Marigold Fair Trade Clothing Blog

ANNUAL ANTI SWEATSHOP FILM FEST: Nov 9th, 7pm at Traditions

Marigold Fair Trade — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 19:34:22 +0000

Join us for our Annual Free Film Fest presented by the South Sound Clean Clothes Campaign, a community anti-sweatshop group since 2000. We will show the investigative film, The Dark Side of Chocolate, a film that looks at child labor and slavery in the Ivory Coast and evaluates the promises made by large chocolate manufacturers to deal with this issue when over the last decade there were revelations about the abuses of children and witb pressure from Congress, promises by the industry to stop labor abuse. Filmmakers Miki Mistrati and U Roberto Romano launched a behind-the-scenes investigation to verify if these allegations of child labor in the chocolate industry are present today.

Also we will show 2 short videos on the situation for garment workers in Bangladesh. One, TRIANGLE RETURNS, by the Institute for Global Labour & Human Rights draws the parallels between the sweatshop conditions in the U.S. 100 years ago which led to the tragic Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire in New York City and the current day working conditions for 3.4 million garment workers in Bangladesh. The second, produced by Sweatfree Communities, updates the struggle of workers in Bangladesh to protest to improve their working conditions even while such protests are repressed and leaders are imprisoned and threatened with life sentences or death. All of the above beg the questions, which, hopefully a renewed sense of urgency, leads us to some individual actions but also to some collective and community actions.

View the trailer here.

Traditions Fair Trade is located at 300 5th Ave in downtown Olympia. 360-705-2819.

Filed under: Events, Sweatfree

Closing the Loop on the Global Apparel Supply Chain Cambodian Labor Activists join members of Seattle City Council and WA State Legislature to call for Washington State to pass a SweatFree Purchasing Policy

Marigold Fair Trade — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 04:38:04 +0000

from the WA FAir Trade Coalition: The Coalition of Cambodia Apparel Workers Democratic Union and the National Independent Federation Textile Union of Cambodia, representing over 80,000, mostly women, apparel workers are coming to Seattle to share their fight for a living wage. A fight which brought hundreds of thousands of workers to the streets of Cambodia within the last year.

The City of Seattle in the last year passed a SweatFree Purchasing policy in solidarity with these workers and apparel workers worldwide who continue to labor in sweatshops making clothing for the US marketplace. Next year the WA State Legislature will move forward on a State-wide SweatFree Purchasing Policy-to insure that WA State tax dollars are supporting workers rights wherever we do business.

This is an opportunity for producers and consumers to create a humane supply chain that benefits everyone with high working standards and living wages.

When: 12pm Noon, Thursday, July 28th 2011

Where: Seattle City Hall, 600 4th Ave, Seattle (inside lobby)

Confirmed Speakers: Seattle Councilmember Nick Licata, WA State Senator Steve Conway, Ath Thorn, Coalition of Cambodia Apparel Workers Democratic Union (CCAWDU), Ms Morm Nhim, National Independent Federation Textile Union of Cambodia (NIFTUC), Phouk Hoeung, Cambodian Women Movement’s Organization.

Invited speakers: WA Rep. Bob Hasegawa, Seattle Councilmember Tom Rassmussen.

Join the Washington Fair Trade Coalition/SweatFree WA Campaign, Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA), Solidarity Center AFL-CIO, and Teamsters 117

Cambodian delegation in Seattle City Hall-solidarity in the global apparel supply chain from producers to consumers. Bring signs calling for WA State to pass a SweatFree Purchasing Policy.

Filed under: Fair Trade, Labor rights, Supply chain, Sweatfree

Marigold sponsors this year’s bike commuter contest

Marigold Fair Trade — Wed, 25 May 2011 20:14:03 +0000

Marigold is an annual sponsor of the Bike Commuter Contest. This week we wanted to highlight another sponsor who is also a fair trade business based in Olympia and works with a women’s co-op in Togo, West Africa to create shea butter products such as lotions, creams, hair care and now baby products! Alaffia is not only selling great fair trade products but they are also involved in a number of community projects such as the “Bikes for Togo” project. For the past 5 years, Alaffia has collected used bikes at fundraisers across the country and sent them by container full to Togo. These bikes help girls access to education by proving means of transportation for the girls to get to school. To read more about the project , Alaffia and the Commuter Contest visit: http://thurstonbcc.blogspot.com/p/alaffiia-bike-program-for-togo.html

Filed under: Fair Trade, Sponsorships, Uncategorized, Women

100th Anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

Marigold Fair Trade — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 00:19:32 +0000

Friday, March 25th marks the 100th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in New York City when a fire in a garment factory resulted in the deaths of 146 workers. The 500 workers at this factory were mostly women, and predominately very young immigrants from Europe. As a fire broke out on the top three floors of a nine story building the piles of flammable materials, the exit doors locked by employers, the inadequate fire escape which collapsed, and fire truck ladders which only reached six floors high led many to leap from their deaths from the 9th floor.

The local labor rights group, the South Sound Clean Clothes Campaign , honors this historical tragedy, the magnitude of which spurred campaigns to demand new safety and labor laws, while also highlighting the imperative need to address the many sweatshop abuses still present in the global marketplace. We will do this by exhibiting the paintings of garment workers around the globe by Northwest artist Janet Essley.

Accompanying the exhibit displayed at Traditions Fair Trade (located at 300 5th Ave in downtown Olympia) will be an explanation not only of the Triangle Fire in 1911 but the sweatshop conditions, even the parallel fires, that still occur in garment factories around the globe, especially in Bangladesh.

For more information you can contact Dick @ Traditions 705-2819. 300 5^th Ave SW Olympia or Beth@marigoldfairtradeclothing.com

Painting by Featured NW artist Janet Essley

Filed under: Fair Trade, Labor rights, Sweatfree

Olympia Joins SweatFree Consortium

Marigold Fair Trade — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 08:36:00 +0000

After an incredible weekend at the National SweatFree Summit, we are thrilled to announce that Olympia has officially joined the Sweatfree Consortium! For over 9 years, the South Sound Clean Clothes Campaign, a coalition of Olympia, Tumwater, and Lacey students, union members, people of faith, and concerned citizens have been working to raise awareness about the sweatshop industry, and challenge individuals as well as public and private institutions to create positive change by altering their purchasing practices.

At Olympia’s final City Council meeting in 2009, the council voted unanimously to join the Consortium. Now the official papers have been signed and Olympia will join cities and states throughout the country as members of the Sweatfree Purchasing Consortium which “assists member governments in meeting their goals for responsible sweatshop-free purchasing. It meets a critical need for information about supplier factories by providing expertise and pooling resources to monitor working conditions and enforce “sweatfree” procurement standards”.

This weekend Marigold staff joined over 50 sweatfree activists throughout the country gathered in Olympia for a series of workshops and strategy sessions.

Pictured here is Liana from Sweatfree Communitites, Trina from Intl Labor Rights Forum and Reynaldo Corporan Donastorg, FEDOTRAZONAS Union, Dominican Republic.

Filed under: Events, Sweatfree, Uncategorized

National Sweatfree Summit this weekend in Olympia, WA!

Marigold Fair Trade — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 19:27:34 +0000

Join us this weekend for SweatFree Communities’ 7th annual gathering! The National SweatFree Summit will include workshops for new organizers and experienced campaigners alike. The National Summit is where we develop plans to grow membership in the Sweatfree Purchasing Consortium, lay out the next steps for our emerging campaign for a federal sweatshop-free purchasing policy, and coordinate local work across the country. This year’s Summit will be especially exciting as it is our first national gathering since the founding of the Sweatfree Purchasing Consortium. Come join us in celebrating this major accomplishment and in designing our work for 2011.

Registration

Conference Program

Speakers will include:

Andrew Kang Bartlett, Presbyterian Hunger Program
Kristen Beifus, Washington Fair Trade Coalition
Daniel Cardozo, Ethix Merch
Bjorn Claeson, SweatFree Communities
Colette Cosner, Witness for Peace
Reynaldo Corporan Donastorg, FEDOTRAZONAS Union, Dominican Republic
Carmen Duran, Tijuana Center for Information for Workers (CITTAC), Mexico
Alan Flum, Fair Workplace Council
Dick Meyer, Traditions Fair Trade
Christine Moody, Director of Purchasing, City of Portland, Oregon
Augusto Obregon, Federation for the Integral Development between Farmers, Nicaragua
Victor Velez, Workers United Puerto Rico

Planning to attend only part of the weekend? Check out our free public events with national and international speakers. Conference registration not required for these events although we do welcome donations.

Schedule overview, location, etc

Our 2010 Summit follows on years of sweatfree organizing in Olympia and this summer’s sweatfree policy victory in Seattle. Now Sweatfree Northwest is taking the campaign to the state! If you arrive in Olympia in time, please join us at our briefingon the Sweatfree Purchasing Consortium at the Washington State Capitol, Cherberg Building, Senate Hearing Room #2, Friday, Nov. 5th, 3:00-4:30pm.

Following the briefing, check-in at the registration table at Traditions Cafe, 300 5th Avenue SW, Olympia, WA 98501.Dinner for Summit participants (included in your registration) will be at Traditions at 6pm. Following the meal is our opening plenary, 7:00-8:30pm also at Traditions.

Saturday and Sunday events will be held at First Christian Church, 701 Franklin St. SE, Olympia, WA 98501. The conference runs through 12pm on Sunday, Nov. 5th.

Filed under: Events

The winners of our Free Fair Trade Friday contests during Fair Trade Month

Marigold Fair Trade — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 21:03:55 +0000

Thank you to everyone for participating in our Free Fair Trade Friday contests in October in celebration for Fair Trade Month! Your responses were wonderful and we had a difficult time choosing our favorites but here are the results:

Week 1: Brenna: Reversible bag and headband

Week 2: Malarie Hoover: Napkin set

Week 3: Amber Gillespie: Denim skirt

Week 4: Ann Richmond: Apron and tablecloth

Congratulations! I have replied to the winning comments on each blog post but will need your full names, size if applicable, and mailing addresses in order to deliver your prizes. Please contact me no later than Friday November 5th, 2010: megan@marigoldfairtradeclothing.com

Filed under: Contests, Giveaway

Our last FREE FAIR TRADE FRIDAY Giveaway: Win 2 fantastic prizes!

Marigold Fair Trade — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 01:00:59 +0000

This is the fourth and FINAL installment in our giveaway series celebrating Fair Trade Month. Make sure to enter for your chance to win!

THE PRIZE:

One lucky winner will receive not one, but TWO FREE gifts. First, you will get an apron made of hand block printed fabric, with two pockets, that is completely adjustable and sized generously (available in red, turquoise, endive, cumin floral or orange lotus). Secondly, you will receive a tablecloth, either 60×90 or 60×120, that is available in orange lotus, plum floral, spruce, rose, cumin floral and endive floral. You and your table are sure to be a hit at your next dinner party!

TO ENTER:

To win this week’s prize, post a comment to THIS week’s blog post with your answer to the question: “What product or product group would you like to see become Fair Trade and why?”
Follow us online for a bonus second entry:
- Facebook: http://su.pr/2q14yw
- Twitter: http://twitter.com/MarigoldFT
Have fun and good luck!

RULES:

We will choose our favorite blog comment from that week’s post and that person will be declared the winner of that particular contest. Creativity counts!
The winner will receive a direct message about how to collect the prize
Entries must be received by 8:00pm PST on Saturday October 30, 2010
Odds of winning depend on the number of entries received

Filed under: Contests, Fair Trade, Giveaway

Part 4 of “Fair Trade from the Seed to the Consumer”: The Retailer & Consumer

Megan — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 01:00:32 +0000

In recognition of Fair Trade Month, Marigold Fair Trade Clothing has a new blog series entitled: “Fair Trade From the Seed to the Consumer.” Our beautiful, fashion-forward products represent a completely fair trade supply chain, and you can be assured that from the cotton seed to the finished product, your Marigold purchase is helping to transform the lives of workers and t heir communities. Holding true to our value of transparency, and in an effort to educate and advocate for the Fair Trade model, we are opening up, and explaining, our complete value chain to the consumer public.

In Part 4 (and the final installment of this series), we will explore the fourth major link in the supply chain, and the one that you are probably most familiar with: Distribution & The Consumer.

In addition to selling directly to our consumers at events around the Seattle, Washington, area, and through our online catalog and shopping cart, we have the privilege of working with an amazing set of 60+ retailers across the country. Marigold is based on a wholesaler model, and so we really rely on our retail partners to spread the word about fair trade and distribute our products to the end consumer. We love working in close collaboration with stores to develop new products that suit the needs of their customers, and it is our goal to make the decision to buy fair trade an easy one!

In order to reach the biggest audience we can, staff at Marigold frequently speak at colleges, schools, community groups, festivals and events to share our story and spread the word about fair trade. We are also often involved in ethical fashion shows and stay involved in the local and global fair trade community through our social media sites. By staying connected to the movement, we can speak directly to retailers who may be entertaining the idea of offering ethical fashion and housewares, but we can also engage in a direct dialogue with you, our consumer. Our distributors are essential to our success, but we also love to hear directly from our consumers. You can tell us what’s hot, what’s not, and offer general feedback on our products and what you would like to see Marigold offer next.

We recently spoke to a Marigold supporter who was a winner of one of our blog contests, and then went on to order our beautiful Paisley Skirt. Here is what she had to say:

“I buy fair trade because I believe that I’m making a difference in the global community and enjoy influencing business and consumer trends toward the greater good. Because I care about what I buy, it’s great to find a central location where I can freely shop without worrying about where the products were made or under what kind of conditions. At Marigold I have the assurance that everything is fair trade and can be confident that everything I buy is making the world a better place. Marigold has a lot of options and some really great designs, and I especially love the paisley skirt – it’s very comfortable, flattering, and also very versatile so that I can wear it to work with more formal accessories, or for play with sandals.”

At the core of Marigold’s values is the idea of transparency, which is exactly what inspired us to open up our supply chain to the public with this blog series. We consider ourselves to not only be a fair trade clothing designer and wholesaler, but also an organization that spurs discussion, innovation and change. We want our retailers and consumers to feel engaged with Marigold, and know that you are playing a large part in furthering the fair trade movement.

The conventional garment industry, and what we have come to accept as normal and the law of the land, is one of secrecy and an impossibly long and convoluted supply chain that makes it difficult for consumers to know the story of the product. Marigold’s business model turns this antiquated system on its head by giving the consumer complete insight into the production process. We have no secrets, and because of this, when you purchase a Marigold product, you can be sure that you are getting the complete, honest, and fair history of the item.

Filed under: Supply chain, Uncategorized

Exclusive Fair Trade Month Offer: 15% Off Coupon for New Customers

Marigold Fair Trade — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 05:22:27 +0000

In honor of the last week of Fair Trade Month, we are offering a very special offer to those who have recently discovered Marigold, or who just need a little incentive to place that first order.

***Place an online order with Marigold using code “FTMONTH10″ by 11:59 pm PST on Sunday October 31st and receive an amazing 15% of your first order!!!***

The holidays are just around the corner, so this is a great opportunity to stock up on unique fair trade fabric greeting cards, get your dinner table primed and ready with beautiful hand blocked napkins and a tablecloth, and maybe even pick up one of our gorgeous reversible bags to take with you on your long shopping trips!

This exclusive offer is only valid until the end of Fair Trade Month so please act fast to ensure maximum product availability. Ready to shop? Click HERE! And as always, thank you for your support of Marigold and the fair trade movement. When you make a purchase through Marigold you are voting with your dollars, and your actions do make a difference to women in our cooperative!

Note: This offer is only valid online and to new customers

Filed under: Coupon