Hail Mary Queen of Shops: here are my top five tiny independent stores

Having reversed the fortunes of small fashion boutiques and charity shops, Mary Portas's new series on BBC2 that begins tonight focuses on the plight of the small independent shop -- the baker and the off licence and the deli. I hate shopping in supermarkets: they lure you in with free parking and cheap food, and you always end up spending  £400 on stuff you know will go off before you can eat it. Huge chains like Topshop merely make my head spin. As Mary says in the show tonight, unless we patronise small stores they will disappear from our high streets. Here is my top five ... do feel free to add your favourite local shops

1. Palette London, 21 Canonbury Lane, London N1(020 7288 7428).

This small boutique has the most wonderful collection of vintage fashion from Ossie Clark, Oscar de la Renta, Halston, Chanel et al. The 1970s Guccis is wonderful, as are the bags, shoes and jewellery. The owner is very knowledgeable. Keira Knightley is a fan

2. Pachacuti (above right) is at 19 Dig Street, Ashbourne in Derbyshire (01335 300 003). Don't let the fact it is fair trade and organic put you off: there is delicious knitwear from alpaca wool, Panama hats and a large range of children's wear. A friendly, family run shop in a beautiful part of the world

3. The Dulverton Delicatessen,  Somerset. This is my local food shop, and although I am not one for eating or cooking, this shop, run by the beautiful and knowledgable Emily, might well convert me. Local cheeses, juices, cakes, bread and vegetables, as well as the sort of unusual ingredients you expect only to find in London. Emily will order anything you fancy, from vegan cheese to eco friendly  firelighters

4. Atelier Abigail Ahern (below), 137 Upper Street, London N1 (0207 354 8181). This is an Aladdin's cave of good taste: finds from Paris flea pits, exquisite chandeliers made from porcelain by local artisans, lamps, candles, Rastafarian floor cushions

5. Mee, 9A Bartlett Street, Bath (01225 442250). Heidi Klein swimwear, trinkets for the home -- a bestseller is a king size velvet throw for £195 --  silk jersey draped dresses by New York designer Yoana Baraschi, a red carpet range of dresses by David Meister. What is different about this lovely little boutique -- Vanessa Paradis is a fan -- is that the sales assistants offer a really personal service, and will spend a lot of time making sure you choose exactly the right outfit 

As part of Pachacuti's Fair Trade Certification, every year, together with each producer group, Pachacuti creates an annual action plan that allows producers to direct how Fair Trade will benefit them the most. In 2008 one embroidery group all complained of poor eyesight. In Spring 2009, we paid for eye tests, glasses and eye operations for the 20 workers who required them, totalling $800.

After the success of this project, Pachacuti approached  our co-operative of women Panama hat weavers based in Ecuador and enquired if the 300+ weavers might need glasses. The answer was a resounding YES. 

The women live in a poor, rural region of Southern Ecuador and rely on the weaving of hats as their primary source of income. This traditional skill is demanding work and requires good eyesight to produce quality hats.  To remedy this situation Pachacuti and the Co-operative decided to make the purchasing of glasses for the weavers their primary goal for their 2010 Fair Trade Action Plan.

Pachacuti arranged for eye exams to be given to the weavers and it was determined just over 200 of the women required glasses, with 65 weavers being prioritised as needing glasses urgently. This was beyond the financial means of Pachacuti and the co-operative to purchase.  It was with the help of a group of Ashbourne residents that the Sunglasses for Glasses concept was born as a means to achieve the funding for this project. It is our hope that, through the involvement of area school children, we can together raise the money needed for the purchase of the glasses whilst providing an opportunity for the children to learn about global issues and empathy for others.

Sunglasses for Glasses day last week raised enough money for over 30 pairs of glasses, so we are well on our way to our target!  A huge thank you to the schools and children who took part and  I'm looking forward to posting some photographs of our weavers with their new glasses!

It was a truly inspiring evening for myself and my staff.  After champagne and canapes, Mandy Yound of Adrenaline Alley in Corby took to the stage.  She told of how she set up the extreme sports park in response to an attack on her son when he was carrying his skateboard.  What started as a small skatepark has turned into the biggest extreme sports centre in the world outside of the US - all run as a Social Enterprise.

After Dinner and the presentation of the Community Impact Awards, Michelle Feeney, CEO of St Tropez, talked about Mac cosmetics.  Michelle used to work for Estee Lauder and, when the company bought Mac, she became their head of Global Communications.  I had no idea at all that all profits from Mac Viva Glam go to the Mac Aids Fund.  It sounds like a truly impressive company and convinced me to linger a little longer next time I pass a Mac Cosmetics counter!

Finally it was time for our Award, the last category award of the night.  Our video looked fantastic on the big screen, showcasing our work on the Sustainable Fair Trade Management System through video and photography with an actor's voiceover. 

We were certainly the smallest of all of the companies receiving awards last night, with other winners including Rolls Royce, Experian, Northern Foods and East Midlands Airport.  However, I think it is so important to show that a small, East Midlands company can not only have a huge impact locally (and we do work closely with our local schools and community) but can have a significant impact Internationally.  I think that the important element of our work on the Sustainable Fair Trade Management System is not just the impact on our 1000 or so producers, but the real development potential which the system offers to small organisations and companies throughout the world as a means of addressing Millenium Development Goals.

We were delighted to receive our Big Tick Award and are excited about the forthcoming National Awards for Excellence on 5 July.

Moreover, we have been shortlisted as an Example of Excellence in the International category for our work towards Millenium Development Goals and helping to create a replicable model for international development through the SFTMS.   The overall Example of Excellence in the International Category will be presented by Prince Charles on 5th July.  Pachacuti is running alongside Barclays Bank, Thomson Reuter and Cisco Systems for this coveted award.

The Awards for Excellence reward businesses who demonstrate the positive impact they have had on society and also the business benefits created by ensuring that being responsible is integral to their business model.

We are delighted that our Panama hats which are woven for Pachacuti by weavers in remote areas of the Ecuadorian highlands are now for sale at a Pop-Up shop in Liberty.  These women have very few opportunities open to them: many are single mothers or wives of alcoholic husbands and they are reliant on income from agriculture and hat weaving.  Many are forced to migrate to cities in search of low paid domestic work, leaving behind their culture and their community.

I believe that this is fantastic example of how opportunities can be created for marginalised producers if they are better organised, resourced and supported through the work of Fair Trade.  Pachacuti's producer groups are now able to secure access to one of the most prestigious stores in London under fair trade conditions, providing them with a decent and dignified livelihood.

Having sold Panama hats for the past 18 years, I thought that it was high time I really put one through its paces on an action-filled safari holiday in Kenya.

Having read on ehow , the website which tells you 'how to do just about anything' that a Panama Hat was the ideal hat to take on Safari, I decided to take a Pachacuti fedora llano weave grade 8 on a 4x4 and horseriding safari in Kenya (although evidently I didn’t wear a panama when riding!) We clearly couldn’t have a Panama hat style called the African Queen without taking it to Africa, so this style was delegated to my 13 year old daughter Sienna to wear.

Our safari holiday was with Tharua Safaris, a family run business based in the Kenyan highlands, sandwiched between the Solio and Ol Pejeta game reserves, both home to the rare black rhino.  Ol Pejeta is situated between the foot hills of the Aberdares and snowcapped Mount Kenya and before leaving for the safari I had seen it listed as the top destination for Eco Safaris.

We arrived at a time of endless rains at the end of a two year drought – great for Kenyan farmers but not so good for riding horses in the exceedingly slippery red mud.  Still, we persevered with a steady ride on the first day and discovered that the weather was deceptive.  As there was almost complete cloud cover, we set off on a three hour ride with a low factor suncream on.  

Obviously I should have realised from two decades of travelling in the Andes that I should use a high factor suncream at altitude the thin air allows more UV to reach the skin.  However, I wasn't aware that the foothills around Mount Kenya were that high but it materialised on my return that we were, in fact, at 2000 metres altitude and, of course, we got burnt.   Fortunately we had riding hats on, but they still don’t shield your face very effectively.

Due to the rains, a decision was made by Martin and Tiddy to travel north to the Mpala reserve where there was apparently no rain, although we would have to travel by 4x4 instead of on horseback.  I didn't realise at the time what an incredible privilege this was. The Mpala Wildlife Foundation operates a biodiversity conservation research center, a 48,000 acre wildlife conservancy and a variety of community health and outreach programs in Laikipia.  At present the reserve is only open to researchers but, as our guides were friends of the reserve manager, we were able to visit the reserve as invited guests.  More to follow in my next blog post about the safari, game drives and animals spotted, included hippos in the river below our tent and an elephant in the campsite!

I hadn't expected the Panama hats to be so well used.  After all, I had intended to be wearing a riding hat a lot of the time!  Standing up in the jeep with our heads out of the roof for several hours a day, the Panamas were invaluable.  We had an early morning game drive, returned for breakfast, drove out again for about three hours for a picnic lunch, then back for a cup of tea and out again for an evening drive.  Even heading out in the late afternoon, the sun was fierce.

I was surprised at how well my Panama hat stayed on, considering it was fairly breezy and we were travelling at quite a speed sometimes on very rough and bumpy dirt tracks.  Although I did put a hand up to ensure my hat stayed on a couple of times in the wind, most of the time I felt very confident that my hat would stay firmly on my head without flying off into the path of a passing giraffe.  

I was even more surprised at my daughter's pronouncement of how great her African Queen Panama was in the sun.  She really dislikes the heat and the extra wide brim of the African Queen provided excellent sun coverage but was still stylish enough for a fashion-conscious teenager to wear - even if there was no-one around for miles to see her!

Anita Roddick built an empire on skincare but still reminded people that "The most effective anti-ageing product is a sun hat." So, next time you go on holiday, please remember what Anita Roddick said and take a hat with you, preferably a Fair Trade Pachacuti Panama hat.

You can see the whole Emma Watson for People Tree range on the People Tree website where you can read the story behind Emma Watson's collaboration with People Tree, as well as see images and videos from the photoshoot such as the one below.

Emma says that this collection is important because “It's fabulous, colourful, comfy, summery and everything you could want in your summer wardrobe. And it's not made using nasty chemicals', it's not going to damage the environment and it's not going to make anyone sick or ill. And it's Fair Trade so you are actively helping someone who is living in poor conditions, by buying these clothes you are changing someone's life. It's a really feel good thing to wear. You can feel good about yourself as you will look great and be changing lives.”

The Women on their Way Awards were set up by former candidate on The Apprentice, Jo Cameron, and her Co-Director Lisa Ibbotson. The aim of Women on Their Way is to inspire women around the world to improve their lives, moving towards equality.

I am really passionate about women's training and development, both in developing countries and within the UK.  For the past eighteen years I have been working to improve women's skills, training and personal development in the Andean Region of South America, paying for courses from pattern cutting and IT skills through to self-esteem and leadership. Over the years I have taken numerous staff, designers and intern students from the UK out to South America to improve Quality Control, business organisation and technical ability and to give talks on health and safety and environmental responsibility.

I have had several student interns working at Pachacuti, usually from Derby University, but also from as far afield as France and Ecuador. It is always rewarding to take the students out to South America and usually an eye-opening experience for them as they realise the very real limitations of working with Fair Trade producers, particularly in terms of available raw materials.  Most of them have gone on to incorporate designs developed with Pachacuti into their final collections.   It is very rewarding to see some of those students go on to set up their own ethical fashion businesses; that's exactly what I want to achieve.

In  the past few years I have taken on roles including Enterprise UK Ambassador, University of Essex Alumna of the Year 2009, East Midlands Ambassador and Business Language Champion.  These entail working with educational institutions from secondary schools to Universities, giving presentations ranging from sustainability and ethical fashion through to business skills and the importance of learning languages. In addition, over the past year I have travelled as far afield as Nepal, Madrid and Ecuador to give presentations on Pachacuti's Fair Trade, Sustainable certification by WFTO.

The 10 judges for the Women on their Way Awards include Gill Fielding from The Wealth Company and Caroline Marsh of Channel 4 Secret Millionaire.   The winner will be announce on Friday 19th March at the annual Women on their Way Awards lunch at Aston Villa Football Club.

This week I spent two wonderful days in Paris and have come back to the UK feeling refreshed and stimulated.  On the first day I went to Modamont, the trimmings show, and was really impressed to find several European family companies producing hat ribbon and able to custom-make quantities as small as 100m with our own stripes, colours and prints.  I also visited L'Aiguille en Fete (The Needle Festival) Pro, an international trade show dedicated to textile crafts.

The following day I had booked a textile tour of Paris as part of L'Aiguille en Fete.  Our day started at the Quai Branly Museum Cafe where Françoise Cousin (Doctor in ethnology, curator and in charge for many years of the textile collections of the Quai Branly Museum) explained how the Museum built its magnificent collections.  The museum is located next to the Eiffel Tower and throughout her talk I watched the snow fall through the glass walls of the cafe, completely obscuring the tower at times.

We then had a two hour guided tour through the collections, from the 1000 pleat skirt to, my specialist area, a wonderful collection of textiles from Paracas.

After lunch, we travelled over to the Marais district in the 4th Arondissement to visit the atelier of Claire-Marie Neufville where textile artists involved in the haute couture industry were gathered  to present their work and tell us about the techniques they use.  I talked to Béatrice Meunier (artist), Catherine Jahan (fabric painter), Maïté Tanguy (weaver), Betty de Paris (color specialist) and Corinne Gradis (textile artist).  I bought a beautiful scarf for my mother's birthday from Catherine Jahan in handpainted silk.  I was delighted (and surprised) to discover that she was planning to visit Stoke-on-Trent soon for a designer collaboration with The New English and I'm looking forward to seeing her again soon when she visits me in Staffordshire.

Claude Fauque, author of over 20 textiles books, talked us through the beautiful images in her book La Broderie: Splendeurs, mystères et rituels d'un art universel  Even though my french is fluent, I do wish this book was avaiable in English! Claude is a consultant in museology and specialist in textile history and she explored the significance of embroidery through themes such as decoration, power and religion.

I wish I could spend more days like this!  It inspired me to spend more time carrying out research into South American textiles and also made me realise that some of my collection of Peruvian textiles should probably be in a museum.

A short video showing the journey of our Panama Hats, from the sustainable, organic, community owned plantation which is encouraging biodiversity, through to our co-operatives of women weavers high in the Andes.

The song is by one of the pensioners we support from the co-operative, Zoila German.  We have bought her a pair of glasses, as you can see from the video, and we are currently trying to raise money to buy glasses for a further 65 weavers.

When I arrived in Ecuador to carry out research for my MA in Native American Studies, I never imagined that 20 years later I would be supporting 1200 traditional textile producers throughout the Andean region.  On that first research trip to study textile production, I was shocked to see how the market was controlled by middlemen.  I met two groups of workers who had organised themselves into co-operatives, but both had experienced arson attacks due to the threat which they posed to the intermediaries' monopoly of the supply chain. 

Outraged by these clear injustices, I decided to return to Ecuador in order to provide a sales outlet for these groups who were unable to trade locally.  Knitting was introduced as a means of income by Peace Corps volunteers in the 60s and the market in the Plaza de Ponchos was full of the ubiquitous fair isle jumper with very little design development taking place. Armed with a book on petroglyphs from the Imbabura and Carchi regions, I drew some designs, combined them with natural dyes and hand-fired raku buttons featuring pre-Colombian designs, and my first knitwear collection was born.   My intention was to sell the knitwear at fairs over the summer before starting my fully-funded PhD in Andean textiles.  However, I hadn't envisaged the success of my first collection, nor realised the positive impact it would have on my producers' livelihoods, so at the end of the summer I reluctantly turned down my PhD.

I named my new business Pachacuti, meaning world upside-down in the Quechua language, as it signified my desire to redress the inequalities in the fashion industry through demonstrating that it was possible to run a successful clothing business which benefited the producers and was environmentally sustainable.  The next few months tested my resolve:  the theft of all of my profits and a business loan by an armed robber in Ecuador with a death threat if I pursued him; sterling plummeting on Black Thursday; recession in the UK.  However, I knew that ultimately my work was making a real difference to the groups I had met.  By this stage I was not only working with knitters, but also embroiderers, tailors, weavers, hatters and was making my first forays into what would become our best-selling line, Panama hats.  Geographically, I had begun working with groups in the highlands of Peru and a natural dye project on the Bolivian altiplano. My aim was to take the best of Andean traditional skills, combine with designs appropriate for the western market and ensure adherence to Fair Trade and sustainable business principles.

Although agriculture had been the historic basis of income in the Otavalo region, many people had turned to craft and textile production in order to supplement their household income. In fact, Lynn Meisch (2002) documented that in the mid '90s income from hand-knitted jumpers  brought in more than $15 million a year. The relative prosperity of the region in the '90s led to an increase in disposable income.  Over the course of the decade I saw a growing trend amongst the men to substitute their traje tipico of white trousers, pintuck shirt, alpargata shoes, poncho and felt hat with jeans and a T-shirt, keeping just their long hair as a symbol of indigenous identity. Traditional male dress which has been an indentifying feature in Otavalan ethnicity is becoming archaic, used predominantly for celebrations such as weddings and baptisms. Changes in female dress have been less rapid, but are still noticeable amongst the younger generation.

Otavalo's textile boom came to an end in 2000 due to the introduction of the US dollar as the national currency, leading to higher costs for raw materials and energy, falling tourism and fewer international buyers.  Coupled with the aforementioned decline in the local market, textile producers were left with few outlets for their skills. The challenge for Pachacuti was continue to innovate, creating new markets in Europe, Japan and the US for a line of clothing and accessories which utilised these traditional skills. 

The embroidered blouse is one of the most important aspects of women's dress from the region.  The white cotton blouse has an intricate yolk designs which is traditionally based on floral motifs, but can incorporate animals, birds and other decorative elements. The hand-embroidery can be very fine and women in the area are justifiably proud of their skills.  My challenge was to create a marketable range which could provide the embroiderers with a constant income and which utilised local skills and raw materials (high quality Colombian embroidery threads rather than imported Chinese thread and local lienzo cotton fabric) to their best advantage. I looked towards nature for my design influence and Pachacuti's range of girls' dresses was launched in 2004.  It was an immediate success, being sold by the V&A to accompany their Arts & Crafts exhibition as an example of the contemporary influence of the movement.

Pachacuti is best-known for our range of Panama Hats, from classic to contemporary styles. From the green lawns of Britain to the catwalks of Paris, the Panama Hat is experiencing a resurgence in popularity, having been a quintessential symbol of British summer fashion ever since 1906 when Edward VII rejected formal morning dress in favour a linen suit topped off with a fine Panama hat to attend Glorious Goodwood. Indeed, the classic Panama hat epitomises the idea of slow fashion, a backlash against the disposable fashion of recent years which has seemed frivolous during a time of recession.

The earliest evidence of a Panama hat can be found on a small ceramic figure attributed to the Valdivia culture of Ecuador from 4,000 B.C. As the hat industry flourished in the mid 19th century, so many large companies were formed along with middlemen who operated throughout the supply chain. These intermediaries are known as perros (dogs) due to their unscrupulous purchasing methods.  As a result of this exploitation, hat weaving has been dying out as young women opt for moving to urban centres, usually for low-paid domestic work, rather than remain within their rural communities. 

Pachacuti is the UK’s only Fair Trade hat specialist, working directly with women's co-operatives in southern Ecuador.   With a Pachacuti panama, the women carry out the entire production process from weaving to finishing and they therefore retain more of the final value of the hat.   Moreover, Pachacuti finances a pension scheme, training, capital expenditure, community development projects and health care. Pachacuti's Fair Trade purchasing gives the women a sustainable livelihood, enabling them to stay within their rural communities where they can fit hat weaving around the agricultural cycle and caring for their families.

Panamas are made from native toquilla grass which is harvested sustainably along the coast of Ecuador. In October 2009, I visited the straw growers on a community-owned plantation of 5600 hectares practising organic agriculture and encouraging biodiversity.  The entire processing of the hat uses no harmful chemicals and the mild chemicals used to bleach the hats are filtered through a system of tanks so that water can be constantly re-used in the production process.    When a Panama finally reaches the end of its life after many years of wear, it can be put on the compost heap - a truly sustainable product.

The village of Iluman, north of Otavalo, is known as the Village of Hats and felt hats have been produced here since colonial times. In the 1990s there were over 20 workshops producing felt hats but now just a couple remain.  The classic style worn by men in the region is a narrow-brimmed version of the trilby.  I wanted to create some more distinctive designs which would bring in added value.  Our ladies felt range is all hand-blocked and hand-finished and we also undertake commissions for designs from other retailers.  By paying a good price for our felt hats, we are undoubtedly helping to keep alive one of the last remaining hat workshops in the area.

As a result of our work in pioneering Fair Trade and sustainable business practices, Pachacuti is the first company in the world to be externally audited and awarded new Fair Trade accreditation by  the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO).  We can now put Fair Trade Certified WFTO Reg 001-2009 UK on all of our product range.  Pachacuti conducts an annual assessment of producer groups which covers all aspects of Fair Trade, not just a fair price but also issues such as training in skills, cultural identity, environmental management, gender issues, trade relations, health and safety.  For instance, on a visit in October 2008, our embroiderers complained of poor vision and we subsequently purchased glasses and paid for eye operations. This year we are hoping to raise money for glasses for all of our hat weavers.

If producers are not well remunerated, traditional textile skills could die out within just a few generations.  My experience has shown that social, welfare, economic and environmental improvements can play a vital part in keeping this cultural heritage alive and vibrant.  Through combining contemporary design with traditional creative techniques which reflect the rich artistic heritage of the Andean region, we will continue to affirm the value and identity of indigenous skills and create a better future for our producers.

Pachacuti is working on a pilot for an exciting and groundbreaking project called the Geo Fair Trade project, to provide Geo-traceability for Fair Trade supply chains.  The project will develop new social, economic and environmental indicators based on geographic data, resulting in transparency and traceability for the whole product chain from the producers to the consumers. One of our partners in Ecuador, a womens' panama hat association, has been selected for this pilot.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an internship with them for a six month period, or with one of the other five pilots:

Coffee in Minas Gerais state - Brazil
Shea Butter in Burkina Faso
Tea in Uganda
Vanilla in Madagascar
Cashew, coffee, and spices in Kerala state - India

The main focus of the work will be to collate and organise in digital form existing data. The type of data to be collected will include socio-economic and environmental data related to the fair trade activity as well as relevant regional/national data sets. These data will be used to develop a series of Sustainable Development geo-indicators which are currently being selected and for which minimum data set requirements are currently being defined.

In addition, there will be a requirement to collect data in the field using GPS equipment. This is likely to involve the mapping of field parcel boundaries and location of producers.

The placement will be supervised in country by a CIRAD or partner organisation staff member and some time will be spent prior to departure in SIRS/CRA-W to learn more about the techniques and type of data to be collected.

The placement is envisaged to start in March 2010 for a total duration of about 6 months.

The requirements of the placement are to be able to work in remote areas in the tropics with sometimes difficult climatic conditions and basic infrastructure and have some experience in field data collection and database and/or some experience with GIS/GPS. Knowledge of the official language is also required (English in India and Uganda, Portuguese in Brazil, Spanish in Ecuador and French in Burkina Faso and Madagascar).

This offer of training course is addressed to students of master training course or last year of graduation. The student specializations that would fit with this placement are agronomy, rural development studies or geography

A scholarship is offered in each location to cover local cost.

Contacts for more information on the student placement:

Christophe Sannier -+33 320 72 76 66 – christophe.sannier@sirs-fr.com

Dominique Pallet - tel (33) 467615881 – dominique.pallet@cirad.fr

Mathieu Weil – tel (261) (0)327319864 – mathieu.weil@cirad.fr

Juan Manuel MORA REY
Assistant coordinateur des projets Européens
05.62.60.68.88
jm.morarey@gers.cci.fr

Our alpaca accessories are now 50% off so snap up a bargain and stay warm in this snowy weather.

I love alpaca for a winter hat keeps you warm and cosy but is also lightweight.  One of the best reasons for buying alpaca is that it continues to look great for years to come as it contains natural resins which prevent the fibres from ageing. 

The felt fedora is a great choice for a winter hat as it is naturally water-repellent and is great for this drizzly winter weather - no need to have to remember an umbrella every day, just wear your fedora with style!

An audit was carried out by accredited EU auditors, both in the UK and in South America, and Pachacuti has been certified against The Sustainable Fair Trade Management System (SFTMS)  v2.  The certification is for the organisation as an entirety, rather than taking a product by product approach.  It involves a strong environmental management component, as well as a focus on the overall management of the certified organisation including administration, labour issues, production systems and quality control. It will certify that an organisation has a proven set of practices, procedures and processes which demonstrate social, economic and environmental responsibility.

The Sustainable Fair Trade Management System seeks to provide a certification system for Fair Trade organisations and their supply chains which complements FLO, the existing product-based  labelling approach.  FLO's Fairtrade Certification system was designed for commodities and many Fair Trade Organisations such as Pachacuti find that their products are not catered for by the Fairtrade mark.  Pachacuti’s principal raw materials, paja toquilla for making Panama hats and alpaca for clothing and accessories, are not currently certifiable under FLO.

This will be the first Fair Trade certification which looks at an integrated supply chain, rather than just certifying the commodity i.e. cotton.  In terms of garment production, most of the added value is in the design and production of the garment or accessory and it is therefore essential that there is a reputable label which guarantees that cutting, weaving, sewing, knitting, dyeing and finishing all adhere to high Fair Trade and environmental standards. 

We have seen so many We have seen so many improvements since starting work on this certification process 18 months ago. All of our producer groups are really excited to be part of  the first Fair Trade organisation in the world to be certified. We are sure that this certification will lead to increased sales and bring lasting benefit to all of our producers.

Welcome to Pachacuti's new website! We are very excited at the launch of both our new branding and our new website. After almost 18 years pioneering Fair Trade fashion and accessories Pachacuti is recognised as a leader in fusing ethical principles with great design.

We felt it was time to refresh our image so that it better reflected the brand we have become. Our new logo is based on the crown which is not only the ultimate symbol of status, but also confers a legitimacy on the wearer. As Pachacuti is the first organisation in the world to be CERTIFIED FAIR TRADE by the World Fair Trade Organisation UK001-2009, we feel that the crown is a good reflection of our aspirations to set an ethical example to others in the fashion industry.

Pachacuti is named after the term pacha-cuti, meaning world upside- down, rather than being named after the Inca ruler Pachacuti. However, we decided to incorporate the three feathers from the Andean crown as depicted in drawings of Inca Pachacuti by the chronicler Guaman Poma de Ayala so that our logo still reflects the South American roots of our brand.

I hope that you will find our new website much easier to navigate and that you will take time to read about our work in improving the lives and working conditions of our producer groups in South America. We have been on quite a journey this year, but we know that we are going in the right direction by the tangible differences we see when we visit our producers in the Andes. Your purchases not only make such a difference to their quality of life, but help our weavers to retain their dignity and sense of cultural identity. Pachacuti invests a considerable amount of time and money into training with courses ranging from pattern cutting to self-esteem and leadership skills; health and safety such as buying new glasses for all of our embroiderers in 2009 and for our weavers in 2010; improving environmental management and much much more

Thank you for your support for our work. We are looking forward to the start of a new decade, moving forward with our new identity to bring ever increasing benefits to our producer groups in the Andes.

Now a quick turnaround, battling colds, to prepare for Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia trip - leaving Monday.

CNN presenter Zain Verjee filmed at Estethica, London Fashion Week,
wearing our new African Queen Panama hat for SS10.

Here is our stand at Estethica, London Fashion Week. Was delighted
that the two lovely merchandising girls from Liberty loved the Panamas
and said they could really see them working in Liberty...and we'd love
to supply them.

Later in the week, not only Liberty came by, but all the big stores. I was just so overwhelmed that everyone loved our hats. All of the major magazines and newspapers came by and Vogue even rang the office a few days later to request photos. Very exciting times for Pachacuti.

We're off to London Fashion Week to set up our stand at Estethica. Very exciting to be there and apparently we sailed through the vetting process!

We'll be showing our SS10 collection of Panama Hats. Some great colours, from a fuschia 'Cusco' hat to tie in with the South American folkloric influence through to some fabulous checked Panamas, including red houndstooth which I love. It's our strongest collection to date and we're excited to see the reaction of buyers and the press.

Photo: Sienna

Pachacuti Fair Trade Report 2008-9