Jan 17, 2013

HandCrafting Justice Debuts New Ethical Fashion Brand at New York International Gift Fair

HandCrafting Justice is proud to announce the debut of its new CFFC Ethical Fashion brand at the 2013 New York International Gift Fair. Fulfilling the brand’s mission to create “Conscious Fashion for the Fashion Conscious”, our organization works directly with female artisans in developing countries to create exclusive ethically-sourced designs that remind shoppers that acting consciously can also mean acting fashionably.

Beginning with its Made for Change bags and Made for Change/Kids Spring 2013 collections, HCJ is responding to a growing demand for ethical, Fair Trade clothing and accessories informed by the most current trends.

“For years, there’s been an unfortunate assumption that buying Fair Trade means sacrificing style,” says Wholesale Manager Rod Andres. “The idea behind CFFC is not having to compromise. There’s no reason ethical fashion has to be any less fashionable than other products.”

Staying on top of Spring 2013 trends, HCJ collaborated directly with artisanal partners in Thailand to create the Made for Change collection of shoulder bags, duffels and totes from 100 percent hand-woven fabrics. In addition to producing up-to-date designs, this step-by-step collaborative process maximizes the impact of HCJ’s Fair Trade relationship; provides feedback and advice on new techniques; and increases the individual artisan’s profit and long-term production.

A prominent feature of the Made for Change line is its beautiful range of hand-woven cotton fabrics, produced exclusively for the collection. Andres continues, “The use of hand-woven fabrics not only results in truly unique, artisanal pieces, but it also creates valuable work for even more artisans. The more partners we bring into the loop, the more women and families benefit, while the quality of our product increases.”

Marketing manager Katherine Leonetti agrees. “You’re doing something wonderful and important thing by choosing to be conscious about what you buy—but that doesn’t mean it’s an act of charity. At HCJ we really believe in the ‘Trade, Not Aid’ philosophy––and by launching CFFC, we’re working to dispel the idea that ethical means unfashionable. Ultimately, we want to put out high-quality products the average consumer wants to buy, even without knowing about our mission.”

For more information:

Marketing Manager: Katherine Leonetti
katherine@handcraftingjustice.org
718.204.0909 ext. 10