Fair Indigo Blog

Racky The Raccoon's Journey Back to Peru

2011-12-05T18:00:00.009-06:00

Racky the Raccoon and a few of his friends were privileged to journey to their home country of Peru last year. While the humans among us worked, their trip was purely for pleasure.

Racky got in a bit of trouble here and there, but then again...he is a raccoon so we went easy on him. He finally got around to uploading some pics from his camera.

Have you taken your Jooble anywhere? Post your pictures on our Facebook Joobles Around the World album! They've been everywhere from Disney to Central Park to literally inside the Stanley Cup!

Racky's Peruvian Adventure

Reading guidebooks and brushing up on his Spanish.

All packed. Ready to go!

At the airport.

Friends Flop the Frog and Cutie the Lamb showed up too.

Seat 23C. Lots of leg room!
Racky looks a little green though.

Checking in at the hotel.

A nice shower after a long trip.

And a good night's sleep.

Bonus! Flop the Frog is a big soccer fan and the FIFA World Cup was playing while we were there.

Making friends.

The Joobles were feeling very cosmopolitan at a German bar in Peru, watching a game played in South Africa between Spain and Netherlands.

Racky was thankful his designer didn't design him with lederhosen.

Being amphibian, Flop the Frog was clearly more interested in liquids than the others.

Hamming it up with the waiter.

Ahhhhh, café.

On a park bench in Lima.
A beautiful cool day.

Knock knock. I need a ride
to the Inca Market.

Off to the Inca Market.

Racky kept sneaking out
of his car seat.

At the Inca Market, sneaking
his way into a picture that was
intended to be of this traditional
Peruvian doll.

Huacachina sand dunes!

Sand boarding at Huacachina.

Huacachina sand dunes.

On the flight to see the
famous Nazca Lines.

This is going to be so cool!

I see a spider, a monkey, an alien,
a bird. Why no raccoon!

Motion sickness sets in.

Taxi driver.


Bellboy.

At bakery.

At a shopping mall.

Shopping mall.

At the famous
Restaurante Jose Antonio.

Bartender.

Checking out. Adios!

Arequipa. Alpaca's Capital City.

2011-12-04T18:20:00.005-06:00

Situated at 2,335 meters (7,661 feet) above sea level in the Andes Mountains, Arequipa is Peru's second most populous city with a population of nearly a million. Despite its location in the tropic zone, the elevation prevents it from exceeding 77 degrees Fahrenheit or dipping below 40 at night. At the higher elevations outside the city, the temperature drops much lower (as we unwittingly discovered on our last trip there...even our hearty Wisconsin skin was no match for the fierce Andean winds).

Andes Mountains seen through one of Arequipa's narrow streets.

Santa Catalina Monastery, built in 1580.

Vicunas (alpaca's cousins) grazing just outside Arequipa.

A woman sits outside her home in the Los Tambos neighborhood.

Arequipa's Central Square

Santa Catalina Monastery

A colorful street.

A local resident watching a parade in celebration of Arequipa's many weekend festivals (Peruvians are good at finding reasons to celebrate!)

See more pictures of Arequipa here.

Fair Indigo ended up in Arequipa because it serves as the regional hub for Peru's sustainable alpaca herding and knitting. The ancient Incas called alpaca the "fiber of the gods." We call it the "Cashmere of the Andes." An ethical option for those who want something really special, but are reluctant to indulge in cashmere because of the factory farm model it usually adheres to. We've offered our Baby Alpaca Scarf (no, not from baby alpacas!) since 2006 and it continues to be one of our top sellers year after year. A classic gift, made fairly. Workers like Manuela below enjoy a decent living and upward mobility thanks to our customers' continued purchases of this scarf.


Here's Manuela finishing up the "fringe" on our alpaca scarf.

Employees enjoying a lunch of delicious Peruvian cuisine.


Employees enjoy a free health clinic on site.

These alpacas are herded and sheared sustainably and with great care. The market for their fleece in North America grows little by little each year but is dwarfed by the mammoth cashmere industry. We're grateful for our customers who are helping to turn the tide. You can see our growing collection of alpaca styles here.

100 Billion Single Use Plastic Bags Are Used and Discarded Every Year

2011-11-30T12:57:00.000-06:00

When you have a single bag in your hands, it seems like a small deal. What's one plastic bag going to add to the world's waste glut? But when you take a hundred billion of them and throw in the fact that each one takes 1,000 years to degrade in a landfill, you can see what a difference using reusable bags would make.

Here are some other not so fun facts:

12 million barrels of oil are used to make a year's use of plastic bags.
Only 1-2% of these bags are recycled.
Thousands of marine animals and over a million birds die each year as a result of plastic pollution.

And that's just the plastic. 10 billion paper bags are consumed each year using the resources from 14 million trees.

Fair Indigo's decision to carry Envirosax Reusable Shopping Bags was not without much internal discussion. They are not made of natural or recycled materials. They are not bio-degradable.

But our philosophy has always been how to help consumers move the ethical shopping needle furthest and fastest. Organic canvas totes may be the purest solution, but they tend to be heavier and bulkier. Our thinking was that we could help hundreds of people change their shopping habits with canvas bags or thousands, maybe tens of thousands, with super cool, super stylish, and super well-designed Envirosax. With limited inventory purchasing resources, we went with Envirosax and have never looked back.

In fact, since late 2008, our customers have put over 60,000 reusable shopping bags in circulation. That's potentially 7.2 million fewer plastic bags used per year if each 40-pound capacity Envirosax replaced two plastic bags per week. A tiny drop in the 100 billion bucket, but a start. And with Envirosax's new designs every season, we're confident this is just the beginning.

Read more about or purchase these nifty bags here.

And check out this video showing how you can use Envirosax as a cool way to wrap your gifts!

The High Price of Free Shipping

2011-11-27T20:32:00.011-06:00

When you get free shipping, you are more than likely deducting pay from someone else's paycheck. It's not free for them.

One of the most frequent requests we get is "why don't you offer free shipping promotions like other companies?" To understand the answer, it's important to understand how other companies can do this using a combination of three tactics:

#1) If you're large enough (many times larger than Fair Indigo), you can negotiate lower rates with shipping partners (UPS, Fedex, etc.).

#2) You can raise the price of individual items to cover the lost margin. For example, a company with a $29.99 shirt may raise the price to $33.50 to cover the "free shipping policy." (As you may or may not know, you'll sell lots less $33.50 shirts than $29.99 shirts...basic price barrier psychology).

#3) You can go after your garment suppliers for lower costs to make up the margin up front.

It is safe to say that #1 and #2 have largely been exhausted. With high fuel prices, shipping rates are becoming more and more difficult to lower and most consumers have little appetite for higher retails on clothing after years of falling prices.

So most companies are left with #3. Going after the price they pay the garment factory.

What goes into the cost of the garment? Primarily three things:

a) cost of raw materials (e.g. cotton)

b) cost of labor

c) cost of transportation to get goods to
the warehouse or store

The cost of raw materials has done nothing but gone up in the past several years. Same with the cost of transportation. So...the workers take the hit.

Let's be clear. Despite the sweatshop scandals that started with the Kathie Lee Gifford line in the late 1990's, and despite the Corporate Social Responsibility standards adopted by all major apparel brands, know this: widespread pay abuse of garment workers is real. It's still happening. And it's brutal. Here is an excellent and extensive article on the topic. While major apparel brands preach social responsibility, often with very good intentions, they mercilessly push for lower costs at the same time. They can't have it both ways.

I know from my own connections in the apparel industry that many companies are paying $2 for their t-shirts. For t-shirts they price between $20-$35, except during a 50% off "sale." (When I left the mainstream apparel industry in 2005, it was not uncommon to pay between $5-$10 per t-shirt).

Most of our t-shirts sell for $20 - $35 too. But we pay many many multiples more than $2 per shirt to our fair trade cooperatives in Peru and to our USA suppliers. And when we mark them down 30%, it's because we bought too many or designed a not-appealing-enough shirt (we call these dogs). Not because we planned it into our marketing strategy like most others. When we mark things down, the garment workers have already been paid. We take the responsibility and we take the hit (as our finance guy can vouch for!).

The math doesn't lie. Free Shipping is clearly brutal on the lives of garment workers.

This blog reaches a few hundred people at most. It is nearly impossible to compete with the multi-million dollar corporate "free shipping" campaigns you'll see. Please forward this to anyone you think will find it at all valuable or interesting. Thank you!

Alight with Joy and Hope

2011-11-27T19:35:00.001-06:00

If you were to visit a certain village near Chiang Mai, Thailand, you'd see a thriving settlement filled with devoted families, a busy marketplace and a newly improved school. Yet two decades ago this was an area so desperately poor that families were often forced to send their children to work in Bangkok's treacherous factories.

But all that has changed.

See all 70 pictures of the Thai Village here.

Today, more than 400 neighbors work with fair trade importer Pilgrim Imports of Milwaukee, Wisconsin to produce the intricate hand-made metal and beads ornaments you see here. The jobs are satisfying, clean and pay a living wage. No one thinks of dumping trash in rivers or using harmful chemicals because the villagers work where they live.

The "acid" used to clean the metal ornaments is citrus juice, unlike the toxic kinds used in mainstream factories. They are proud to preserve village traditions, so happy children don't have to migrate to Bangkok, and deeply moved people like you enjoy their art.

As brightly as these ornaments shine, their makers smiles shine brighter still. Share the joy by purchasing these fair trade ornaments for just about anyone on your list.

No Black Friday Here

2011-11-27T18:05:00.000-06:00

No sale announcement.
No asking employees to report to work at midnight.
No dancing reindeer on our website.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, we’d like to suggest
there are more meaningful things to do on Black Friday than lining up at 4am for the latest gadget or firing up the credit card online.

On the day that has come to symbolize over indulgence, how about donating to a food bank on Black Friday? Take a child with you. Gather a group of friends to join you. End the day with your heart feeling full. A few other ideas...

Unexpectedly call a distant relative or friend and thank them for a past kindness.

Thank the clerks you come across for working on the holiday weekend.

Write (don’t email) a thank you note to someone who doesn’t expect it. A crossing guard, a paramedic, a trash collector.

Without being asked, buy a homeless person a cup of coffee or a hot sandwich. Give thanks that you are not in his or her shoes.

In the very least, reflect on the bounty in your life. However modest or grand.

Do you have another idea or tradition? Post them on our Facebook page or email us at service@fairindigo.com. We’ll share all of them in a future email.

Finally we’d like to thank you. You have benefited workers around the corner and around the world with your support.

Happy Thanksgiving

Your friends at Fair Indigo

How your gifts bringjoy to the world

2011-11-16T16:58:00.000-06:00

We believe...no, actually we know because we've seen it, that education is the key to lifting individuals and whole communities out of poverty. The Fair Indigo Foundation financially supports education in the communities where our products are made, devoting 5% of our profits plus your $5 donations at checkout.

Think $5 isn't meaningful? Consider this: With just the $5 donations from last year, the Foundation in 2011 hired a full-time teacher, started a library, built a new classroom, installed indoor plumbing, and provided equipment for a computer lab across two schools in Peru.

Smiling faces at the Manchay School near Lima, Peru

Whether we're traveling across town to our jewelry maker or across the equator to our cooperatives in Peru, there's one constant. Parents want the best for their kids. There is no concept on earth that unites us more. Above are just a handful of kids who have been helped by your donations.

Genuine smiles amidst poverty so incomprehensibly crushing. There are few things more humbling. There are few things that put into perspective the things we deem stressful.

Manchay neighborhood near Lima, Peru

Rowena and Sergio

While the Foundation focuses its resources on necessities like supplies and books, this season we're going to throw in a little fun.

Our sourcing partners in Peru, husband and wife team Sergio and Rowena, visit "our kids" every Christmas with gifts of their own. This year we're sending them with a big sack from Santa!

Sergio and Rowena will bring toys and fun books to the kids....toys and books they can take home, something nearly unheard of in their community. Thank you Sergio and Rowena for playing Santa on our and your behalf!

Subscribe below to follow this blog and watch joy delivered.

And thank you for buying gifts that truly do make a difference.

Ice cream and Ed

2011-08-03T20:44:00.002-05:00

I never would have guessed ice cream would work its way into one of our blog posts, not that I'm complaining. But this day tasted better than ice cream. Better than ice cream with sprinkles on top.

I'm in Raleigh, North Carolina with Sandy Martin (founder of our partner Green 3 Apparel) to visit the facilities that produce our organic US-made tees. I met so many workers like these today, each one with a different story of how they came to work for Ed. Their sincere smiles were contagious.

Too many stories to tell in one post. I want to focus on one today. The story of a man who has gone against the proverbial grain. A man who boldly and confidently marched against every awful trend in American manufacturing, and succeeded.

Born in upstate New York, Ed worked for a large apparel manufacturer for nearly two decades in the 1960's and 1970's. This was a time when brand names owned their own factories, much of them in the Northeast and the Carolinas. A time when t-shirts weren't considered one-season disposables. Ed made quite a name for himself as head of operations. But something gnawed at him the higher up the ladder he moved. He had always believed companies viewed workers as assets. But over time, Ed thought more and more companies, including his own, viewed them as liabilities, something to minimize. In 1984 he watched the movie Wall Street. It hit home for him. The movie memorably exposed a "greed is good" mantra (stock prices go up when companies lay off workers) and and Ed decided then and there he wanted no part of it.

In 1984, apparel factories in North Carolina were leaving in droves, but, at 40, Ed decided to do something about it, starting his own clothing factory in tiny Wendell, North Carolina. He was called crazy (his wife supported his decision but thought it might be related to a mid-life crisis). Today his company is thriving...one of the very few success stories in US apparel manufacturing we've found.

How? The question was burning up my notebook from the moment I started listening to Ed talk. But the answer would have to wait. It was time for us to visit his other plant in nearby Middlesex that does all of the fabric cutting. (And when Ed heard we were taking pictures, he said he wanted to stop home to get a tie, southern gentleman he.) He asked if I wanted to accompany him on the drive so he could continue his story. After some back and forth with office staff, he said we were taking the company's delivery truck (the truck they use to deliver fabric from facility to facility). It's not an 18-wheeler, but it's quite a bit bigger than your standard U-haul. Yep, Ed drove the truck. I also helped him load a gurney full of what I assumed were supplies into the back of the truck.

So there I was driving along the beautiful green North Carolina countryside with the president of the company in the driver's seat, operating a stick shift as big as a baseball bat. I commented "wow, you drive the truck in addition to your presidential responsibilities?" He said it only made sense. We and the fabric had to get to the other plant at the same time so we may as well take the truck and save a little gasoline. I'll get to the rest of his story soon.

It was time to unload the gurney from the truck. I watched with awe and, I'll admit, a lump in my throat as Ed wheeled the gurney of supplies through the factory. Along the way, lots of smiles, waves, and "Hi Ed!"s. This was decidedly not a "boss is here, look busy" kind of place.

And what was in the gurney? Ice cream! Ed decided since it was so hot outside, it was a good day for ice cream. Shortly after we arrived, the lunch hour bell rang and Ed played the leading role of head scoopsman.

By that time I had heard Ed's story in the truck, so the ice cream was no surprise. Ed, with a twinkle in his eye (I swear, I saw it), told me his secrets. First, a solid business plan. Second, no corporate overhead staff (everyone is productive). Finally, a modest salary for himself. He actually told me what he pays himself each week. I won't report it here, but it almost made me blush. "There's no reason I need to make 100 times what my people make." That was it. A good business plan and upper management that doesn't demand outrageous compensation. When I dug a bit deeper on what makes a good business plan, he could only respond "put your ducks in a row." Ed is a capitalist, not a charity. But his flavor of capitalism seems to be in as short supply as strawberry ice cream on a scorching day.

Not only does Ed's model work on the basic stuff. He can also afford to provide an amazing benefit to his employees that few Fortune 500 companies even do. If an employee's child is accepted into one of the four nearby state universities, the company will pay 100% of tuition and books expense. "The only hope these kids have around here is getting an education. So many in this area can't afford it." He added, "when I lay in bed at night, this is what makes me think I've done something good today."

With 350 workers today, close to a new high, Ed's made a big difference in a small town and once again proven that going against the grain can not only feel good, it can be good for business too. We are honored to be associated with such a visionary. Thank you Sandy for introducing us to Ed and thank you Ed for your determination to make a difference. Onward!

Partners in good

2011-03-22T11:36:00.001-05:00

Meet Rowena and Sergio, wife and husband (and business partners) living in Lima, Peru. There is no other way to say it. Without these two incredibly dedicated and incredibly generous souls, Fair Indigo would not exist today.

Rowena and Sergio, partners in good

We met them way back in 2005, when they were both (unmarried at the time) working at our dress shirt factory in the Chorrillos neighborhood of Lima. Yes, a real life dress shirt factory romance that you see on TV all the time! Shortly thereafter, they married, started their own sourcing business, and had two beautiful sons, Joaquin and Sebastian.

Rowena, Sergio, Joaquin, Sebastian, Christmas 2010

Joaquin was recently the subject of one of the funnier home movies we've seen in a long time. It provided all of us here some therapeutic laughter for an afternoon. While Joaquin was excited to jump around on the trampoline, his little play date Andrea had other ideas.

Along the way, Sergio's brother Nicolas has also helped Fair Indigo, especially in our relationship with Angeles Anonimos, our fair trade jewelry partner that trains artisans with disabilities in life and work skills. Nicolas took the Angels under his own wings and made a difference in many lives there.


Brothers, Sergio and Nicolas

And what exactly do these fine people do for us? Every fair trade facility we work with in Peru, they helped us find. Every shipment that leaves Peru, they arrange inspection. Every English/Spanish technical translation that needs to happen to create a garment, covered. They are our eyes and ears on the ground in our most important production region outside the United States and have welcomed us into their business and into their homes. We will soon feature more stories about some of the adventures we've shared along the way and the heartwarming producers they have connected us with. To Sergio, Rowena, Nicolas...muchas gracias!

PS: Sergio and Rowena work with small companies like ours (and a big one now and then) but say their dream is to work with "10 Fair Indigos." They are true fans of underdogs in an apparel world dominated more and more by giants. If you know someone who has some organic clothing sourcing needs in Peru and can place decent size orders, we can connect you!

Cotton's Perfect Storm

2011-03-06T12:42:00.004-06:00

As commodities go, cotton has not been that different from others on the open market. The weather and worldwide government subsidy policies fluctuated within a fairly narrow range while worldwide demand slowly increased from year to year.

Today, that model has been turned on its head. Unprecedented bad weather (severe droughts and floods) has devastated crops in almost every major cotton producing region in the world including near complete and heart-breaking washouts in large parts of Australia and Pakistan. All in 2010.

Burgeoning middle classes in large developing countries like China, India, and Brazil have kept demand growing at its fastest pace in years. And the demand for organic cotton is growing even faster.

Last last year I got a call from Sergio, our partner on the ground in Peru. "We have never seen anything like this," his voice had a sound of impending doom. We produce our entire line of organic baby gifts as well as some of our women's organic tees in Peruvian cooperatives. Sergio suggested that we buy enough cotton to supply an entire year's worth of production because of predicted further price increases, something that is extremely difficult for a company of our size.

While spending time with our other partners, Jim and Sandy of Green 3 Apparel in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, they talked of "getting killed" by cotton prices and how challenging 2011 was going to be because of it. Green 3 supplies us with almost all of our USA-made clothing.

Headlines talk of big companies being squeezed by cotton prices. If big companies are being squeezed, small companies like ours are truly being choked.

The bottom line. The price of cotton clothing is going up this year. There is no way around it. We pledge to do everything we can to create other efficiencies in our business to keep prices as reasonable as possible. Fair Indigo has always been committed to the concept of "sustainable pricing." Setting prices that are fair to workers (supporting living wage jobs) and provide just enough profit to continue to develop new products and find new customers. Long-term, this is the only sustainable economic model that will support workers and consumers here and around the world. Something we strongly believe in.

Plastic Bag Reuse 101

2011-01-25T11:03:00.001-06:00

Oh, the pesky plastic bag. It is a necessary evil in the apparel industry - they keep your clothes and accessories clean and protected in our warehouse and on their shipment to you. So what can you do with those bags once they have served their original purpose? Here are a few ideas:

- Store out of season clothing & accessories to keep them dust- & moth-free.

- Store & organize craft supplies like yarn or fabric.

- Use a plastic bag to carry books to & from the library, especially on a rainy day.

- Use them during travel. Unless they have air-vents, the snap-and-seal bags are ideal for storing personal care items or keeping dirty & clean clothes separate.

- Throw your wet swimsuit & towel in one after a day at the beach.

- Use your plastic bag as shipping padding. Throw in a couple bags for filler the next time you mail a package.

- Donate your clean plastic bags to a non-profit or other local business that would gladly reuse them. At our Hilldale store, we donate our plastic bags to Kindred Kids, a non-profit lending library for children with special needs. Learn more about them here: kindredkids.org Together we have kept thousands of plastic bags of out landfills.

- Reuse plastic or paper bags for shopping bags. Many stores now offer a small refund when you bring your own bag.

- Freecycle them! Freecycle is a non-profit movement of people who are giving (and getting!) stuff for free while keeping stuff out of our landfills. Find your local group today at www.freecycle.org

- And last, but not least, recycle your plastic bags. Check out this website to find a recycling drop-off near you: http://www.plasticbagrecycling.org/plasticbag/s01_consumers.html

Got any other great uses for your plastic bags?

Supporting Education in Peru

2011-01-04T14:05:00.044-06:00

A quick Internet search of popular New Year's resolutions includes living healthier, learning something new, and helping others. Goals that tie in nicely with our mission of making a meaningful difference in people's lives.

This past summer, the Fair Indigo Foundation made donations to two impoverished schools in Peru. One of the schools we visited is the Serapis Elementary School, located in the high Andes of northern Peru. It serves rural children who would otherwise have to walk many miles down the mountain to attend school.

When we visited last summer, there was no running water or electricity; although trucks were delivering electrical poles while we were at the school and we are hopeful the lights have been turned on by now.

As you can imagine, along with the scarcity of basic services like water and electricity, school supplies are also lacking so our donation of books, paper, markers and pencils was met with many smiles.

Among other challenges children face in this rural community is getting even one nutritional meal each day. Breakfast and lunch are prepared daily by the teachers and parent volunteers giving students the energy they need to learn and grow.

Our "Joobles" line of fair trade organic stuffed animals are made at cooperatives that serve as the economic building blocks of the organization that oversees these programs.

Watch an interview with Inez who was instrumental in founding the Serapis School, giving children an opportunity to attend class close to home.

Thinking Spring

2010-09-23T10:53:00.000-05:00

It's hard to think about spring as the temperatures are getting cooler and leaves are starting to turn colors around the edges of our favorite trees. Everyone is getting into the swing of school routines and before you know it, October will be here (have you decided what you are going to be for Halloween yet?).

Despite the fact that we recently introduced our fall collection, we are already thinking spring. Optimism abounds with the promise of warmer temperatures and longer days on the horizon. This got us feeling a little nostalgic about a recent trip to Arequipa, Peru, with its sun-drenched streets and brightly-colored buildings. The photos alone are enough to make a grown man (or woman) sigh.

With scenery this beautiful, it's difficult to not be inspired! Introducing the Spring/Summer 2011 color palette. Earthy red and warm golden orange. Soft yellow and leafy green. Sky blue. Colors that make us think of lazy afternoons drinking lemonade or having a picnic. Preferably near water, where we can catch a cool breeze.

Sol de Mayo, Arequipa, Peru

Doorway, Arequipa, Peru

And with the colors of Arequipa on our minds, we will while away our autumn afternoons with the customary activities - trips to the apple orchard, raking leaves on a warm afternoon, and picking out the perfect pumpkin to carve. Oh yes, and football. Lots of football.

Peru Trip Day 6: Sand Boarding in Huacachina, Peru

2010-07-22T22:10:00.000-05:00

We are lucky to work for a company that, despite very modest resources, encourages us to take a day on our business trip to do something fun and/or educational. To really dive into the culture and understand the people.

As veterans of larger apparel brands, I can tell you that typically the only culture we were able to absorb on our rushed trips was a quick couple of hours at a touristy market.

On the last day of our trip to Peru in July 2010, we made a journey four hours south of Lima to the Ica region. A vast coastal desert with one of the largest sand dunes in the world at Huacachina.

But first, we toured a Pisco vineyard and winery. Pisco is a type of grape brandy and the main ingredient in the Pisco Sour, the national drink of Peru. Some of us like this drink more than others.

Next we were awed by the mysterious Nazca lines...who do you think made them? Racky the Raccoon loved the plane ride but was feeling a little air sick after so many twists and turns to see the lines.

But after six long and grueling days of work, what we really needed was to let off some steam. Our steam letting took the form of sand boarding and dune buggying around the sand dunes at Huacachina. So remote feeling as to be almost cartoon-like, our dune buggy driver gave us a roller coaster-worthy trip of a lifetime. We finished the day at the beautiful town of Huacachina, long considered the "Oasis of America." No really, it looks like a Roadrunner and Coyote cartoon scene.

Peru is truly a spectacular place to visit, for work, for play, and to live. The diversity of things to do and see is hard to find anywhere in the world in such a small area. Did you know Peru contains 28 of the world's 32 identified climates? If you need suggestions, we are happy to put you in touch with folks who can help you plan a trip!

Peru Trip Day 5: How Joobles Help Fund Micro Businesses

2010-07-18T16:52:00.005-05:00

On our final workday in Peru, we visited one of the cooperatives that makes our Joobles line of organic characters and accessories.

Carmela started her business five years ago with a single knitting machine. Her home-based business is located in the San Juan de Miraflores area near Lima, one of the many hillside shanty towns where settlers from the countryside have landed in search of a "better life" in Lima.

Today she has 6 machines and has brought 8 workers into the cooperative. An inspiration to all of us, Carmela said her success really hinges on her ability to a) invest in new machines to expand the capacity of knitting, and b) to get bigger orders! Because sales of Joobles have exceeded our expectations (what other $25 baby gift could you ever want?), we hope Carmela can soon reach her goal of doubling her knitting machines and workers.

Fair Indigo works with a company here in Peru that coordinates production with dozens of businesses like Carmela’s, providing each with vital pieces of the business pie that are often out of reach for traditional craft-based cooperatives: legal/accounting support, logistics planning, and most importantly a link to consumers outside of Peru.

This company also completes a final inspection on all the pieces that are knit in the cooperatives.

It was an honor to meet Carmela and her family and share a snack with them in their home.

If you know anyone in the market for a baby gift (ahem, we've noticed not only babies like the Joobles), please send them our way! Carmela and dozens more like her will appreciate it more than you would ever guess.

And what motivates Carmela to bigger and better things? "Es muy sencillo" it's very simple she says. She and her husband have two teenage sons and want to make sure they stay in school and on the right path for a better life. Carmela can think of no better way than to lead by example.

Peru Trip Day 4: Amidst Crushing Poverty, A Thriving School

2010-07-18T16:05:00.013-05:00

The Fair Indigo Foundation supports children’s education in communities where our products are made. The Foundation is funded by 5% of Fair Indigo profits and by $5 optional donations in our website shopping cart.

Let me be perfectly clear. Those $5 donations are meaningfully and visibly changing lives here.

The Manchay neighborhood of Lima is one of Peru’s poorest. An overlooked desert hillside of makeshift houses, sparse utilities, and kids with little hope of escape. While we ponder the dents in our 401K’s, residents here ponder what they’ll eat tomorrow, and how they’ll get drinking water up the hill.

When we made our first donation to the Manchay School two years ago, it educated 80 children. Today, the school is thriving, with 350 students, two new classrooms, a new library, and a computer lab. The kids here in one of the most hopeless areas we’ve seen are receiving a solid education and looking quite healthy and happy.

This year, the Fair Indigo Foundation is funding a second floor addition to bring in even more of Manchay’s children. Our visit ended with a heart-touching song the kids performed and a rally on the playground with their fearless teacher Delia. We’ll share the whole story with pictures and video in the near future. A sincere thank you to those of you who have donated.

Peru Trip Day 3: Building a Better T-shirt

2010-07-18T15:17:00.014-05:00

Yesterday was about working with a very small fair trade group (Angeles Anonimos) to literally figure out a way to keep them alive. Today we worked with a second type of supplier...a medium sized modern clothing factory that makes garments for Fair Indigo, in addition to other clients in Latin America and Europe.

Diana, the factory's founder and owner, has been quietly practicing fair trade before she had ever heard the term. We sensed something special here two years ago on our first visit. Diana was running late. As she arrived, what we saw on the sewing floor was remarkable (having worked in the apparel industry most of our adult lives). Under the din of the salsa music on the sewing floor, several employees dropped what they were doing to greet Diana with a hug, a kiss on the cheek, a warm smile. Quite the opposite of "the boss is coming, look busy."

Two years later Diana is one of our most important suppliers. Bringing us organic pima cotton tees, dresses, skirts (and next year pants!). She has also created a great place to work. Employees like Walter and Juanita (below) have been here for many years (11 for Juanita) and commute up to 2 hours a day.

With so many garment factories in Lima, why travel so far? Chats with Walter, Juanita, and others paint a picture of of a place that not only pays fair wages, but also allows workers to truly grow. Diana partners with a local technical school with donations of machinery and fabric and pays for employees to use the school to learn more advanced skills. Turnover is a big problem in this business, but not here.

We have 8 styles going through production here today, in various stages. Very exciting to see it live...the styles are turning out gorgeous!

Thank you Diana and team! And thank you Fair Indigo customers for continuing to purchase products from this wonderful facility.

Walter works on FI style #1400 while Juanita works on #724. From their hands to your back!

Diana, smart businesswoman, neighborhood employer of choice, and all-around nice person (with her new friend Flop the Frog).

Peru Trip Day 2: Angeles Anonimos on Life Support

2010-07-17T16:57:00.002-05:00

Today we visited the Angeles Anonimos (Anonymous Angels) to brainstorm with them about their struggling business. Angels is an organization that trains and employs people with disabilities, most of whom are considered "unemployable" here. As of now their only customer is Fair Indigo. We've been selling their jewelry for nearly 3 years, but it's not quite enough to keep them fully operational year round.

We learned from Jorge (one of the founders, and in our mind a living saint) that today the workers are only called as-needed. He said that for the school/workshop to provide full employment, they would need about $20,000 of orders per month, well above where we are now.

We also had the privilege of speaking with two of the workers, Marlene and Alfredo. A.A. has clearly given them some confidence that was immediately apparent (bigger smiles, more assured voices, even new haircuts!). But their dream is to work with A.A. full time again.

Jorge (co-founder of A.A.), Marlene (artisan), Katie (from Fair Indigo), Rob (from Fair Indigo), and Alfredo (artisan). Starting work on our fall collection.

All the Angels really need is more business. For Fair Indigo to sell more of their jewelry, for more businesses to carry their jewelry. An "Oprah moment" wouldn't hurt. We've shot video which we'll be editing and releasing soon. Hoping many of you can help us find them some new business. At fair trade shops, jewelry stores, small companies, big companies...anyone can help.

Katie and Jorge share an emotional good-bye with a renewed determination to find "our Angels" more business.

Peru Trip Day 1: Watching World Cup in Peru!

2010-07-12T12:11:00.002-05:00

After the typical weather-related delays in Miami, the crew from Fair Indigo arrived in two shifts to Lima, Peru in the wee hours of the morning on Sunday. Joining us are special guests the Joobles (Racky the Racoon, Cutie the Lamb, and Flop the Frog) who have been asking to visit their home country. (The Joobles are made at small cooperative workshops throughout Peru).

Being World Cup Sunday, and since Flop is a huge futbol fan, we decided to head downtown to the Stadium Bar to watch the big game. We apparently got there a bit too late because it was already at capacity. So we were re-directed to a place around the corner...a German-themed watering hole where the Zoo Crew was quite well received. (and no, that's not beer Flop is eying up, it's apple juice).

More updates soon!

Fair Indigo "Foodies"

2010-06-01T15:01:00.000-05:00

I work amongst quite a group of amateur bakers and chefs here at Fair Indigo. It is an unusual day at the office when someone doesn't bring in something delicious - Homemade Banana Bread, Lemon Cookies with White Chocolate Chips, Almond Cake with Strawberries. Is your mouth watering yet?

One recipe in particular is office-renowned - Ellen's Delicious Olive Dip. It is an oft-talked about combination of cheese, green olives, cayenne pepper and more cheese (if nothing else, we are proudly supporting our local dairy farmers!).

Served up with pretzels or veggies, this dip is typically consumed as a meal at one's desk between meetings and emailing marathons. Or, like today, it inspired an impromptu "snack break" in the kitchen while commenting on the latest samples for our Holiday 2010 catalog.

Which got us thinking... do you have a recipe that people just can't stop talking about? Better yet, did you come up with that recipe yourself? If so, submit it for our Holiday Recipe Contest! One winner will have his/her original recipe printed on a limited edition towel gift set available for purchase this holiday season - plus, the winner will receive a set of towels when available.

Holiday Recipe Contest 2010

How to enter: Post your original recipe as a comment to this blog (below).

Entries should be posted no later than June 8, 2010.

Please include the following information:

Recipe Title and Recipe

your Name, City and State

why you think your recipe is a winner

We look forward to seeing what you can come up with!

Official Rules aka "The Fine Print":

Recipe Requirements: Entries must be submitted with the following information: Title, Recipe (including specific ingredients, measurements, step-by-step instructions for preparing, and cooking times), Reason why recipe should be considered, Entrants first name, city and state. Entries must be your own original creation (not based on any other published recipe), and not have won a prize in any other contest.

Entry Requirements: Entrant must be 18 or older. All entries will become property of Fair Indigo. Entry constitutes permission to reproduce, publish, distribute, and otherwise use the recipe in any way without compensation. By entering the contest, you release Fair Indigo from any liability whatsoever, and waive any and all causes of action, related to any claims, costs, injuries, losses, or damages of any kind arising out of or in connection with the contest.

Contest Rules: Void where prohibited by law. Entrant hereby agrees that he/she owns all rights to all entry materials submitted, and all such entry materials are original works of authorship and have not been copied from any other work and do not violate, misappropriate or infringe any copyright, trademark or other proprietary right of any other person. After finalists have been selected, the finalist's recipe, name, city and state could be made publicly available, such as through Internet websites, catalogs, and other methods of distribution, and used for promotional or marketing purposes, including without limitation a public vote on an Internet website to determine the public’s favorite finalist recipe.

Fun is Good for You!

2010-05-16T16:50:00.003-05:00

The American Academy of Pediatrics recently published a summary of research into the benefit of play in the development of a child, and, importantly, what type of play is most beneficial.

The abbreviated version is that young children are increasingly spending much too much time playing with electronic toys that involve passive participation (i.e. pushing a button and watching). In addition, a growing number of stuffed toys revolve around licensed media characters where most of the personality and disposition of the character has been pre-defined by the media creator.

Imagination is not just nice, it's quite literally essential for the development of a child's intellectual and social development.

Examples of toys that support this kind of development are building blocks, simple household items like wooden utensils and containers, and unbranded animals or characters.

While academic research is a great validator, we knew instinctively that our Joobles collection of organic stuffed animals made by fair trade cooperatives in Peru, was a healthy thing for mind and spirit, young and old, and in this case, unlike too often, consumer and producer. Doctor's orders: have fun!

What Not To Do

2010-04-14T22:40:00.000-05:00

Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh said something once that has stuck with me since I heard it. Paraphrasing..."The hardest thing for an entrepreneur is figuring out what not to do."

How true. Figuring out what to do is pretty easy. We're all taught how to make a list of priorities. But saying no to truly good ideas...that's really tough.

Almost everyone at Fair Indigo is a fountain of ideas. Let's do this. Let's try that. We get even more ideas from our customers. You should carry extended sizes. You should ship to the UK. You need more men's stuff. I love your baby selection, why don't you go up to kids sizes? Will you please open a store in Boulder.

If resources were not an issue, we would do all of these things. But of course resources are an issue.

Saying "no" is not in my DNA; it's a skill I continue to get a crash course in. But I think limited resources will serve us well in the long term. Making limited but smart additions to our line isn't like ice cream, it's a bit more like spinach--tasty, but in a "I know this is good for me" kind of way. The ice cream will come later.

Have you had to figure out what not to do? Would love to hear your stories.

Best,
Rob

Anonymous Angels

2009-11-28T15:59:00.035-06:00

We are celebrating two years of jewelry-making partnership with Angeles Anonimos (Anonymous Angels) of Lima, Peru. Introduced to the Angels by other partners we were working with, we knew immediately we had found something quite special.

The founders of the organization, Maria Elena, Jorge, and Adriana had backgrounds in the mainstream jewelry business in South America. Combining their expertise in jewelry with their passion for helping "unemployable" Peruvians with disabilities created Angeles Anonimos. A key component of their plan was finding a US partner to sell the jewelry. We couldn't be happier to be that partner.

The San Luis district of Lima is desperately poor. Jobs are scarce, almost non-existent for people with disabilities such as polio or the inability to hear. The year-round mild San Francisco-like climate here is scant comfort to millions of residents who live on less than $2 per day. Groups like A.A. are helping to make sure that Peru's recent economic boom is shared with people in areas like this where the workshop is located.

Some pictures from one of our production runs:

Accompanying us on one of our trips were local Madison, Wisconsin video storyteller Katy Sai and photographer Jay Olsen of StoryBridge.tv. Thank you Katy and Jay...well done! You can view the videos below. We encourage you to share them with anyone you think may be touched by the stories here.

So what's with the name? Maria Elena was surprised it was not obvious to us when we asked her. She told us that every time someone buys a piece of their jewelry, that person is an anonymous angel. Someone they will never meet, but who is making a big difference. We had several disagreements about this as it was quite obvious to us who the angels were. "No no, you're the angels." "No no, you are!" But our angel-calling sessions ended quite amicably, often with huge servings of delicious Peruvian food. (we know when we're outmatched). Thank you Angels! We are motivated every day to sell as much jewelry as we can. If you would like to help us support them, it's as easy as buying a piece of their jewelry.

Green cleaning: beyond vinegar

2009-11-15T13:32:00.005-06:00

When we searched for a green cleaning line to carry in Fair Indigo's line, the pickings were slim. Frankly, many green cleaning techniques rely on very basic household items like vinegar and baking soda--things that make little sense for Fair Indigo to sell (check out shipping costs on a gallon of vinegar).

But then we met the people at Caldrea and let's just say they spruced up our idea of what green cleaning could look like. Their motto is "Beautifully Clean, Elegantly Green" and their philosophy is that just as much care should be taken in how we clean our homes as in how we clean our bodies. That luxury, utility, and eco-friendliness are perfectly compatible.

The key is essential oils. Did you know for instance that eucalyptus and lime oils are antiseptic? That geranium oil deodorizes? Or that orange oil has antibacterial properties? We didn't either but we are having a good time learning. The little sample kits they gave us to try came back with rave reviews from our employees who used them. "My kitchen smells like a spa!" from Denise sums up the reaction.

This season, we're testing two collections with holiday scents. Rose Pomegranate and Cypress Bergamot. If the response is strong enough, we're hoping to roll out more extensive collections in the seasons to come. We invite you to be part of our test!

A Promising New Partnership

2009-11-02T21:20:00.014-06:00

First-time meetings with potential suppliers are usually pleasant enough. It's usually a polite get-to-know-you type of meeting, with a mix of softball and hardball questions, exchange of business cards, and a "we'll call you" ending.

When we heard about Jim and Sandy Martin of Oshkosh, Wisconsin and their 3-year old business called Green 3 Apparel, we were as intrigued as our somewhat jaded sourcing brains allowed us to be. We had pushed out the meeting for weeks, because, you know, priorities.

I remember the day well because I was uncomfortably over-dressed having met with "the bankers" earlier in the morning. This is nothing against bankers, only against tucking in my shirt.

By the time Jim had left our office, Jody, Katie, and I were buzzing around the room like insects figuring out how we could partner with Green 3 as quickly as possible. So amazing was their story, so wonderful was their product.

They had everything we stood for under one roof. Organic cotton, fairly made products (in a USA factory to boot), a design aesthetic that was modern but not edgy, fabrics like butter, eco-friendly dyes, prints done at a facility powered by wind and solar?! And, often forgotten, years of experience making apparel. And yes, they were a mere 2 hours away from Madison in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. (yes, it's a real city).

Sandy cultivated her green values first as a midwestern farm girl, then as an apparel industry insider, traveling the world and seeing first-hand the destruction caused to the environment, workers, and communities by the simple act of producing t-shirts.

Her heart told her there was a better way and we couldn't agree more. Here's a sampling of some of the Greenest Tees we could ever even hope to imagine...many more to come.

See the entire selection of USA-made T-shirts.

Supporting jobs here at home too.

2009-08-16T17:49:00.004-05:00

In addition to working with facilities in developing countries around the globe, we are excited to be exploring new opportunities to bring you more U.S-made products as well. It is encouraging to see after decades of hemorrhaging apparel jobs, there appears to be a resurgence in small, lean and mean US-based apparel factories.

Speaking of jobs at home, we are proud to print all of our catalogs on Forest Stewardship Council certified paper at Quad Graphics.

Quad is very well known in southern Wisconsin as one of the best places to work for salaried and hourly employees. Fair Indigo would not be where it is today without their expertise, service mentality, and commitment to small businesses like ours. We are happy to support such a company and its workers.

In fact, this weekend, our September catalog is on the printing press, always an exciting thing to see. Here's a sneak peek of the cover being printed right now.

Hello from Winter in Uruguay!

2009-07-27T14:11:00.026-05:00

Summer may be the height of sun and fun, but at Fair Indigo we are itching for fall...new products, fresh air. In our fair trade sweater plant in Uruguay, at the southern tip of South America, it's the middle of winter and pretty chilly. As we ride through the countryside we're surprised how similar the landscape looks to our Wisconsin home (even lots of cows).

The factory here in Montevideo, the nation's capital, just won 4th place in a national innovation contest from the Ministry of Industry. For the $10,000 prize money, Gregorio, the owner, decided to give it to the employees. Here's an iPhone shot of the party they had to celebrate the award.

Gregorio and Andres (below center and right) are the father/son team who have made this workplace so positive that over 30% of the staff has been here at least 10 years. The fact that they distributed their award to the workers is not surprising to anyone who knows them.

Andres will be visiting us in Madison this December...we'll compare cows and snowfall totals. He also says Uruguay cheese is the best in the world, but we doubt that. Still--pretty gutsy challenging a Wisconsinite on cows, snow, and cheese.

While not partying with the award-winning staff, employees like Alejandra and Cristina are at work finishing up Fair Indigo's new line of organic cotton sweaters launching this September. In a week or so we'll even be able to show you a sneak peek of the the sweaters in the finishing area.

For a look at our current sweaters made in Uruguay, here's a link.

Hello

2009-07-20T16:22:00.004-05:00

So many people have asked to learn more about us. Who are you? How did you start? What’s coming next? Why don’t you have petites? Will you hire me?

If you're reading this blog you probably already have a basic understanding of what we are tying to do: change the apparel industry by insisting on fair wages, humane working conditions, and ecological responsibility as the core of our business, not a corporate footnote.

Those of us who started Fair Indigo grew up in this industry and saw first-hand a couple of things. #1: Wow, people buy a lot of clothes! And #2: Wow, people who make clothes have pretty difficult lives. Let's change this.

The defining moment for me came in Thailand, 1998. Working for a huge apparel corporation, touring a sweater factory in 98 sweltering degrees, fantasizing about returning to my air-conditioned luxury hotel in Bangkok. A knitter, whose name I never learned but pictured here (the middle one), said in broken English with the most sincere smile, “thank you, I like to make more sweaters for you.”

While this seemingly innocent offer was called “so sweet” or "cute" by my co-workers, it profoundly impacted me. Here was a woman knitting 9 hours a day, 6 days a week in a climate where no one even understood the concept of a sweater. She could sometimes finish 50 sweaters in a workday. At least 15,000 Americans were wearing sweaters knit by this woman they never met. Yet she was likely more grateful than any one of us wearing the sweat of her labor on our backs. As thanks, her income allowed her to buy enough rice to feed her family. Not much more.

From this day forward, I never looked at another t-shirt or sweater or pair of jeans or wallet again without thinking about the tired hands that created it. This visit, by a wide-eyed 28-year-old wowed by his company’s sending him to exotic Thailand, began the journey that launched Fair Indigo in September, 2006.

In this blog, we, the tiny team at Fair Indigo, would like to share more stories with you. Put you in contact with the people who work so hard every day so that you can “stay warm” or “look cool.” Thank you for listening. Thank you for sharing.