perfection whilst you wait.

Murrays can be found at 153 Gloucester Road, Bristol, BS7 8BA (0117 9424025).

Birthday Festivities in Glastonbury

2010-06-03T02:50:00.000-07:00

Our 25th Birthday was also celebrated in our Glastonbury shop this weekend. Newly-elected local MP, Tessa Munt was there to cut the cake, along with Graham Coles the town crier. The shop can be found at 8a High Street, Glastonbury, BA6 9DU.

From Left to Right: Jan, our fantastic shop manager; Ella, Jan's daughter; Tessa Munt, local MP; Graham Coles, Glastonbury Town Crier.

The anniversary window at our Glastonbury shop.

Wonderful cake prepared by Jan.

Birthday Party in Totnes

2010-06-01T08:24:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, Bishopston Trading's 25th Birthday was celebrated in our Totnes branch. Staff, long-term customers, the Mayor, the Mayoress and members of the town's Chamber of Commerce were there to cut the cake, swill down the wine (Fairtrade of course) and generally have a good time.

From left to right: Lovely Alice (one of our Totnes shop team), Wendy (loyal customer and Totnes Fairtrade Town committee member), the Mayor, Wonderful Karen (our ever-effervescent Shop Manager), the Mayoress, Paul (Head of Totnes Chamber of Commerce), another loyal customer whose name we must apologise for misplacing, and our Lovely Hannah (another member of the Totnes shop team and our pattern-grader).

The Mayor and Mayoress cut the Birthday ribbon.

Needlepoint Poems

2010-05-27T01:43:00.000-07:00

Hazel Hammond's collection of poems entitled "Needlepoint" is not inspired by the kind of needles a clothing company is usually associated with, however, she does have a strong affinity with Bishopston Trading Company. Her poems are about tattoos and the significance of what lies beneath the surface of bodyart. On the back cover of the recently published collection, Hazel can be seen admiring a tatooed torsoe whilst herself wearing one of our signature embroidered jackets. Hazel has been a customer of ours for many years.

Hazel will be reading from "Needlepoint" on Friday night at the Halo Bar on Gloucester Road, Bristol, a few doors down from our shop. The show starts at 7:30pm. Copies of "Needlepoint" can be purchased from http://www.citychameleon.co.uk/.

The photos used on the cover of "Needlepoint" shown above were taken by Simon Prentice.

Here's one of the poems featured in Needlepoint

Mapped on the body
Carefully tracing the pattern of Japanese clouds
I move my finger along the swirls
Tattooed lines in black shaded to indigo
Purple and the peach of skin
Hoping to understand the way stations of this map
Or even paths among the heavenly spirals and curves
These mark aspirations for the future
Sweeping across your shoulder
On your arms carp and demons
Swimming against the waters tracklessness
Yellow fins straining against your biceps.
To show ambition creating a ripple in the pool of normal
Pink peonies, my fingers at the paler edge
Wishing these blooms so everlasting on your forearm
Did not represent this transient life
But rather the creativity which blossoms
Under cautious thought in your present
Hidden in the foliage – the blue outfaced demon
His yellow horns alert, that to eager grin
Taking you back to morning spirits and receding resolutions
A fight now past, still intense in colour
No longer internal, inked in
With needles on your map of skin.

25 Years of Fair Trade

2010-05-24T09:09:00.001-07:00

Bishopston Trading Company is 25 years old this week! We have been working in partnership with the villagers of K.V.Kuppam to produce organic Fairtrade cotton clothing since 1985.

Here are some photos of the celebrations at our Bishopston - Bristol and Bradford on Avon shops.

Spring has Sprung

2010-03-29T11:10:00.000-07:00

Spring is here and our Glastonbury team will be celebrating at the town's Greener Lifestyle Exhibition on April 10th in the Town Hall. Friends such as Green Fibres and the Soil Association will also be at the event, which includes stalls, films and demonstrations. It'll be a great opportunity to find out what else we can all do to get greener in our everyday lives, regardless of how far along the windy road to sustainability we already are!

Spring Window Display at the Glastonbury branch of Bishopston Trading Company

Bishopston Trading on Facebook

2010-03-21T12:52:00.000-07:00

Bishopston Trading Company now has a Facebook page, take a look at our photo galleries, become a fan and post any Fairtrade and organic thoughts you may have to our wall. Just search for us from your Facebook account.

FairBags

2010-03-17T16:15:00.001-07:00

A month or two ago we were contacted by an interesting project called FairBags. FairBags is an education focused initiative and was enquiring about our unprinted Fairtrade organic cotton shopping bags. Here's what they have to say:

Did you know, an average UK family has 16 plastic bags in their household at any one time? Unfortunately most will end up in landfill. Cotton bags make a great, eco-friendly alternative, especially if they are Fairtrade and organic.

FairBags is a branch of young enterprise that sells uniquely designed Fairtrade and organic cotton bags. The Young Enterprise Company programme aims to teach students across the UK about the world of business through practical experience. Students set up and run their own company for a year, which involves designing their product or service and selling it to the general public.

As the FairBags team shares Bishopston Trading's passion for ethical and fair trading, we chose to make our entire product line Fairtrade, and sourced our bags from Bishopston. At the end of Fairtrade Fortnight, we've been pleased to play a small part in helping UK consumers see that every one of us has the power to make a difference by what we buy day to day.

The FairBags team: from left to right, Verity, Rachel and Frances of Idsall School in Shropshire.

Our Partners in K.V.Kuppam: Meena

2010-03-09T07:21:00.000-08:00

Meena has worked in the jewellery and screen printing unit at K.V.Kuppam for about 4 years now and she really enjoys her work. Her son Srivarsan comes to work with her most days and spends the time in the creche with several other children his age.

When she is not making our jewellery or lovely batik scarves, Meena is part of the team that produces our organic cotton tea towels and cloth bags, printed to customers' own designs.

Meena is expecting her second baby this month. She intends to take her three months maternity leave and then return with both children to the job she loves.

Meena's son Srivarsan is a happy cheeky boy who seems to smile all-day everyday. He enjoys playing with the toys and other children. Most of the children in the creche seem to find a strange face a bit scary, but not this little chap!

World's Largest Fairtrade Tablecloth

2010-03-05T08:00:00.000-08:00

The world's largest Fairtrade Tablecloth was presented outside the Senedd building in Cardiff this week.

The tablecloth was produced by 85 schools from across Wales using our organic Fairtrade cotton cloth. The unveiling of the giant tablecloth was followed by a speech from Jane Davidson, Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing. Assembly Members were then asked to swap at least one of their regular shopping items for the Fairtrade alternative as part of Fairtrade Fortnight's Big Swap. These pledges were written on pieces of Fairtrade cotton and added to the tablecloth. So far a third of all Assembly Members have made a Fairtrade swap pledge.

Jane Davidson said: "This event provided an excellent opportunity for promoting the importance of Fairtrade and I was particularly pleased to meet so many Fairtrade enthusiasts from local schools. By switching to Fairtrade we can all play our part in supporting some of the poorest farmers and producers in the world to trade their way out of poverty and it is really encouraging to see so many shoppers of the future supporting the Fairtrade priniciple."

Wales is the world's first Fairtrade country, further information can be found at http://www.fairtradewales.com/.

Organic Fairtrade Cotton Handloom and Calico

2010-03-03T09:25:00.000-08:00

The week before last we had a lovely big delivery which included boxes and boxes of beautiful organic Fairtrade cotton cloth. Our online selection now includes four handloom ginghams, white, unbleached and black in both handloom and calico. These fabrics are perfect for making your own Spring-time garments: have a look here.

Invasion of the Fairtrade Tea Ladies

2010-03-02T05:06:00.000-08:00

Dozens of tea ladies dressed in organic Fairtrade cotton aprons and headscarves invaded central London to highlight the Fairtrade Foundation’s campaign to swap Britain’s tea to Fairtrade during Fairtrade Fortnight (22 February – 7 March).

The dancing tea ladies, a brigade of people made up of supporters, dancers and Fairtrade licensees plus a Fairtrade tea producer from India, made their way from London Bridge to Trafalgar Square, with a stop-off at the Houses of Parliament via Number 10 Downing Street where they met Sarah Brown.

The tea ladies were wearing Fairtrade organic cotton aprons and headscarves specially made by the Bishopston Trading Company, which has its headquarters in Bristol plus a shop on Gloucester Road.

The photocall with Bishopton outfits was a fun way to flag up a more serious message behind the campaign which aims to tackle the poverty facing more than 14 million people in the developing world who rely on tea for a living but who are suffering from unfair trade conditions.

Bishopston boss Carolyn Whitwell said: ‘We were delighted to supply the special aprons and headscarves to the Fairtrade Foundation to help take our message to London that Fairtrade cotton is beautiful and practical. This year, we are celebrating 25 years of business in Bristol and the West Country and seeing our aprons in Downing Street marks a really exciting start to the year for us.’

The aprons and headscarves were made in the village of K.V.Kuppam in Tamil Nadu, southern India, which has a unique link with Bishopston. All profits which are not used to grow the business in the UK are invested in the factory at K.V.Kuppam.

Fairtrade Fortnight is the annual nationwide campaign to promote awareness of Fairtrade and encourage people to buy products which carry the FAIRTRADE Mark. Fairtrade Fortnight unites Fairtrade supporters, bringing together retailers, manufacturers, producers and consumers.

This year, the Fairtrade Foundation is calling on tea-loving Brits to swap their favourite cuppa to Fairtrade for Fairtrade Fortnight and will be totting up these and other Fairtrade product swaps on a special online swap-o-meter. The Fairtrade Foundation is hoping to get people in Britain to make one million and one swaps over the two-week period and change the lives of millions of farmers in developing countries.

Fashion Victims Conference

2010-02-28T14:56:00.000-08:00

On friday 100 14-18 year olds from across the South-west congregated at UWE in Bristol for the Fashion Victims conference organised by ourselves, Fashioning an Ethical Industry, Soil Association and Bristol Fairtrade Network.

The event was in effect a sequel to last year's highly successful Cotton On conference, but this time we focused on a younger audience specifically - and asked them to bring their teachers too so that they could learn about sustainable fashion as well!

The conference was opened by Tara Starlet who spoke about her experience of working in the various stages of the Indian textiles/garment industry courtesy of BBC's Blood, Sweat and Tshirts reality-tv show.

After Tara, Anannya Bhattacharjee a garment workers organiser from Delhi spoke about her work in the slums of Delhi and the conditions that garments workers there are subject to. Davo Vodouhe then gave a presentation about his work in Benin with organic cotton farmers and the advantages that organic farming has for the health and finances of small scale cotton farmers there. Davo's work is supported by Pesticide Action Network UK.

The morning's workshops included Designing for Sustainability with Rose Sinclair of Goldsmith's Design Department. In her workshop students worked together in groups to come up with approaches to ensuring that environmental, social and economic sustainability concerns are included in the design of garments from the very outset of the design process.

After lunch People and Planet and the Fairtrade Foundation led a session on introducing Fairtrade cotton into schools and colleges. At the same time, Lyla Patel of TRAID led an interactive workshop on climate change and textile waste in the UK. She had several interesting examples of how we can make the most out of the wardrobes we have already without having to buy new clothes, including Sheena Matheiken who is wearing the same black dress in a different way everyday for a year. Inspired by this, all the participants were asked to customise the same little black dress for a barbie doll; Lyla then photographed all the results and will post them online.

The day ended with a clothing customisation/up-cycling workshop led by UWE staff. So far all the feedback we've had has been very positive, photos will follow shortly. Thanks to everyone who came and participated.

Fairwear Fashion Show

2010-02-27T05:38:00.000-08:00

The Fairwear Fashion Show held at Bristol Cathedral on Thursday night was a sell-out success. An audience of 500 people from across the South West watched a show that featured collections from People Tree, Spunky Tshirts, Life's Not Fair But My Knickers Are, and many more. The evening was hosted by model and actor James Redmond. Here are some photos of the Bishopston Trading Company Spring Summer 2010 collection.

Swap your socks!

2010-02-24T14:28:00.000-08:00

Sally at Shared Interest is into day 3 of her Fairtrade Fortnight of swaps. And today's swap is a pair of our organic Fairtrade cotton socks, read her account here and watch her test-run them as part of her training for a 10k run.

Fairtrade Fortnight

2010-02-22T13:07:00.001-08:00

It's upon us, two weeks celebrating and promoting Fairtrade. This year the focus is on swapping: swapping your usual purchases for the Fairtrade equivalent.

Our friend Sally at Shared Interest is blogging about her daily Fairtrade Swap, read her posts here. And she's also keeping a video diary, the first installment of which you can watch below.

With literally hundreds of different Fairtrade products now available on the high street and online, Sally's blog is a great way to find out more about the breadth and variety of everyday items that we can purchase to ensure our buying power is part of a sustainable solution to poverty.

Fairtrade Frocks for Barbie

2010-02-21T13:19:00.000-08:00

Even the world's most famous blonde knows that this season's must-have frocks are those made from organic Fairtrade certified cotton!

Currently our collection of outfits for small dolls such as Barbie, are available on sale at only £3.00, have a look here.

The outfits come neatly packed in a carry-all bag, so your doll can take them with her wherever she travels, and if she wishes to do so by elephant, you can find a whole family for her here!

Valentine's Thoughts from Fred

2010-02-12T08:25:00.000-08:00

Roses are red

Violets are blue

A Fairtrade present

Says, "I love you!"

Show you passion is all-pervading

With a Valentine's gift from Bishopston Trading.

Pursue your passion

With Fair Trade fashion!

Think your wardrobe needs upgrading?

Do it now at Bishopston Trading.

Show your love is far from fading

With a Valentine's gift from Bishopston Trading.

Roses are red

Violets are blue

A Fairtrade frock

Says, "I love you!"

College Partnership - Part 2

2010-02-09T04:22:00.000-08:00

Here's Sonia's finished organic Fairtrade cotton Renaissance blouse, beautifully modelled by Rosie.

I was mistaken in my last post when I said Sonia is a tutor at Filton College, in fact she's a mature student there, sorry.

College Partnership

2010-02-05T03:30:00.000-08:00

As mentioned earlier this week, preparations are well underway for this year's Fairwear fashion show here in Bristol. Last year students from Filton College used our organic Fairtrade cotton handloom cloth to make a stunning collection of outfits. This year their remit is more focused and they're using our white handloom to produce a range of smart white shirts for men and women. Here's a sneak preview of a couple of samples made by their tutor Sonia: her inspiration was the Renaissance Era.

Bishopston Baby Returns

2010-02-03T14:27:00.000-08:00

My name's Rebecca, as of today I'm 19 years old and I've been working at Bishopston Trading since September. However, as my mother has repeatedly reminded me, I am no stranger to the company. For the sake of historical accuracy I am reluctantly releasing into the public domain these photos of me aged 1 and 2, decked head to toe in Bishopston gear. Even at that age I'm clearly loving my Fairtrade digs!

It's been lovely to return several years later to such an admirable company of which I was clearly a frequent visitor in the past. Although honestly the bit I always remembered most fondly was the playhouse.

Fairtrade comes to Hogwarts!

2010-02-01T14:15:00.000-08:00

Emma Watson, the actress famous for playing the part of Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter franchise, has launched herself wholeheartedly into the Fair Trade fashion arena with a clothing collection for People Tree. A glimpse of the range can be caught on the guardian online site today, but more excitingly it will receive its UK catwalk premiere here in Bristol at the Fairwear Fashion Show on February 25th.

The fashion show is being organised by the Bristol Fairtrade Network of which Bishopston Trading is a member, and follows on from last year's successful show that included a range designed and made by local fashion students using our organic Fairtrade cotton cloth. This year's show promises to be even better than last year's, with celebrity hosts and collections from the brightest and best in Fair Trade fashion. Our new Spring 2010 range will be making its first public appearance. 2010 marks 25 years of Bishopston Trading Company so we're extremely happy to be taking part in this high-profile event.

For us, these outfits designed and made by local students from our organic Fairtrade cotton cloth were the highlight of last year's show.

Eco-Friendly Bites on the Somerset Levels

2010-01-29T09:15:00.000-08:00

Ex-employee of our Glastonbury shop, Amy Lawson, who left to set up her own Eco-Friendly shop in the town, has recently branched out and opened a refreshment cafe on the Somerset Levels.

Eco-Friendly Bites at the Avalon Marshes Centre offers Fairtrade and organic refreshments and snacks, such as jacket potatoes, pies and scrummie cakes. They're all served in bio-degradable containers by staff who wear aprons and use oven-gloves produced by Bishopston Trading Company.

So next time you're visiting Somerset, and out walking on the nature reserve or starling watching, warm-up with Amy's eco-friendly refreshments.

Jan

Photo by Lynne Newton

The Observer - Fair Trade Fashion

2010-01-27T02:54:00.000-08:00

This Sunday's Observer Magazine included an interesting article about Fair Trade Fashion by Lucy Siegle. In the main in was an interview with supermodel Erin O'Connor, who talked about her work with TRAID and SEWA - a federation of self-employed textile workers in Delhi. What struck me were the similarities between the accounts given by members of SEWA, and those I heard from women tailors at the K.V.Kuppam Tailoring Units when I visited last year.

SEWA are based in an urban area and provide employment to home-workers. In contrast, the K.V.Kuppam Tailoring Units are based in a very rural area and our partners there work together in purpose built tailoring units, rather than at home. However, despite these differences, the benefits that accrue from stable, fair-wage employment are more than simply financial ones.

One of the workers interviewed for the article, Rubina Bano, describes the sense of independence that comes with earning her own wages. She also describes the training in embroidery work that SEWA have provided for her. Her colleague, Zeenat, describes what, within the Indian textile industry is the luxury of having paid sick leave. Reading this was almost like hearing echoes from my conversations with tailors in K.V.Kuppam.

This is Uma, a member of the Mahathmagandhi Tailoring Society in K.V.Kuppam. Although only 24 years old she is one of their hardest working tailors. She has worked there for 6 years and lives with her mother and father within walking distance of the Units. She is an intelligent and confident young woman. Like all members of the Tailoring Societies, her above average wages and year-round stable employment are accompanied by a healthcare allowance, holiday pay, gratuity and provident fund payments. Training was provided in tailoring skills, and the quality of her work is extremely high. I would not be surprised if next time I visit K.V.Kuppam she has been promoted to a more responsible position.

As Lucy Siegle and Erin O'Connor highlight, Fair Trade is about much more than just increased earnings: it offers people an opportunity to fulfil their potential in a way that is normally denied them in the fast-fashion industry.

Fairtrade Home

2010-01-25T08:23:00.000-08:00

Before Christmas I spoke to a woman who was ordering our velvet fabric to make her own Fairtrade curtains for her living room. She had already bought a selection of cushion covers from us and some throws from another company: she told me she was planning to refurbish the room with only Fairtrade/Fair Trade items. It got me thinking as to just how far could you go towards having a Fairtrade/Fair Trade home....

1. Furniture. The appropriately-named Fairtrade Furniture can help you with this. Their comfy and stylish armchairs are made by skilled Javan crafts-people.

2. Floor-Coverings. Adorn your floors with beautiful Indian Kilims from Myakka. Like us, Myakka are based in the South West of the UK. They have been sourcing their products from Indian suppliers on Fair Trade terms since 1999.

3. Bedding. Of course you can source Fairtrade certified organic cotton sheets, pillowcases and duvet sets from us, or you could just go for the first two and make yourself a patchwork quilt of Fairtrade cotton cloth from Fairtrade Fabric instead of the duvet set - in either case you'll be creating much needed employment for the weavers of K.V.Kuppam.

4. Bathing. After a bath-time pampering with Neal's Yard Fairtrade Jasmine Shower Gel, dry yourself off with a soft and cosy bath towel from Natural Collection.

5. Wining and Dining. Finally relax with a glass of Fairtrade wine from Ethical Wines, sipped from Fair Trade recycled glasses handcrafted in Bolivia.

Let me know of other items you can think of to add to a future Fairtrade/Fair Trade home...

Fairtrade in the Family

2010-01-22T05:58:00.000-08:00

We recently had a lovely lady in our Bradford on Avon shop who bought a velvet skirt. She was delighted with it and the following week came in to buy her baby a stripey poloneck to match her own that she had bought a few weeks before.

She said she could remember her mother buying her clothes from us when she was a child, as a matter of fact her playgroup leader was a director here at Bishopston Trading Company many years ago. Her mother still buys clothes from us: so three generations of the same family dressed in our organic Fairtrade cotton clothing.

Thanks to Laura and Lucy for this one!

Fairtrade Cotton Fabrics - On Sale!

2010-01-04T07:31:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone. Our sale is currently in full swing and it includes what we think is probably the largest range of organic Fairtrade certified cotton fabrics on the web.

We've got shirting-weight handloom, a lighter lawn, sumptious velvet, and practical denim: all at reduced prices. If one of your new year's resolutions is to make your own clothes, or mend the ones you already have, then take a look here.

Freshly woven handloom cloth arriving at the K.V.Kuppam Tailoring Units.

Happy Christmas!

2009-12-24T01:25:00.001-08:00

From all the staff at Bishopston Trading Company and from our partners in K.V.Kuppam, we wish you a very Happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year.

Organic Fairtrade Cotton Tea Towels

2009-12-20T11:17:00.000-08:00

Ros first joined Bishopston Trading as part of a work experience placement whilst at school in Bristol. Later she bacame a Saturday Assistant in our Bishopston shop. Later still she worked with the K.V.Kuppam Embroidery Society and the Jewellery and Screenprinting Society. Several of the products we still sell online and in our shops today (several years later) were designed by Ros.

Nowadays as well as running art and craft activities with children in Bristol, Ros makes bags, brooches, collages and prints that she sells on Gloucester Road, just up from our shop, in a little gallery called Fig. Recently she approached us with a very attractive design for a tea towel. These are now being produced for her in K.V.Kuppam and sold in the Fig shop.

Bishopston Trading Company grew out of a twinning link between the area of Bishopston in Bristol and the village of K.V.Kuppam in South India. Almost 25 years later, we are still an organisation happily embedded in the local communities at both ends. We thought the story of Ros' Tea Towels illustrated this nicely.

Ros' organic Fairtrade cotton Tea Towels available at Fig, 206 Gloucester Road, Bristol.

Fairtrade Nativity

2009-12-17T06:39:00.000-08:00

I wish I'd written this post this time last month. Earlier in the year we were approached by a very friendly company with an unusual name who were enquiring about ordering our organic Fairtrade cotton cloth on a wholesale basis. The company's name is While Shepherds Watched!

Of course we were more than happy to supply them with the cloth and generate more work for the weaving community of K.V.Kuppam. In conversation with them however, we learned that we could do more than just supply them with the cloth: While Shepherds Watched produce ethically-sourced nativity play costumes, really effective but simple tunics which would be no problem for the K.V.Kuppam Tailoring Societies to produce.

So that's what we're now doing: not only are the costumes made from organic Fairtrade certified cotton, they're woven and stitched in the village of K.V.Kuppam by our Fair Trade partners.

It's probably a bit too late in the nativity-play season now, but bear it in mind for next year: Mary, Joseph and the Shepherds can all be clothed ethically and fairly!

Eco-Footprint

2009-12-16T09:20:00.001-08:00

In my last post I mentioned that like all organisations, there are things that we at Bishopston Trading could be improving on to reduce our Ecological-Footprint. Here's a few:

Letting People Know about the Environmental Impact of their Clothing.

I've heard it said that the majority of a garment's environmental impact is produced by our care for it once we've bought it. I can't find an exact figure, but certainly the washing, spin/tumble drying, and ironing of garments over their lifetime can be energy intensive (tumble drying's a big no-no). We recommend using an eco-detergent, washing at 30 degrees, hanging our clothes on a line to dry, and then steam ironing them.

Turning Off our Computer Monitors at the End of the Day

Sometimes in our rush to leave the office at 5:30, we don't wait to turn off our monitors. I come in in the morning and see an array of little flashing green lights. We need to improve on this.

Reboiling the Kettle

I have to admit its quite common for me to boil a kettle of water to make everyone in the office and in the shop downstairs a cuppa, then answer the phone or start typing an email, forget about the kettle and have to reboil it 15 minutes later.... Definitely losing points on that one.

Lighting in our Shops

Our shops have to be well lit to show off the distinctive colours of our clothing range, its one of the main reasons given by our customers for why they shop with us. We're currently looking into the best low-wattage option for all these spotlights.

We like to think we're doing well, but as with everything we can always do better...

The Wave - 5th Dec

2009-12-09T14:51:00.000-08:00

Like several thousand other climate-change warriors/worriers, I spent my Saturday marching across London calling on the British government to take a tough stance on greenhouse gas emissions at the Copenhagen Summit this week.

Despite the severity of our planet's situation, it has to be said that Saturday's march was a very sociable affair. Amongst others, I met Katie who was proudly marching in a Bishopston Trading classic embroidered jacket.

This got me thinking about what we already do as a company to reduce our ecological footprint and also what else we could do....

Here's are 4 things we're good at:

Starting right at the beginning, the cotton we use is 100% organic, sourced from Agrocel Pure & Fair Cotton Growers in Gujurat. Conventionally grown cotton is enormously chemically intensive: some people estimate 25% of the world's insecticides are used on cotton alone, and 10% of the world's pesticides too. Most of these chemicals are derived from oil. Organic cotton farming cuts this out of the picture straight away.

Next comes the cotton weaving. As I've mentioned at least once before here, Bishopston Trading Company works with local based handloom weavers in K.V.Kuppam, who produce the handloom cloth which we use in the majority of our products. Handloom weaving is a traditional craft that relies on no energy source other than the pulling and pedalling action of the weaver. Our felllow Fair-Traders People Tree claim that fabric woven on a handloom produces 1 tonne less CO2 per year than the equivalent cloth from a powerloom.

Now to production. Since the earliest days, Bishopston Trading Company and our partners in K.V.Kuppam, have produced all sorts of bags, accessories, toys and gifts. Not only do our customers love them, especially at this time of year, but they ensure that every last scap of cloth is used up after our clothing collections have been produced. The K.V.Kuppam Tailoring Societies are waste-free producers!

Finally, in terms of the business at the UK end. There's several things that would be worth mentioning, for example the electricity company we use, where we buy our supplies of tea bags, toilet cleaner, soap etc. But probably the most interesting thing we do, concerns how we dispose of some of our packaging waste. Our goods arrive in cardboard boxes (of course these are then recycled) which are wrapped in cotton cloth to ensure the contents are safe and the boxes last the long voyage to Britain. We then donate this cloth to various local organisations who use it in their various projects: our friend Kath uses it to make rag-rugs which she sells locally to generate funds for her charity work in Gambia, local ethical-entrepreneur Rachel uses it in her reusable sanitary towels, and finally the local scrap-store offers it as craft material to local youth groups.

Next time: where we need to improve...

In the meantime, check our these blogs by local campaigners, Valerie and Janine who are reporting from Copenhagen as the negotiations take place.

Fairtrade Cotton Chrimbo

2009-12-03T09:19:00.000-08:00

That time of year's come round again.... advent calenders are being opened each morning up and down the country, and people are preparing themselves for the great Christmas-present-shopping-slog. We suggest making it easy for yourself and doing it from the comfort of your own home: take a look at our Christmas present ideas online.

Why not choose to hang up an organic Fairtrade cotton stocking this Christmas Eve. Or fill a Fair Trade Christmas sack with goodies for your loved one. Decorate your tree with Fair Trade biodegradable garlands and stars, and sit down to your Christmas lunch at a table covered with an organic Fairtrade cotton table-cloth, decorated with hand-appliquéd holly leaves.

Christmas is a time for giving. Buying Fairtrade Christmas gifts ensures your purchases make a positive difference to the lives of the skilled farmers and artisans who cultivated the crops and spun, wove and crafted the final product. Make it a Fairtrade Christmas.

Meet a Cutter

2009-11-30T08:57:00.001-08:00

This is Pandiyan. He is a cutter at the KVKuppam Tailoring Society. He works as part of a team of 12 cutters who prepare the pieces for the tailors to sew together into garments. Being a cutter is a senior position within the Tailoring Societies as it's essential that this first stage of the Cut Make Trim stage of production is done accurately and swiftly. Like most of the cutters, Pandiyan joined the societies as a tailor, in 2004 he was promoted to the position of cutter. He has worked at the societies for 19 years. He lives with his wife in the village of Mel Vilachule on the outskirts of KVKuppam.

It is very common for members of the Tailoring Societies to stay working at the units for many years, some of the original tailors employed when the company started in 1985 are still working there. This is because opportunities for well-paid stable employment are few and far between in rural South India. Bishopston Trading Company is proud to be able to offer long-term employment to the villagers of KVKuppam and enable them to earn a living wage for themselves and their families without having to leave their villages and move to the urban areas of the country.

Cotton On Too...

2009-11-25T08:16:00.000-08:00

Earlier this year we worked with Oxfam, Soil Association, Bristol City Council and Bristol Fairtrade Network to host the Cotton On conference here in Bristol.

The event was a great success:

130 delegates; speakers ranging from Lucy Siegle of The Observer to representatives from Monsoon, the Fairtrade Foundation, Pesticide Action Network, Labour Behind the Label, Traidcraft, Ethical Fashion Forum; workshops on Organics, Fairtrade, Supply Chains, and Sustainable Design. And the day was finished off with a huge Open Space discussion between all delegates focusing on the key issues of the day and facilitated by William Lana of Green Fibres.

After a brief recovery period we got back together as the Cotton On team and after looking through all the feedback forms decided there was a big demand for a sequel to take what had been learnt from this one and move forward. Interestingly some of the most compelling feedback came from students who'd attended the event because they were interested in the issues and found their fashion/textiles/design tutors unable to teach them anything about it.

With this in mind we got Fashioning an Ethical Industry on board and decided to organise a sequel aimed specifically at young people with more interactive sessions and with a broader scope - textiles/fashion rather than just cotton.

And here it is: Fashion Victims, hosted by UWE on Friday 26th February, open to all 14-18 year olds and their tutors. Workshop sessions will encompass: Textile Waste, Recycling and Climate Change; Fairtrade Cotton; Garment Workers' Rights; Sustainable Design; Organic Supply Chains. The day will be opened by Tara Starlet of BBC3's Blood Sweat and Tshirts fame, and is sure to be as informative and inspiring as this year's event.

Book your place online here.

Fair Trade Blogging

2009-11-15T13:18:00.000-08:00

I wanted to reassure you that despite my lack of postings over the last few weeks, I haven't forgotten about blogging. In fact on the contrary, I've been busy reading other people's blogs!

Here are four of my favourites that I wanted to share with you: together they give a nice picture of the diversity of the Fair Trade movement and the interactions between producers and buyers.

http://www.pachacutifairtrade.blogspot.com/

Laden with awards and rightly so, Pachacuti are the real-deal. Carry's blog offers a window into the Fair Trade fashion-house, with fascinating stories from her producer-partners in the mountainous areas of Ecudor.

http://blog.shared-interest.com/

Shared Interest are the UK's Fair Trade bank, they finance Fair Trade producer groups all over the world. Don't let the recent crisis tarnish your view of all banks, Shared Interest is exemplary and their blog reports on their work with producers and with the Fair Trade campaigning movement here in the UK.

http://www.ubuntu-trading.com/blog/

The soft-drinks industry has become emblematic of our globalised world and its inequalities. But Ubuntu Cola proves that it can be part of the solution. This blog by Elod Kafaukoma is a very personal account of life and Fair Trade from the producers' end.

http://www.scottishfairtradeforum.org.uk/blog/

Second only to arch-rival Wales in the stakes for the world's first Fairtrade Countries. The Scottish Fairtrade Forum contains a wealth of information on the campaign for fairer terms of trade.

Bishopston Trading Malmesbury

2009-10-21T13:41:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos of our new Malmesbury shop: from a work in progress, to the opening party last Saturday featuring plenty of Fairtrade bubbly, kindly donated by the co-op across the road, and a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony with the town mayor. Hope to see you there sometime soon.

Fair Trade Bucks the Recession

2009-10-17T10:16:00.000-07:00

Whilst many retailers are closing stores or even leaving the high street altogether, we are proud to announce the opening of our fifth store today!

To the delight of green fashionistas and ethical consumers across the west-country, our range of organic Fairtrade cotton clothing is now available at 11 High Street, Malmesbury, Wiltshire.

For 24 years we have worked in partnership with the village of K.V.Kuppam in South India, providing long-term, stable employment to hundreds of local villagers. The original inspiration for the company was the simple assertion made by one of the villagers, that as skilled craftspeople they need work not charity. This has remained the founding principle of the business.

The recent collapse of an economic system based on short-term profits and disregard for the welfare of communities, has only served to further motivate the members of our workers' cooperative to extend our business model that is based on partnership, transparency and fairness. Opening a fifth shop enables us to maintain (or fingers crossed, perhaps even increase) our level of orders with our partners in K.V.Kuppam, ensuring they can continue to offer full-time employment to all their members.

The fifth shop is the latest addition to our modest chain that includes, Bishopston Bristol, Bradford on Avon, Glastonbury and Totnes, as well as our thriving Mail Order and Wholesale departments.

With concern for the environmental and social effects of our shopping habits increasing every day, Fair Trade makes sense, and is becoming the first choice for discerning shoppers. We are proud to be expanding during these challenging economic times.

Meet a Tailor

2009-09-28T03:17:00.000-07:00

Now that our new range is available online and thousands of Autumn catalogues are winging their way to our loyal customers, I thought I'd take this opportunity to introduce some of our partners in K.V.Kuppam who work in the tailoring units. In the photo below are best-friends, Premlatha (in the blue sari) and Chitra (in the yellow).

Premlatha is 34 years old. She has worked at the tailoring units since 2003, before which she was a housewife. She began her career at the tailoring units as a tailor, and then in 2006 was promoted to the position of Mahathmagandhi Society Clerk. [Mahathmagandhi is one of the Tailoring Societies who work in the units, the societies are self-governing, democratically organised groups - like workers' co-operatives. Each society has a clerk who is responsible for the administrative work of the society and quality control.] She lives in KVKuppam with her 75 year old father and her two sons, Gokul who’s 12 and Parthasarathy who’s 8. Her husband died several years ago. Like many of the workers at the tailoring units, she cycles in to work each day.

Chitra is 31 years old; she married her husband Ganesh in 1998. They have a son Saivishnu who’s 10, and a daughter, Bravinsha who’s 8. She joined the tailoring societies as a tailor in 2003, was promoted to clerk in 2005 and since 2008 has been both the clerk and the supervisor for Kamachiyamman Pettai Society. Before working at the tailoring units she was a housewife. Like Premlatha, she is the sole bread-winner in her household: her husband previously worked as a market trader but his business failed a few years ago and he has been unable to find other employment since then.

The K.V.Kuppam Tailoring Units have 2 key employment policies:

1, Members should not only show the capacity to learn the necessary skills for job, they must also be from economically disadvantaged families.

2, Only one member of each family is allowed to work at the units.

These two policies ensure that the opportunity to have a stable, well-remunerated job within the K.V.Kuppam area, reaches those most in need of work, but also that the work is spread to as many households in the area as possible. Like many of the members of the tailoring societies, both Chitra and Premlatha are the sole wage-earners in their families - they support their families with the wages they earn at the tailoring units.

Fairtrade Fellas

2009-09-25T06:37:00.000-07:00

For almost 25 years we've been producing, in partnership with K.V.Kuppam, Fair Trade cotton clothes for women and young children. Several of our most popular styles are unisex, like the well-known 939 reversible trousers and the 550 patchwork trousers; in addition we've always had a small selection of shirts for men, but to be honest the range for men has been far from extensive.

Ultimately I suppose this has been due to limited demand. However, in the last couple of years we've noticed an increase in interest from blokes - both in our high street shops and online. So this Autumn, we're proud to present an extended selection of garments for Fairtrade-friendly-fellas!

So for example our classic Clean Jeans can now be complemented with our first Fairtrade cotton man's Teeshirt, or with our new look slimfit shirt - tailored for a less baggy fit than the ever popular 684 shirt.

A new cotton denim shirt is also available with an informal looking grandad collar. Our 1006 formal white shirt is perfect for more serious occasions. And finally, because every man needs a rest now and again: Fairtrade cotton men's pyjamas.

All at affordable prices and all now available from our online shop....

Fairtrade Fellas Rejoice!

Thanks to Tom for modelling!

From Totnes to California and back...and back again : Travels of a Fairtrade Cotton Jacket

2009-09-24T05:03:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year I had a lady in the shop who spent some time choosing what to buy her neice, who lives in California to lift her spirits whilst she was in hospital with cancer. After some time she bought Bishopston's famous patchwork trousers and patchwork jacket in greens.........both were mailed off to California and both Aunt and I awaited news of how the gifts were recieved.

A few weeks later Aunt Heather came back to say Katrina loved the items but unfortunately the jacket was too big due to the weight she had lost ..........so in the post the jacket returns and several weeks later Aunt Heather is back in the shop and the item is changed and off goes the smaller jacket in the post over the seas again.

Aunt Heather comes in several weeks later to say the jacket has arrived and all is well, also to say that Katrina is out of hospital and comming over to England.

Several weeks pass and the summer season is nearly over, the children are back at school, and I am standing by the desk looking at the door when, although I have never seen her before nor a picture, I immediately recognised Katrina. She was wearing her Bishopston green patchwork jacket and she has a hat on covering her head. Katrina was in remission and over to visit her aunt in Totnes with her friend Mary. Both loved the shop and walked away with bags full of unique Bishopston Trading clothes taking our shop's story and clothes back to the states.

Karen - Manager of our Totnes Branch

Autumn 2009 at Bishopston Trading Company

2009-09-11T00:14:00.000-07:00

Our Autumn collection is arriving: the catalogues are at the printers, boxes are being unpacked, and a preview of the collection can be seen online.

This season's colour-scheme is inspired by the colours of South India: the riot of pinks, purples and deep ochres found in the gardens at our producer partners' campus in K.V.Kuppam, and the dazzling array of blues seen at the textile stalls at the weekly market in the village.

Our range of Fairtrade certified organic cotton clothing includes garments in handloom, calico, denim, velvet and babycord; items for women, men, babies and children. Alongside a selection of our classic styles, you will find many new styles available for the first time. Enjoy!

Autumn has arrived

2009-09-10T13:51:00.000-07:00

Here at BTC we know that Autumn's here (and Christmas is hot on its heels) when we've spent two days in the warehouse.

Unloading, unpacking, repacking, reloading, dispatching.

A couple of hundred boxes, dozens of wholesale orders, hundreds of mini animals in pouches, what feels like thousands of Christmas stockings.

Plenty of rooibush tea and generous helpings of biscuits.

Roll on the new season!

Visit to K.V.Kuppam

2009-09-07T01:19:00.000-07:00

My father visited K.V. Kuppum a couple of weeks ago, he says it was a very rewarding trip. After a bit of difficulty in finding it he was greeted by the manager and cashier with open arms. And whilst my father went around the factory with the manager the cashier made a tasty lunch.

Of the many things he said, what most hit home to me as a manager of one of the Bishopston Trading shops is that there are 200 dedicated workers solely dependant upon our efforts to sell their goods. It is great there are no middle men but if sales fall then people are laid off and there is no social security in India.

This has not happened yet and there has been a steady increase in the workforce. What is so great, is working for a small company and knowing the beginning and the end of the garments are just that, the beginning and the end, with no unknown outsourcing in between.

Having worked at Marks and Spencer where the chain from the cotton grower to us as sales assistants was so impersonal, my father bringing back pictures of his visit to KV Kuppum reminded me that we rely on the garment cutters and sewers to do a good job in making the clothes and they in turn rely on us to sell the clothes. We keep each other in work, it is as simple and as fragile as that. It is almost a personal relationship, and it makes me want to think of other ways to sell the garments and move ahead both for the people in India and for us.

Karen

Far Flung Fairtrade Cotton

2009-09-06T13:41:00.000-07:00

Bishopston Trading's Fairtrade cotton cloth finds it way to some far flung destinations. It is used by designers and crafts-people around the world. Here are some of our favourites:

1. Ardalanish Isle of Mull Weavers
http://www.ardalanish.com/

Located on the beautiful Scottish Island of Mull, Ardalanish weave their own tweed cloth from Native Hebridean Sheep's wool. They tailor the cloth into stunning jackets and line them with our Fairtrade organic cotton cloth.

2. Jumina Designs, Norway
http://www.jumina.no/

Elisabeth Rognmo designs and makes enchanting children's and adults' clothes - modelled online by her children in the Norwegian forest near her home. Probably the cutest checked trousers we've ever seen!

3. Mumu, Greece
http://mumusyros.blogspot.com/

On the sun-soaked island of Syros, Mumu stocks a range of Fair Trade and Eco-Fashion from around the world, inlcuding Eleni Bendila's range of summer dresses made from our Fairtrade organic cotton.

4. Las Otras Hermanas, Mexico
http://www.lasotrashermanas.org/

Based in a Mexican village close to the US border, Las Otras Hermanas is a community project which involves, amongst many other things, teaching tailoring skills to local women. Using our cotton cloth they produce breathable cotton shirts - perfect for the mexican heat.

5. Mamma Mia, Portugal
http://www.mammamia.pt/

Mamma Mia use our Fairtrade organic cotton handloom cloth to make practical baby slings and carriers. Lightweight, colourful and strong.

Farewell Fairtrade Summer in Westbury on Trym

2009-09-01T12:30:00.000-07:00

During the months of July and August, an unexpected change could be witnessed on the Westbury on Trym high street: a sudden deluge of shoppers carrying attractive and practical natural cotton shopping bags. The contents of these bags were also creating a bit of a stir: they were full of beautiful Fairtrade organic cotton clothes, fresh from the Bishopston Trading Company sale shop.

Despite the so-called summer weather not being quite the ideal cotton-wearing kind we had all hoped for, our temporary summer sale shop in Westbury on Trym, has been a run-away success. Women's, men's and children's clothes have all sold well. The ever-popular 830 Knot Button Top, retained its title as the best-selling summer item.

Sadly the lease was only temporary and short-term, so last Friday the team was back to pack up the remaining items and fittings. Luckily for the residents of Westbury on Trym, our Gloucester Road shop in Bristol is only a short bus journey away.

Watch this space for news on a new permanent Bishopston Trading Company shop opening very soon...

Quakers love Bishopston Trading Company.

2009-08-31T10:37:00.000-07:00

Recently overheard: Two Quaker women talking,

"Bishopston Trading Company is the Harrods for people like us!"

Nowhere was this more evident than at the recent Quaker Yearly Meeting Gathering, held on the campus of York University in early August, for which the company supplied the recycled newspaper conference bags.
Snapped on site during the week were more than forty Bishopston items ranging from women's clothing to men's shirts and jewellery worn by a Young Friend. This is hardly surprising given that the pioneering Fairtrade company has been run on Quaker business principles since it was formed 25 years ago.

The new Quaker Centre cafe and shop, which will open on 3 October at Friends House in Euston, will be stocking a selection of Bishopston Trading Company items, to take away in specially branded Quaker Centre bags - supplied by Bishopston Trading Company, of course!

Judi

Don't Forget the Handloom

2009-08-25T12:33:00.000-07:00

Having extolled the virtues of powerloom weaving in the last post, I thought I better say something ab0ut the wonders of traditional handloom weaving - just to ensure no-one feels left out. After all, handloom weaving is the principal craft of the K.V.Kuppam area and the quality of the cotton cloth brought back from K.V.Kuppam when the Bishopston-Kuppam link was first formed, was part of the initial impetus for founding the trading company.

Anyone who’s ever worn a Bishopston Trading blouse or shirt knows how breathable, soft and light the handloom cotton cloth is, but few people are aware just how versatile a material it is too. To illustrate this I thought I’d share with you a selection of other products made from the Fairtrade organic cotton cloth that is handwoven by our partners in the village.

1. The Wondercube

http://www.mywondercube.co.uk/

Having watched her baby daughter ethusiastically pulling wipes out of their packet, Helen Twigge-Molecey, designed this educational children's toy to be made from lightweight cotton cloth.

2. Fat Quarters - Quilting Packs

http://www.fairtradefabric.co.uk/

Colour co-ordinated packs of fabric, designed specially for avid quilters.

3. Zip-Safe Bags

http://www.zipsafe.co.uk/

Multi-purpose storage bags: cash, keys, medication, mobiles - all those small but essential things that have a habit of vanishing at the crucial moment.

4. Tartan Ties

http://www.ethicalclassics.com/

In fact a whole range of cotton items all in classic Gordon Tartan and all from cloth woven in South India.

5. Student Fashion

http://www.fairwearfashionshow.org.uk/

Well this isn't much of a leap from the handloom cotton clothing I mentioned at the beginning of this post, except that these garments were designed and made by students at Filton College Bristol. It just shows what a versatile and useable fabric handloom cotton is, when it can be crafted into beautiful garments by students, professionals and hobbyists alike.

Finally, here's an image of the handloom cloth in production. At the weaver's feet are two pedals which she presses alternately to raise and lower consecutive warp threads. The cords attached to the top of the frame are pulled in time with the pedal-pushes, this sends the shuttle shooting back and forth between the warp threads, creating the weft. The weavers who produce the handloom cloth for Bishopston Trading Co and our partners are organised into Self-Help Groups, these operate like small co-operatives: they are democratically run and the profits are shared amongst the members.

For more information visit these pages of our website:

K.V.Kuppam and How our clothes are made

Powerloom Weaving Arrives in K.V.Kuppam

2009-08-05T03:40:00.000-07:00

The inspiration behind Bishopston Trading Company was a simple assertion made by one of the villagers of K.V.Kuppam, that what they wanted was work not charity. This, coupled with the long-standing tradition of high-quality handloom cotton weaving in the area, led to the founding of the company as a trading partnership. We now work with five groups of handloom weavers in the surrounding villages, they produce the Fairtrade organic cotton cloth that is used in the majority of our clothing.

But lightweight cotton clothing, no matter how beautiful and breathable it may be, is not always ideal for these northern climes. So we complement our handloom range with Fairtrade organic cotton velvet, babycord, denim and calico. And from this month the weaving of the denim and calico will be undertaken by a new powerloom weaving society in K.V.Kuppam. The looms have been purchased, the weavers are being trained, and very shortly the clacking of electric powerlooms will be heard amongst the buzzing and singing of the local fauna and the rhythmic whirring of the sewing machines in the Tailoring Societies.

The Powerloom Weaving Society will be democratically organised as the other weaving and tailoring groups are. Not only will it enable us to offer a greater range of powerloom cloth and have greater control over the quality of the finished product, it will also allow us to offer this cloth by the metre to other designers, craftworkers and businesses, just as we currently do with our handloom. As Fair Trade goes from strength to strength, we are looking forward to supplying furnishing quality fabric to haberdasheries and department stores: Fairtrade organic cotton will no longer only be something we wear and sleep between, we will also be relaxing on it, drawing and opening it, sitting on it and lounging over it.