Supermodel Lisa Butcher backs call to make fashion fairer

12 February 2010

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The supermodel turned designer is linked with many top brands and has a range in Long Tall Sally and is currently designing a Fairtrade cotton T-shirt which will be launched after Fairtrade Fortnight. Lisa recently went to India to see first hand just why marginalized cotton farmers urgently need Fairtrade.

Commenting on the fashion world, Lisa said: ‘We live in a fast paced, sometimes superficial world where image is so important, and many of us don’t take the time to think where the cotton in the clothes we buy comes from. I wanted to find out if there was an alternative way of doing things, like Fairtrade, where everyone wins and we can also help the environment.’

Lisa visited Agrocel Pure & Fair Cotton Growers’ Association, in Gujarat, India. She met some farming families from villages in the Rapar region and saw for herself how Fairtrade has improved the farmers’ lives. Agrocel Fairtrade cotton farmers have the assurance of a minimum price, long term partnership and regular orders, which gives them more security to plan their business. They also benefit from the Fairtrade premium which is additional money to invest in their communities. The farmers themselves decide collectively how they will use the premium and this brings the community closer together. Fairtrade also empowers many of the women as for the first time they are able to participate equally in the decision making process. The farmers also receive a pension, health insurance and good medical facilities. They can afford to send their children to the local primary school and women are paid the same as men - a rarity - and given paid maternity leave.

Lisa saw how through Fairtrade, Agrocel brings a fairer deal and better living conditions to farmers, to promote rural development and strengthen the economy and livelihoods, meaning that people will no longer have to leave their homes for work and life in a city slum.

‘Now that I have seen for myself the difference Fairtrade can make, I believe that the fashion world should consider using more Fairtrade cotton. I was really struck how people here often forget about the people behind their clothes. Anything new is never easy, and we need to work a little harder to achieve the unknown. But it’s not impossible to change the way we view cotton and the challenge is back to the industry.’

Pictures and footage available upon request:

1. Lisa Butcher photographed by Trevor Leighton modelling a range of Fairtrade fashion

2. Lisa Butcher visiting Fairtrade cotton farmers in India.

– ENDS –

Eileen Maybin
Head of Media Relations
020 7440 7686/07770 957 451
eileen.maybin@fairtrade.org.uk

Martine Julseth
Media and PR Manager
020 7440 7695/07825 827 791
martine.julseth@fairtrade.org.uk

Faith Mall
Media and PR Manager
020 7440 8597/07766 504 947
faith.mall@fairtrade.org.uk

Neil Martin
Assistant Press Officer
020 7440 7620
neil.martin@fairtrade.org.uk

Notes to Editors -

The FAIRTRADE Mark is a certification mark and a registered trademark of Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International (FLO) of which the Fairtrade Foundation is the UK member. The Fairtrade Foundation is an independent certification body which licenses the use of the FAIRTRADE Mark on products which meet international Fairtrade standards. This independent consumer label is now recognised by 72% of UK consumers and appears on products as a guarantee that disadvantaged producers are getting a better deal. Today, more than 7.5 million people – farmers, workers and their families – across 58 developing countries benefit from the international Fairtrade system.

Over 4,500 products have been licensed to carry the FAIRTRADE Mark including coffee, tea, herbal teas, chocolate, cocoa, sugar, bananas, grapes, pineapples, mangoes, avocados, apples, pears, plums, grapefruit, lemons, oranges, satsumas, clementines, mandarins, lychees, coconuts, dried fruit, juices, smoothies, biscuits, cakes & snacks, honey, jams & preserves, chutney & sauces, rice, quinoa, herbs & spices, seeds, nuts & nut oil, wines, beers, rum, confectionary, muesli, cereal bars, yoghurt, ice-cream, flowers, sports balls, sugar body scrub and cotton products including clothing, homeware, cloth toys, cotton wool and olive oil.

7 in 10 households purchase Fairtrade goods, including an extra 1.3 million more households in 2008, helping Fairtrade sales reach an estimated £700m in 2008, a 43% increase on the previous year. There are over 460 producer organisations selling to the UK and by the end of October 2008 872 certified producer groups were in the global Fairtrade system, representing more than 1.5 million farmers and workers.