{"id":39934,"date":"2017-11-03T08:00:01","date_gmt":"2017-11-03T14:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/?p=39934"},"modified":"2017-12-04T09:59:33","modified_gmt":"2017-12-04T16:59:33","slug":"fairtrade-calgary-wants-to-make-city-a-sustainable-fashion-hub","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/2017\/11\/03\/fairtrade-calgary-wants-to-make-city-a-sustainable-fashion-hub\/","title":{"rendered":"Fairtrade Calgary wants to make city a sustainable fashion hub"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Erin Bird brings fair trade fashion to Calgary: <\/strong>Erin Bird runs Fairtrade Calgary and is getting ready to launch a fair trade fashion competition in Calgary and Vancouver. Thursday, Oct. 26, 2017. (Photo by Meaghan Fitzpatrick\/The Press)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

F<\/span>airtrade Calgary is partnering with Vancouver this March at the Canadian Fairtrade Network Conference<\/a> hosted by Simon Fraser University.<\/p>\n

T<\/span>his will be the first time in the six years that Calgary will be participating in a fair trade fashion show, exhibiting designs from both Calgary and Vancouver based fashion designers.<\/p>\n

\u201cFairtrade fashion is something close to my heart,\u201d said Erin Bird, who currently runs Fairtrade Calgary.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s hard to find and that\u2019s why I want to make it something I\u2019m working on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bird is planning a competition for fashion designers to pitch their ideas and put forward fair trade designs, with a format yet to be decided.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we\u2019re doing a competition, we need make sure it\u2019s ethical and we are paying people for their designs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sponsorship is important for events like this, but it can be tricky to find a company that\u2019s practices and values are aligned with the event.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s hard to be picky, but at the same time, if you don\u2019t do that, then you\u2019re really shooting yourself in the foot.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Bird decided to source fair trade material for the competition she found it to be harder than expected to find fabric that was truly fair trade, which she speculated probably contributes to the limited use within mainstream fashion industries.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs an individual who was extremely motivated to find fair trade fabric it was still extremely difficult,\u201d said Bird. \u201c<\/p>\n

Bird ended up finding a fair trade co-operative in India, but the difficult process made her realize the disconnect between North America and the countries the make our fabric.<\/p>\n

\u201cStreamlining that process, I see that as a huge niche market.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fairtrade Calgary<\/a> is hoping to leverage what happens at the conference, which will be held March 2-4 in Vancouver, and increase its involvement with events like fashion week, and other fair trade fashion shows across Canada.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not sure how big we can take it this year, but there are definitely plans to take it bigger and bigger each year,\u201d said Bird.<\/p>\n

Fairtrade Calgary doesn\u2019t plan on leading every ethical fashion intuitive but rather wants to connect with already existing ethical fashion groups to help the movement grow bigger.<\/p>\n

Fairtrade fashion is something close to my heart. – Erin Bird<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Pairing with organizations such as Respect for the Earth and All People (REAP), which is the host of Down to Earth Week in Calgary.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we were able to put a new focus on sustainable fashion, which I think a lot of new designers are considering, then Calgary could be a great hub for sustainable fashion,\u201d said Bird.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven the fact that we grow crops like hemp, it\u2019s really a unique area of Canada to be in.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Fairtrade Calgary is working with Fairtrade Vancouver to bring fair trade fashion to Western Canada. <\/p>\n

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