Fair trade shop offers new items

from The Capital Times

Jeff Richgels

MIDDLETON -- Fair Indigo, a fair trade apparel and accessories company with a store in the Hilldale Mall, has introduced two new products aimed at the socially conscious consumer.

Fair Trade Organic Cotton Denim for Fall 2007 is made in a fair trade factory in San Jose, Costa Rica using 100 percent organic cotton grown in the U.S. and woven in North Carolina. The collection features "sleek, slim-fit jeans, fitted hip-length jackets and long, easy skirts" for women, and jeans and a jean jacket in "classic, easy-fitting styles" for men. The jeans will sell for $69.

"Customers who care about the people who make their clothing are the same people who care about the impact of consumption on our planet," Elizabeth Ragone, a Fair Indigo co-founder and the firm's style director, said in a statement. "We see organic and fair trade as a natural pairing."

Experts predict a 50 to 70 percent increase in consumer demand for organic cotton this year. Sales of organic cotton are set to triple from an anticipated $900 million in 2007 to $2.8 billion by the close of 2008, according to Organic Exchange, a California-based nonprofit organization committed to expanding organic agriculture.

Fair Indigo also has begun offering "Jewelry Made by Angels," which is jewelry made by the Anonymous Angels, a San Luis, Peru-based cooperative of disabled artisans that is crafting jewelry for Fair Indigo's Fall 2007 Collection.

"Putting on a beautiful piece of jewelry becomes even more special when you know it is literally taking someone off the streets," Rob Behnke, a Fair Indigo co-founder and vice president of merchandising, said in a statement. "Each exquisitely hand-crafted piece we sell makes a difference in the lives of these people. It means food on the table not just for one day, but every day. It means educational opportunities for their children. It means a better life all the way around."