Indigenous Designs is committed to:
- Supporting
and preserving fair trade wages and artisan cooperatives
- Investing
in natural and organic fibers and environmentally-friendly dyes
- Spreading
the beauty of handmade, eco fashion
- For
over thirteen years their founding principles have helped to enrich the path
for the eco-fashion and sustainability trends of today.
- Their
path is chosen to make clothing that honors both people and the planet.
Company
Our
Philosophy: At Indigenous, we believe our business activity should have a
positive effect on all the communities we touch. From our beginnings over a
decade ago, we have held ourselves accountable to make the choices that honor
both people and the planet. This means respecting the culture and traditions of
artisans around the world with fair trade practices, using only natural and
organic fibers and being conscious of our business practices at home. We have
seen firsthand how our choices can make a big difference for those communities
involved in creating our clothing.
Philosophy
Knitting in
many cultures is a time-honored tradition that has significant cultural meaning
and purpose but sometimes does not yield the financial rewards that we feel it
should. We are proud to be part of the partnership which continues to elevate
knitting and hand looming artisan cooperatives in some of the poorest regions
of South America. We allocate more of our production cost to the artisan than
typical conventional textile companies. This means the artisan makes a fair,
living wage well above what they might earn working independently. In addition,
we partner directly with non-governmental organizations and others that provide
training, educational materials, and equipment that otherwise could not be
afforded. Many partner organizations also offer no interest assistance loans in
these communities. We place great value on our partnerships with artisans and
the traditional knitting skills of their community. There are now over 300
artisan groups as part of our highly skilled production network.
The development
of our clothing, however, starts from the ground up—literally. From the very
beginning, Indigenous has been an all-natural fiber company utilizing wool,
alpaca, silk, organic cotton and other fibers created by nature. Our organic
cotton is certified by Skal. Conventional cotton is one of the most
pesticide-dependent crops, making the growing and harvesting of this fiber
harmful to the water table and local communities. Our wool and alpaca fibers
are also raised in a natural manner. We were the first clothing company to
blend organic cotton with Tencel, a breakthrough fiber made of sustainably
harvested tree pulp. With all our fiber blends, we take great care in procuring
the materials into knittable yarns as close to the cooperatives as possible so
that we can further benefit these local communities.
In many
cases, Indigenous utilizes the natural colors of organic cotton and fleece,
eliminating the need for dyes to achieve complex color schemes within our
fashion collections. Indigenous also develops low impact dyes which contain no
heavy metals and are Azo - dioxazine compound free. Indigenous ensures a
qualified system for waste water filtration. Again, these choices are in
alignment with our sustainability goals and are designed to best serve the
local communities that participate in the creation of our clothing.
The
communities that we touch, however, are defined beyond the care we take with
each garment. We have partnered with Green Mountain Energy, committing to
purchase local "green power" from the Real Goods Solar Living
Institute. The green energy obtained from the Solar Living Institute—located
just 50 miles from Indigenous' Santa Rosa, California headquarters is projected
to offset over 33 tons of CO2 emissions generated over the next two years and
prevent the sequestration of roughly 4,300 trees.
Indigenous
founder Scott Leonard was also instrumental in developing Green Steps
(www.greensteps.org) in the Outdoor Industry, an initiative designed to help
the industry exchange, elevate and practice sustainability ideas.
Finally, we
understand that one of our most important communities is our customers. Our
customers expect only the highest quality and fashion detail. You shouldn't
ever have to sacrifice fashion and style to be a good global citizen. Our
commitment to fair trade practice, knitting traditions and procurement of the
finest natural fibers is unprecedented. Those who wear an Indigenous garment
feel the special care taken to create each piece. By bringing together fashion
and style with artisan handmade quality, our customers receive a combination
unique in clothing.
Fibers
Alpaca
Vicugna pacos
or Alpaca is a native species to South America. They are kept in herds that
graze at high altitudes in the Andes of Ecuador, southern Peru, northern
Bolivia and northern Chile, year round. They look similar to sheep, but are
larger and have long erect necks. Alpacas only have fleece fibers, not woolen
fibers, and are used for woven and knitted items including blankets, sweaters,
hats, coats and other textile goods as well as ponchos in South America. Alpaca
fiber comes in many different natural colors including 52 classified in Peru.
Alpaca in the
textile industry primarily refers to the hair or fleece fiber of Peruvian
alpaca. Indigenous sources the majority of our alpaca fiber from outside of
Arequipa, Peru in the Puno and Cusco areas, close to many artisan work groups.
These alpacas are free range roaming animals with pasture rotation. The alpacas
are not fed hormones and do not receive chemical dipping for ticks or
parasites. There are no chemical ingredients allowed on the land or animals.
There are many
great benefits to using alpaca fiber. Much like sheep's wool in many regards,
alpaca is lighter weight but warmer and softer to the touch (not prickly) than
wool. It has only a minimum of lanolin fiber which makes it nearly
hypoallergenic. This allows Indigenous to use this natural fiber in a variety
of our knit and woven garments that will breathe naturally, provide warmth and
be gentle to the skin.
Our dye free
alpaca has a natural color spectrum which ranges from the whitest white to
intense black and includes over twenty brown and grew tones. Dye free color
combinations create a wide variety of natural beauty and diversity in our
garments without using chemicals which adversely affect the environment.
Organic cotton
Gossypium spp
or Cotton plant is a shrub native to tropical and subtropical regions of the
Americas, India and Africa. Varieties of the American species (Upland cotton)
however, is the cotton grown today that dominates most commercial use. The soft
fiber that grows around the seeds of the plant is spun into thread to make a
soft, breathable textile, which is the most widely used natural-fiber cloth in
clothing today.
Indigenous
uses only certified organic cotton, which is grown without any harmful
pesticides, herbicides, insecticides or artificial fertilizers. According to
the Organic Trade Association (OTA), conventional cotton uses approximately 25%
of the world's insecticides and more than 10% of the pesticides.
Most of our
organic cotton is produced in northern Peru near Trujillo and Amazonas, but
some is also produced in the south. Our organic certification is provided by
Skal, a non-profit that surveys and certifies organic production.
Cotton is
popular for a reason. The soft texture and breathable nature make it a very
wearable fiber. In addition, the arrangement of the cellulose gives cotton a
good degree of strength, durability and absorbency. Indigenous uses organic
cotton in their lighter knits, woven fabrics and with other natural fibers to
add strength and soft texture to the blends.
Silk
It is
believed that in ancient China, possibly as early as 6000 BC, silk fabric was
first developed. Originally reserved for the kings of China, silk spread
gradually through Chinese culture and then to many regions of Asia. Silk
rapidly became a popular luxury fabric because of its soft texture and luster.
Today, the
best-known type of silk is obtained from cocoons by the larvae of the Bombyx
mori silkworm. They are most commonly raised in captivity so the silk may be
used in textiles. "Wild silks" are produced by caterpillars (other
than the mulberry silkworm) and cannot be artificially cultivated like Bombyx
mori. A natural protein fiber, silk gets its shiny appearance from the
triangular prism-like structure of the fibers which allows the silk cloth to
refract light at different angles.
Indigenous
silk fiber is sourced in South America. The silkworms are preserved in the
process of obtaining the fiber. Typically, commercially reared silkworms are
killed before the adult moths can emerge.
In addition
to silk being a natural and renewable fiber, Indigenous uses silk to add
stability and that soft, luxurious touch and sheer to our knitted blends.
Merino wool
The term
"merino" originally was restricted to denote the wool of the merino
sheep reared in Spain, which can be traced back as far as the 12th century.
Today in the knitting trades, "merino" generally implies an article
made from the very softest wool.
The utility
of the fiber itself is evident in cold-weather and high-performance
applications, offering superior breathability, temperature regulation, moisture
control, and inherent anti-microbial properties. Unlike "traditional"
wool, merino is much finer, softer, and itch-free for all but those with severe
sensitivities or lanolin allergies.
Merino sheep
are found all around the world but typically dominate in Argentina, Australia,
New Zealand, South Africa and the western United States where sheep are bred for
their wool rather than their meat. Indigenous sources merino wool fiber most
often from the Andes in Argentina.
We are big
fans of this natural fiber - as is anyone who has ever worn merino wool. The
superior insulation, breathability, soft feel and lack of itch are excellent
additives to our fiber blends. Typically a fiber used in fall and winter
garments, merino wool can be found in both our woven and knits.
Handmade
The making of an Indigenous garment matches the
organic fiber specialty yarns in a very creative manner with the specific
skills and available applications of the individual artisan cooperatives.
Whether it is a unique stitch, hand yarn twist, crochet, or other special
skill, the right talents are matched with the design needs of the garment,
assuring the best fashion detail and premium quality from each artisan group.
Our garments
are typically made using one of three carefully selected methods: hand-knit
with needles, hand-held knitting looms and hand-woven looms.
Hand-Knit
with needles: The traditional knitting skills of artisans passed down for
thousands of years lays the ground work for the impeccable, detailed needle
work in these garments. Each garment is hand-knit entirely by an individual as
part of a small knitting group in their community, not in a factory. Fair trade
wages in combination with educational training allow the artisan to take the
time necessary in creating excellent quality and fit of each individual
Indigenous garment. Great care goes into the entire process and the result is
consistent, premium hand-knit clothing crafted with traditional skills.
Hand-Held
Knitting Loom The first stage in creating these light weight and sheer garments
is creating knit panels on the hand-held, hand-powered lap looms, much like a
small knitting machine. The knit panels are then hand-linked together using
fully-fashioned details and achieving results on size, fit and finish not
obtainable through normal sewing methods. Every seam is hand-linked to
perfection. This type of hand-finishing is certainly more time and labor
intensive, but results in a garment of higher quality, fashion detail and care.
Hand-woven Old
world looming techniques are employed in creating our hand-woven garments. Yarn
is placed on wooden foot looms, often in an artisan's home work space, where
they hand weave our organic cotton fabric as their ancestors before them. The
fabric is then taken to our factory, laid out over our patterns and hand cut.
From there, an expert tailor or seamstress sews together the entire piece;
nothing is produced on an assembly line. This results in a woven garment of the
highest quality and fit.
Artisans
Fair Trade
standards are part of the Indigenous Designs DNA and production model:
- We
provide fair wages in the local context
- Support
safe, healthy, and participatory workplaces
- Supply
financial and technical support as well as shared community planning to build
capacity
- Ensure
environmental sustainability, (including using: Organic certified cotton, GOTS
processing, and Oekotex 100 approved dyes)
- Respect
and embrace cultural identity, of families and community
- Build
direct and long-term relationships
- Educate
and collaborate with partners on sustainability up and down the value chain
-
When not
working for Indigenous, the artisans sell their products to local markets,
including producing traditional attire and handicrafts.
We believe our fair trade production model is
one of the most stable, equitable and profitable foreign trade models in
existence. We are confident that for every Indigenous garment purchased more
money is going to directly support artisans than any other apparel company on
the planet. And while many companies are moving into organic apparel, virtually
none adheres to fair labor standards to the extent we do.
Third party
auditing report
© Copyright
2010 Indigenous Designs •Philosophy
