St Martins’ duo debut new ethical label Amana

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1. Fri, January 26, 2007 at 5:14am

   Ethical Emma says

   Amana claims to have a completely ethical supply chain, and yet they don’t use fairtrade cotton, and they’re also using silk - which is made by boiling silk worms alive. Not all that ethical, I’d say.

   How much longer are ethical shoppers like me going to have to wait before a truly ethical and truly fashionable clothes company comes along!!???

2. Fri, January 26, 2007 at 5:24am

   Rolly says

   I agree - its totally out of order! Peopel like Amana shouldn’t be allowed to say there ethical if there not!

3. Fri, January 26, 2007 at 9:12pm

   Erin says

   I’d love to address some of your concerns. Firstly I’d like to say how important our ethical stance is, this is something as a company and as individuals that we truly believe in and we want to be part of the movement that’s changing the way the fashion industry works.

   Working in the ethical fashion market is extremely challenging, especially as a small company. The ethical fabric market is extremely limited so within that we source what we feel are the most sustainable but beautiful fabrics.

   We would love to use fair-trade cotton but at the moment there is a shortage and it is extremely difficult to get hold of. The minimum order quantities are thousands of metres which for a small company like us is completely unobtainable. Instead we have used Skal certified organic cotton, which also certifies the working conditions of farmers.

   In this collection we have used a hemp fabric which is blended with silk. Although not everyone feels comfortable wearing silk we decided to use this fabric because of it’s other ethical qualities, it carries the SBV mark (Sustainable Biodegradable Product) as it is 100% biodegradable and is finished in accordance with Skal criteria. Further more not all silk is damaging to silk worms, our suppliers are working hard to source more tussar (wild) silks were the silk worm leaves the cocoon before it is processed.

   No ethical fashion company that I know of can claim to be 100% ethical but every one I know is striving to be as ethical as possible and continuously pushing the boundaries to become as environmentally and socially responsible as they possible can.  We source the most environmentally friendly fabrics that are available to us, try to only work with fabric suppliers that also guarantee safe working conditions and living wages for their employees and work directly with women artisans in the Middle Atlas mountains in Morocco to make our garments. We pay them three times the minimum wage, two thirds of which we pay in advance. We help them with training and assist them in acquiring more machinery to grow their business.

   We believe that this is what running an ethical fashion business about, showing how things can be done differently and making a difference to people lives. We’re not perfect yet, but with every season we’ll strive to do it better.

   Erin Tabrar – Managing Partner Amana

4. Fri, January 26, 2007 at 10:11pm

   number5 says

   I say well done to Amana and good luck to you. I have been in the ethical fashion and textiles trade for years and I know how incredibly difficult it is to get things going when the soppy chains are so poor.

   Ethical Emma and Rolly are right to feel passionately about ethical produce, but I am afraid you simply have no idea how difficult it is. You complain that there is not truly ethical label for you, but there never will be unless you support those that are making an effort in that direction. It is only with your support that they can grow, feed more money into the supply systems and therefore create a stronger and more ethical textiles industry.

   You also point out issues with regard to having the right labels, but this is a highly political area. I know for a fact that in some cases brown envelopes have been used to buy the officially recognised seals of approval and as for organic certification, Skal is a world renowned and respected body, but in the UK we have some issues with it because a certain homegrown and otherwise respectable Organic Association have fed negative rumours about Skal so as to maintain their own competitive edge in the UK.

   I am afraid Emma and Rolly that until you have been involved in the very depths of ethical textile and fashion production from source to shop window, you will not truly understand how ethical production is not just black and white. Your intentions are laudable but you have not thought it through, if you really care about ethical production you should be supporting and praising companies like Amana not attacking them. Believe you me, it is very, very difficult to set up a clothing company with any kind of ethicay, so hard in fact that most don’t bother at all. Equally it is very very easy indeed to sit on the edge doing nothing but consuming and carp on about how others who are actually making a difference could be doing it better. From what I can see Armana are doing the best thing they can to create a strong ethical chain, and that is to strike a balance between what they can afford as a young company and their ethical ambitions. They are being totally transparent about their textiles, sourcing and manufacture and that is all that you can ask.

   From the sounds of it Emma and Rolly you have a lot to learn about how to genuinely support the ethics you purport to extol. Either that or you are just jealous competitors worried about some challenging new kids on the block.

   I am in the same trade Armana, but I for one am thrilled to see more forward thinking genuinely stylish ethical producers joining the market. It can only strengthen all of us. Good luck to you.

   Alex.

5. Fri, January 26, 2007 at 10:42pm

   Chithru says

   I have 2 degrees in engineering, and am currently working on developing sustainable systems and solutions. Having done a little bit of research on this company, I can safely say that their intentions are more than honourable. The manufacture and construction of their clothes would easily fit in the top 1% measured against other similarly branded clothes from all the different manufacturers that hold similar claims. If any of you have tried or successfully launched an ethical fair trade company in fashion, you will know exactly how hard it is. Granted, like most new ventures, it is an iterative learning procedure too, but their research, work, infrastructure is meticulous and the product is stunning. This type of movement needs to be positively encouraged.

6. Fri, January 26, 2007 at 11:53pm

   Wellie says

   I agree that we should be supporting any new start up company that is trying to change the way the polluting textile industry currently runs. Amana seem to have the best intentions and I think that they need our help and support - not our rash criticism!

   I am really excited about this brand it looks like there is finally a clothing brand that is offering ethically produced clothing with style and fashion!

   Can’t wait to see the collection well done girls!

7. Sat, January 27, 2007 at 12:11am

   jpwallop says

   I can’t wait to see Amana’s new Spring line - they are going to revolutionize fair trade ethical fashion -

8. Sat, January 27, 2007 at 5:55pm

   Lammtron says

   This is really exciting news- the recent developments in the ethical fashion industry now mean that tie-dye and hemp drawstring trousers are no longer mandatory purchases for customers, which can only make it more accessible. Instead we can look forward to contemporary looks from smaller companies- producing fine quality clothing with a conscience.

   As for the credentials- fairtrade cotton is in short supply, because of companies like M&S;buying it up but the fact that it’s so heavily in demand can only bode well for the future of this crop, cottton farmers and the environment. Creating a demand of wild silk will also be similarly beneficial.

9. Mon, January 29, 2007 at 4:37am

   Benjammin1987 says

   I agree, very exciting news.. I cant wait to see the new spring line !! Good Luck girls, I am sure you will go far. I am looking forward to seeing you transform the fair trade ethical fashion industry !!

   Benjammin

10. Mon, January 29, 2007 at 5:59am

    charlotte1985 says

    There is no possible way that such a small company can be 100% ethical, especially in the early days but surely the point is that they are trying to make their products as environmentally friendly as possible, there are many companys that dont even care that their clothes are or are not made in a fair environment and for fair prices. At least this is helping to raise awareness and hopefully inspire others to do the same.
    Its also nice to see that the clothes are fashionable and not rediculously expensive.
    i say.......well done, your doing a great job and there should definatly be more companies like this.

11. Mon, February 12, 2007 at 12:21am

    ethicalobserver says

    What does it matter if Amana isn’t totally ethical? At least they’re better than lots of high street brands.