Company story: Piccalilly

Hannah Evans, founder of Yorkshire-based children’s clothing brand Piccalilly, on supporting the whole supply chain, and keeping Fairtrade clothing bright and colourful.

How did Piccalilly start?

In 2007, whilst on maternity leave having baby number two, I was made redundant. I always had an interest in Fairtrade and organic cotton so I visited our now manufacturing partner who is part of the CHETNA project in Kolkata, India. I saw a demand for organic and Fairtrade cotton children’s clothes – especially printed and colourful ones. We want Piccalilly’s clothing to appeal to consumers beyond the traditional Fairtrade market – and we hoped with bright styles and timeless designs, such as our first ever ‘spotty’ range, consumers would see a fun, classic piece of clothing, and then see it was made from organic cotton and had the Fairtrade mark – and that would be a plus point!

What inspires you about Fairtrade?

Fairtrade is such a broad issue, but for me it has always been important to support the bottom end of the supply chain. Piccalilly is special because we know exactly where our clothes come from and we can therefore ensure everyone in the supply chain benefits fairly. Fairtrade premiums mean more money trickles to the end of the chain, meaning some of the most important people in the production process are no longer losing out. As a company we have a social responsibility to our brand and our consumers, but also to every single one of the people involved in helping to produce our clothing in India, and Fairtrade helps us to achieve that.

What does the future hold for Piccalilly?

It’s been a really good year so far, despite the current global economy. Baby and toddler clothing seems to be a sustainable sector of the market and our customers are very loyal. We are always being asked to broaden our range and produce clothes for older children. Currently we are developing clothing for four to five year olds and have recently introduced a ‘spotty’ range for boys. Piccalilly is sold by 180 retailers in 20 countries and as we grow steadily, we will maintain the integrity of the business and sustain our social responsibility to all those working in the supply chain.

©Summer 2009 Fair Comment