For the first time, the concepts of organic and fair trade have come together in the mainstream
apparel market to satisfy the rapidly-growing group of socially conscious customers looking for more responsible buying choices. Fair Indigo, the pioneering fair trade apparel and accessories company, has introduced Fair Trade Organic Cotton Denim for Fall 2007 in a variety of fashionable styles at great prices.
   
"Customers who care about the people who make their clothing are the same people who care about the impact of consumption on our planet," said Elizabeth Ragone, a Fair Indigo co-founder and the firm's style director, "we see organic and fair trade as a natural pairing."
   
A Significant Investment in Good
   
The combination of fair trade manufacturing principles and organic cotton in stylish clothing will broaden the fair trade consumer base by appealing to a much larger organic-oriented clothing market, she said, "and at $69 our jeans are a fabulous value; not just a good investment, but a
significant investment in good."
   
Consumer demand for organic cotton has grown exponentially in recent years with experts predicting a 50 percent to 70 percent increase in 2007. As retailers and brands ramp up their commitments to sustainable textile and apparel production, 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 non-profit organization committed to expanding organic agriculture.
   
"The move into eco-friendly cotton is an important option for the growing group of people looking to do the right thing when they buy, and who want to look good at the same time," Ragone said.
   
Customer response to the fit and style of Fair Indigo's inaugural denim collection provided the impetus for the move into organic cotton denim, she said. The collection features sleek, slim-fit jeans, fitted hip-length jackets and long, easy skirts. For men the organic cotton denim collection includes jeans and a jean jacket in classic, easy-fitting styles. All of the pieces are manufactured for Fair Indigo in a fair trade factory in San Jose, Costa Rica using 100 percent organic cotton grown in the United States and woven in North Carolina.
   
"Customers loved our jeans last fall. Being able to provide the same great fit while taking better care of our planet just seemed like the right thing to do," Ragone said. "We believe so strongly in this that our entire denim collection this fall is not just fair trade, but also organic."
   
About Fair Indigo
   
Fair Indigo is the nation's first mainstream fair trade apparel brand, providing stylish, high-quality clothing, jewelry and accessories while paying a fair wage to the producing vendors and the people they employ. Started by a small group of industry insiders with the goal of changing the way the apparel industry works, Fair Indigo provides "Style with a Conscience" by paying a fair wage to the people who weave every fiber and sew every seam of its collection. The concept is known as fair trade and it means putting people first. The privately held retailer markets its clothing via catalog (800-520-1806), at fairindigo.com and through its flagship brick and mortar retail store in Madison, Wis.