Trading for Development for Top Shop, A-W 08-09. Courtesy of Trading for Development

Fair trade is certainly not about charity–rather, it is about ensuring that we as consumers pay a fair price for the products we eat, drink or wear, whilst providing producers with a fair pay. Particularly with regards to producers in developing countries, fair trade policies ensure that they earn enough to be able to feed their families, pay for health care and educate their children. Good environmental practices (such as growing organic cotton) are also promoted, as are the rights of women, children and disabled individuals. In short, fair trade implies a win-win situation for both you as the consumer as well the producers who create your purchases over on the other side of the world.

The fair trade movement in fashion has been gaining momentum, in part due to the growing awareness of individuals as they realize the vital necessity of being responsible consumers. When you step into a clothing store, whether it be Prada or H&M, start getting into the habit of checking the labels that are hidden within the clothes–above all, ask whether the store has a Social Responsibility policy. After all, fashion should definitely not be solely about cold hard profits and short-lived trends, but rather, it should be an expression of something greater–of humanity.

Retail giant Top Shop certainly comes out tops in the fair trade game, and its Corporate Responsibility programme is based both on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as well as the International Labour Organization labour standards. In fact, it recently launched a delicious little capsule collection in collaboration with Trading for Development, which hit the shelves of its flagship store in London’s Oxford Circus last week.

Following the knitting and colour workshops given by Trading for Development’s founder, Judith Condor Vidal, to producers in Ecuador, Peru, Chile and Bolivia, the samples produced were sent off to Top Shop, who subsequently made its first of three orders. Using only the finest alpaca wool and without a trace of chemical dye in sight, this latest capsule collection consists of black, pink and cream loose knit tops, grey and pink boleros and mushroom and navy long sleeved knitted dresses.

Similarly, Safia Minney’s People Tree collection of fair trade, organic garments that prove that it is in fact possible for fashion to have both a heart and a soul. Safia recently flew off to Tokyo, where she invited over 300 Japanese stockists to place orders for the A/W 09-10 collection to ensure that each handmade garment will be ready in a year’s time. When it comes to fair trade fashion, Safia is a true pioneer, and she has recently collaborated with London-based Turkish designer Bora Aksu (who is a hot favourite among the London fashion circle) to produced a glorious A/W 08-09 collection that features drapes, bows and splashes of eggplant hues.

So embrace this glorious aspect of the fashion industry, and wear your heart on your fair trade sleeve.