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made and fair trade
Established in 2005, the made brand unites designer fashion with the principles of Fair and Ethical Trading, as an alternative approach to conventional trade.
Our goods are produced by independent artisans and small communities in Africa. We provide living wages and healthy working conditions along with information and business planning to help workers develop sustainable businesses.
You can be assured that when you buy a product from made you are empowering workers to improve their lives by fighting poverty through the development of sustainable trade.
Our goods are produced by independent artisans and small communities in Africa. We provide living wages and healthy working conditions along with information and business planning to help workers develop sustainable businesses.
You can be assured that when you buy a product from made you are empowering workers to improve their lives by fighting poverty through the development of sustainable trade.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. Why don't you carry a Fair Trade accreditation?
A1. Unfortunately the Fair-trade Labelling Organisation has yet to open categories within fashion/arts and crafts sectors. The organisation currently focuses on agricultural-based products such as tea, coffee, bananas, flowers, chocolate and cotton. We are hoping that they will open new categories soon, but due to massive growth in the agricultural sectors, we are advised that this is unlikely to happen for sometime.
However, made's workshop in Kenya had an independent ethical audit in March 2009 conducted by Africa Now, a registered charity that works on behalf of major retailers such as Sainsbury's and Marks & Spencer to ensure ethical standards are met from their suppliers. Africa Now used the guidelines of ETI (Ethical Trading Initiative) and IFAT (International Federation of Alternative Trade) to assess made's workshop in Nairobi, Kenya. The conclusion from the assessment showed that made is achieving higher standards than ETI requirements and are continuously working to achieve IFAT standards.
Q2. How much do you pay your workers?
A2.
The majority of Kenyans earn less than a dollar a day. made workers earn over five times this amount plus numerous benefits, including free hot meals on duty, medical assistance, housing allowance and travel allowance.
Q3. Where do your materials come from?
A3.
Where possible, made sources all its materials from Africa. The majority of materials used are recycled (brass, glass and cow bone).