Our manifesto - what we believe in and how we work Partnerships
We maintain partnerships with our producers at eye level. We do not negotiate prices and almost always pay deliveries 100 percent in advance. To produce in Nepal is not always carefree. We accept delays in deliveries and remain loyal to our partners as long as values and quality meet our high standards. We are regularly on site and know the working conditions very well. We promote traditional craftsmanship and good working conditions in Nepal. We write the names of all our producers transparently for each product on the website. Only a few labels do this.
Working conditions
Fair Trade standards exist. For example: paying a living wage. We want to be much better. That means in concrete terms:
1. Nepal's subsistence level is clearly regulated. The government prescribes a wage of around CHF 130 per month. On average, Nepalis still earn about CHF 70 per month. The cost of living is low, but rises every year. The employees of our productions earn - depending on their activity - between CHF 150 - 450 per month.
2. They work eight to nine hours per day. We also work with partners who allow home office and part- time employment.
3. Employees are provided with meals at their place of work during breaks and for lunch. In carpet production, employees live free of charge on the premises in their own accommodation.
4. There is no work on public holidays (and that is around 26! days per year).
5. The work is varied, which means: nobody sews the same seam on T-shirts all their life. The employees are trained and deployed in different tasks.
6. All children of the employees of our productions go to school. And this finances, for example, the carpet production or the employees themselves with their wages.
Swiss design
Going to a foreign country and buying goods is not difficult. We want to be more. We produce our own designs. Our Swiss designers are part of our journey since the beginning of TGIFW and work for us as freelancers. All scarf prints are from them. Most of the dresses are produced according to their designs. Our carpet patterns are partly from them or from ourselves.
Direct Impact - TGIFW Foundation
We have been asking ourselves for some time how we can achieve even more measurable impact in Nepal. And the decision has been made. We have established the TGIFW Foundation. From 2020 on 10 percent of our profit will go to the TGIFW Foundation. With this money we are specifically promoting the independence of women in Nepal. This means: investing in sustainable business models, enabling micro-credits and supporting women with further training in business start-up and management. And if it fits, we also invest in a social project that benefits children.
Environmentally friendly production
The environment is very important to us. That is why we attach great importance to production that is as environmentally friendly as possible. This means: we work with AZO-free paints in all our production processes and we ensure that the paints are disposed of properly or that closed-loop recycling systems are used (for example, in the production of bamboo viscose). We work with materials that come from nature and do not use polyester, acrylic or similar. We use plastic packaging several times and do not simply throw it away after a single use. We are concerned with several environmental issues: How can we do without plastic completely? Which materials are suitable as substitutes for materials that consume a lot of water (for example cotton)? And how do our customers react to naturally dyed products?
Preserving traditional craftsmanship
Today, many things are produced by machine. It's faster, it's cheaper.
But products lose their soul. We believe that every product has an energy. And we are totally into old craftsmanship. That is art, that is passion, that means maintaining tradition. Combined with modern design, this results in unique products that are valuable and have a soul. We promote traditional craftsmanship: hand-knotted carpets, hand-woven scarves, hand-knitted dresses and the use of old knitting and weaving machines. Even processes like dyeing and washing are still done by hand in Nepal.
Fair prices, dealers and margins
We do not have large margins on our products to keep prices affordable for the end customer. We want everyone to be able to afford fair fashion. But this also means that the wholesale trade has no interest in us, because we cannot give 65% of our sales price to the wholesaler. We like to live with this fact. If you already include 50% sales in the sales price from the beginning, you are not doing yourself any favours. We believe that the whole fashion industry has destroyed itself and educated the customers that clothes are worth nothing anymore. We believe in fair partnerships with our retailers, we like small boutiques and great Swiss design shops that focus on fair fashion and interior design. Our products have a fair price. We do Sales about twice a year, just like it used to be.
Material origin - our way
Pure nature is our motto. We produce with cotton, hemp, bamboo, linen, tencel, nettle, banana silk, cashmere and wool. We do not work with silk for ethical reasons. Some of our fabrics are certified with the highest organic standard. Other materials are organic per se, since no chemicals are needed for cultivation (for example, hemp, which is still wildly collected in Nepal). We always want 100 percent pure - we do not use polyester, acrylic, elastane or anything else in our fabrics. We dye chemically with environmentally friendly colours or with plant dyes. We work with producers where we pay more for the wool and are 100% sure that it is mulesing-free wool and the animals are well. This also applies to our cashmere. And we also work with a social organisation where we cannot yet trace the whole wool supply chain, because the social aspect is much more central to this organisation. Where our fabrics come from and how they are produced, we provide you with transparent information on this at all times.
Certifications
Our carpet production is certified with the STEP-Fair-Trade-Label. This means independent controls, but above all an investment in the further training of the weavers. Our other productions in Nepal are not Fair Trade certified. They are far too small for this, cannot afford it and it does not bring them any visible advantages. The jungle of certifications is huge and many things are incomprehensible to consumers. What is organic and which organic cotton is also fairly produced? What does paying a living wage mean and why should it be fair? We have our own standards and do what we say and say what we can do even better.