A pioneer in sustainable Fair Trade fashion, People Tree's story started in 1991. The core mission has stayed the same over the past three decades since award-winning social entrepreneur Safia Minney founded the company. Every product is made to the highest ethical and environmental standards from start to finish.
Contemporary, versatile designs and playful, exclusive prints inspired by the V&A archives create stylish, innovative and affordable fashion while respecting people and the planet. Collections featuring organic cotton, TENCEL™ Lyocell and responsible wool, are made using traditional artisan skills such as hand weaving, hand knitting, hand embroidery and hand block printing.
People Tree launched their first fashion range to meet the Global Organic Textile Standard certified by the Soil Association and were the first fashion company to be awarded the World Fair Trade Organization product label. These certifications guarantee People Tree’s dedication and compliance to the principles of fair trade, covering fair wages, good working conditions, transparency, environmental best practice and gender equality.
Mission
To support producer partners' efforts towards economic independence and control over their environment and to challenge the power structures that undermine their rights to a livelihood.
To protect the environment and use natural resources suitably throughout their trading and to promote environmentally responsible initiatives to create new models to promote sustainability.
To supply customers with good quality products, with friendly and efficient service and build awareness to empower customers and producers to participate in Fair Trade and environmentally sustainable solutions.
To provide a supportive environment to all stakeholders and promote dialogue and understanding between them.
To set an example to business and government of a Fair Trade model of business based on partnership, people-centered values and sustainability.
Environmental Responsibility
Their producers use traditional skills and combine them with new innovative technologies to support and grow their businesses. By using skills such as hand weaving, hand knitting or hand embroidery they create employment in rural areas where work is often scarce. All clothes are dyed using low impact dyes, free from harmful azo chemicals which are frequently used in clothing manufacture. They use natural materials where possible, avoiding plastic and toxic substances.