SPECIAL EDITION
GLOBAL ARTISANS & Collaborations
JUNE 2014
The
issue
GLOBAL ARTISANS page 5
SOCIAL FASHION page 6
A WORLD OF CRAFTSMANSHIP page 8
COLLABORATION IN DESIGN page 10
CASE STUDY LIST page 12
CHALLENGES OF RESPONSIBILIT Y page 15
REFERENCES page 17
RESOURCES page 18
/4/
Global
ARTISANS The challenges and benefits of sustainable growth and corporate social responsibility in the commercialization of endemic craftsmanship into fashion.
Words by Madeleine Maria Banck Layout by Fruzsina Boutros Glue: Kristoffer Himmelstrup
In recent times, high emphasis has been put on the developing economies as emerging markets for companies to vend their products,1 urging on growth by increased consumption. The creation of sustainable growth, however, depends on the promotion of economic equality,2 where the potential consumers at the bottom of the pyramid3 (BoP) become enabled through adequate livelihoods.4
/5/ 75 - 100 More than $20,000 1,500 - 1,750 $1,500 - $20,000
Within the BoP is where the majority of the worlds artisans are found; individuals 4,000 and companies manufacturing highquality, distinctive products in small quantities, usually by hand and by use of traditional methods5 within sewing, textile Population in millions production, printing and dyeing, wood carving, metalworking, weaving, beading, embroidery etc. The global fashion industry’s utilization of these resources for clothing, footwear, handbags, jewelry and other accessories, is slowly emerging in response to consumer trends and demands for authenticity, quality and corporate social responsibility (CSR). But while sourcing artisan work from deep within the BoP may hold the potential of yielding benefits for all parties involved, this approach to CSR does pose several challenges and considerations.
Less than $1,500
Annual per Capita Income BOTTOM OF THE PYRAMID (BOP) In economics, the bottom of the pyramid is the largest, but poorest socio-economic group. In global terms, this is the 3 billion people who live on less than US$2.50 per day.
SOCIAL FASHION With the tragedy of the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh and with a Pakistani plant receiving the prestigious SA8000 compliance certification just days before a fire in the factory kills 300 workers, it is becoming evident that this top-down approach to social responsibility – with its codes of conduct and infrequent external audits – is far from sufficient to neither guarantee nor communicate SAVAR BUILDING COLLAPSE On 24 April 2013, Rana Plaza, an eight-story commercial building responsible practices.6
collapsed in Savar, Bangladesh. The building contained clothing factories, a bank, apartments, and several other shops. Warnings to avoid using the building after cracks appeared the day before the collapse had been ignored. Garment workers were ordered to return the following day and the building collapsed during the morning rush-hour.
/6/
The inconsistencies between the proclaimed intentions of fashion companies and these scandals spread wide across the media are hardly helping to alleviate the general erosion in After the incident, discussions has begun about corporate social responsibility, and heavy pressure from customer trust with the corporate world.7 And consumers’ side towards the fashion industry. even where responsible standards are upheld in mass production, such successes only serve to satisfy the least of demands with the new generation of consumers, who not only expects companies to be engaged in CSR, but also to provide explicit communication about their activities.8
The increased awareness, of the globalized and industrialized ramifications from fashion industry production, has fostered trends like slow fashion, SLOW FASHION ethical consumption9 and local manufacturing10. Slow fashion is part of the slow movement, which advocates And as consumers are yearning for organizations a cultural shift toward slowing down life’s pace. Slow fashion was coined by Kate Fletcher in 2007: “Slow fashion is not a and brands that reflect this growing aspiration seasonal trend that comes and goes like animal print, but a for social awareness and change,11 the pressure sustainable fashion movement that is gaining momentum.” is on the design companies to oblige and communicate. As a result, several design startups, well-known fashion brands and organizational initiatives alike, are connecting with BoP artisans at various stages of collaboration, focusing on an inclusive and socially responsible production with fair wages and traditional craftsmanship in product development.12 ETHICAL CONSUMPTION
Ethical consumerism is a type of consumer activism that is based on the concept of dollar voting. It is practiced through ‘positive buying’ in that ethical products are favoured, or ‘moral boycott’, that is negative purchasing and company-based purchasing.
For brands, it makes good sense to explore techniques and methods that have been known and used for centuries, and to establish partnerships where the individual producers have much to gain.13
These women are no longer working for wages below poverty line. Photo by SOKO Kenya.
/7/
Rana Plaza collapse in Bangladesh, April 2013.
A WORLD OF CRAFTSMANSHIP After agriculture and tourism, artisan work provides the next most significant source of income in many developing countries. Traditionally producing goods for use by their own communities, or ‘internal audience’,14 artisans at the BoP are facing a decline in local demand for their craftsmanship under the onslaught of external factors. Local customers are more interested in purchasing cheaper substitute products, made widely available by globalization, and artisans in diverse regions of the world have lost this critical patronage, wherefore participation in regional, tourism and export markets has become essential to their survival.15
/8/
But while slight expansions in distribution as well as adaptation of ethnic crafts for tourism provides a source of income, the artisans are often receiving the lowest return in the trading chain and are at risk for being exploited by middlemen.16 Although this may not always be the case,17 it serves an equal impediment to the greater opportunity of reaching the global market, as the typical artisan - even where information and communication technologies such as websites as outlets are a possibility - is generally not equipped to handle the competition or the international business environment.18 Collaborations such as production co-operatives involved with charity are attempting to aid in the global distribution of artisan work, but these initiatives fail to sustain real growth, as they are not based on real business; working for the market and responding to consumer demands.19 If the artisans do not become efficiently connected to new market opportunities, endemic cultural handmade sectors could be lost.20 And the drive towards job creation requiring new skills, while neglecting existing ones, could become an unnecessary challenge for the developing economies, already lamenting the lack of skilled workers in the BoP.21 In the quest for effective global distribution, some advocate for the support of governments paving the way for artisans to be able to export their products abroad, earning more money for their craft while at the same time help in earning foreign currency for their country.22 But even if opposing politicians and development professionals - who view the handcraft sector as a “soft” or frivolous industry unworthy of investment - will consider its potential for creation of sustainable employment opportunities for poor people and as a positive alternative to mass production,23 the artisans as producers still suffer from the paucity of information about market demand conditions and the response of consumers.24
/9/
Traditional textile from Ghana.
Photo documentation by Block Shop Textiles on the process of their collaboration with Indian block printers. Bagru, India, June 2014.
COLLABORATION IN DESIGN / 10 /
It is with this needed infusion of access to market and knowledge of global consumer demands, that collaboration with the fashion industry benefits the artisans. Designers working closely with craftsmen on a small scale to combine fashion, quality and endemic cultural traditions, create the opportunity for artisans as micro-entrepreneurs to overcome the poverty trap of a meager working capital and create sustainable growth.25 This overlap between global market design and indigenous craftsmanship is what provides the field for creation of shared value, as it also enables companies to respond to consumer demands for a different mindset, encompassing a new and expanded role for business in the wider community.26 The first and foremost challenge in creating successful collaborations, is that BoP artisans are often located in hard-to-reach, rural areas, demanding a high level of commitment from design companies when faced with especially transportation and communication difficulties. Generally unable to finance the costs involved in adapting their production, initial economic investments are also probable. And even if complete standardization is of less importance for these productions, for which handcrafting and authenticity are key, quality assurance at the bottom of the chain is critical to keeping the costs of returns or reworking at a minimum.27 Another consideration is that of business scaling. Although most companies engaging in intimate design collaboration with artisan producers may be
Photos from Osei-Duro’s lookbook.
founded on the principle that bigger is not necessarily better, the business premise of profit is still in play. And as the collaborations are based on the core values of socially responsible trade, an increased bottom line is more likely to occur from sales volume than cost cutting. The extent to which individual artisans can accommodate a growing production may vary, but as increased consumer interest in a fashion brand can eventually incur product range diversification, the use of more than just one specialized craft becomes relevant. In order to retain the core values of these collaborations, scaling may be implemented through the sourcing of multiple microproducers, which can be both expensive in the aggregation of dispersed artisanal resources as well as managerially challenging for individual companies.28
/ 11 /
Design and technique overlap
Mass production Value Authenticity
However, this horizontally integrating approach to socially responsible bottom-and-up production scaling seems more convincingly realizable, when adopted by sourcing companies or organizations acting as a middle link in the supply chain. Such set-ups, which can grow to encompass development hubs that buy materials as well as distribute workflow to the network of BoP artisans, also opens up the potential of deep sourcing to other design companies and brands than those willing or able to engage in intimate collaborations.29
CASE STUDY LIST ETHICAL FASHION INITIATIVE INTERNATIONAL TRADE CENTRE Africa & Haiti + Geneva, Switzerland Ethical Fashion Initiative connects the fashion business with artisans in Africa and Haiti. They provide work for marginalized people who have a strong desire to change their lives making it possible for the fashion world to embrace the skills of artisans in the developing world. www.intracen.org/itc/projects/ethicalfashion/ OSEI-DURO Accra, Ghana + Los Angeles, USA High school friends, Molly Keogh and Maryanne Mathias, set up an ethical clothing line studio in Accra in 2009. The line is produced in Ghana by local garment workers and artisans, who are known for getting down with texture and colour. www.oseiduro.com
/ 12 /
BLOCK SHOP Bagru, India + California, USA An Indian textile company founded by sisters Lily and Hopie Stockman. They work in collaboration with a cooperative of master printers in Bagru, India, where artisans have been hand block printing with natural dyes for over 350 years. www.blockshoptextiles.com LEMLEM Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Liya Kebede discovered that traditional weavers in her native country of Ethiopia were losing their jobs due to a decline in local demand for their goods and wanted to do something about it. Recognizing the beauty, quality and historic significance of their work, Liya started Lemlem in 2007 as a way to inspire economic independence in her native country and to preserve the art of weaving. www.lemlem.com
A PEACE TREATY Pakistan + Libya Founders, Farah Malik, a Pakistani Muslim, and Dana Arbib, a Libyan Jew, creates employment for skilled artisans by effectively supporting their technique and craft while elevating their products to the level of high design for an exclusive and international fashion audience. apeacetreaty.com POPINJAY Pakistan + USA Popinjay combines luxurious craftsmanship with ethical business for style. Popinjay works with more than 150 female artisans in Hafizabad, ensuring that they receive fair wages for producing their beautiful bags. www.popinjay.co
RAVEN + LILY Ethiopia, India, Cambodia, Kenya + Austin, Texas, USA Founded by Kirsten Dickerson and Sophia Lin, Raven + Lily helps employ marginalized women in Ethiopia, India, Cambodia, Kenya, and the United States at fair trade wages to give them access to a safe job, sustainable income, healthcare, and education. www.ravenandlily.com INDUSTRY OF ALL NATIONS Bolivia, India, Kenya, Mexico, Indonesia + Los Angeles, USA Industry of All Nations is a design and development office founded with a commitment to rethink methods of production for consumer goods. They take manufacturing back to the regions where products and materials originate, bringing unique local businesses to an international market by collaborating with artisans all over the world. www.industryofallnations.com
MAIYET Colombia, India, Indonesia, Italy, Kenya, Mongolia, Peru + New York, USA Maiyet celebrates rare artisanal skills from unexpected places. Maiyet is deeply committed to forging partnerships with artisans to promote self-sufficiency and entrepreneurship in developing economies. In order to ensure success for both Maiyet and its partner companies, Maiyet has entered into a strategic partnership with Nest, an independent nonprofit organization, dedicated to training and developing artisan businesses. www.maiyet.com www.buildanest.org ACE & JIG India + New York, USA Designer duo, Cary Vaughan and Jenna Wilson, collaborates with weavers from India. www.aceandjig.com
LALESSO Kenya + Cape Town, South Africa Lalesso was formed by co-designers Olivia Kennaway and Alice Heusser after a holiday trip to Kenya. The pair instigated the start up of SOKO after realising the potential that an ethical factory could provide. SOKO is now an independent, charity based, eco and ethical clothing production unit that supports local talent and provides employment to Kenyan artisans. www.lalesso.com www.soko-kenya.com BLUMA PROJECT East and West Africa, Peru, Philippines + New York, USA Beth Schaeffer, founder of bluma project, has travelled extensively to source design, and specifically to Rwanda, Ghana, and Peru to train women in advanced jewelry making skills. blumaproject.com
/ 13 /
THE BRAVE COLLECTION Cambodia + New York, USA The Brave Collection, founded by Jessica Hendricks, is a line of jewelry handmade in Cambodia by talented artisans who come from underprivileged backgrounds or suffer from disabilities. All artists work in a free, fair and dignified work environment where they are paid above average wages and receive benefits such as health insurance and stipends for their children’s education. thebravecollection.com
MICHAEL NELSON Nairobi, Kenya + New York, USA Twelve Maasai women work together in a fair trade cooperative to bead the Michael Nelson collection. Working from the comfort of their own village, each beaded piece allows these women to earn a living while raising their children and families. michaelnelson.eu
VOZ Southern Chile + international designers Through collaborative workshops, VOZ provides training in design innovation to skilled rural weavers. www.madebyvoz.com
/ 14 /
Photos from MAIYET’s lookbook.
CHALLENGES OF RESPONSIBILITY While companies are expected to be involved in social responsibility beyond what the law requires,30 a socially conscious mission31 in itself is not enough to inspire customers. The key is knowing how to communicate that mission, as consumer skepticism can arrive when companies adopt an approach too morally based, as if trying to save the world. Social responsibility should be seen as a concrete competence, which should be integrated as a natural part of the company’s operations, and communication should be based on business and facts, not altruistic aspirations.32 Collaborations between BoP artisans and the fashion industry as smart partnering to create value for both companies and society simultaneously, can be a sustainable way of implementing social responsibility as it holds the opportunity of treating the matter as neither philanthropy, propaganda or just a pet project but rather as plain good business.33 But as the added value of CSR involvement has diminished in the past as the competitive environment has adopted similar practices, so do these companies now need to be aware of how artisan collaborations may not gain them a sustainable competitive advantage. Integrated as a core value instead, successful business and added value in the eyes of the consumer now depends on transparency in operations, to prove the consistency between intentions and facts and avoid the risks of greenwashing these new ventures.34 And if whether or not the working conditions and livelihoods given to the artisan workers are comparatively superior or even equal to the best of those in mass production, is a possible future concern from consumers which the companies must be prepared to respond to. Fashion companies’ ability to overcome the challenges in connection with global commercialization of ethnic craftsmanship, will depend on motivation from possible benefits and honest commitment to inflicting sustainable change in the industry. But it may yet take both government involvement in sector development, a further increase in consumer demand as well as more widespread company willingness to make social impact a core value, for more artisans from the bottom of the pyramid to effectively become global.
/ 15 /
/ 16 /
Indigo men are stepping on indigo plants to prepare the dye, India. Photo by Industry of All Nations.
REFERENCES 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34
Nilsson, Jacob Langvad (2014) Ploumen, Lilianne (2014) Prahalad, C. K. (2006) Sachs, Jeffrey D. (2005) Definition adopted from Dictionary.com Business of Fashion (2013a) Mahindra (2014) Kommunikations Forum (2013) The Guardian (2008) The Washington Post (2013) Mahindra (2014) Exhibit 1: Case study overview Quaade, V. (2014) Graburn, Nelson H. H. (1976) Dickson, Marsha Ann & Littrell, Mary Ann (2010) The Tribune (2012) Cohen, E. (1989) Hassanin, L (2008) The Australian (2014) Live Mint & The Wall Street Journal (2012) The Wall Street Journal (2012) The Daily Ittefaq (2013) Dickson, Marsha Ann & Littrell, Mary Ann (2010) Live Mint & The Wall Street Journal (2012) The Globalist (2006) Mahindra (2014) Monitor (2009) Ibis. The Australian (2014) Slideshare.net (2013) Forbes (2014) Kommunikations Forum (2013) McKinsey (2009) Business of Fashion (2013b)
/ 17 /
RESOURCES Business of Fashion (2013a) In the Face of Continuing Injustice, a Socially Responsible Garment Factory, Rob Broggi, May 30th 2014 (http://www.businessoffashion.com) Business of Fashion (2013b) Stripped Bare: Brands Move Toward Transparency and Traceability, Robb Young, May 14th 2014 (http://www.businessoffashion.com) Business of Fashion (2014) Join the Revolution Against Mindless Fashion Consumption, Tamsin Blanchard, may 14th 2014 (http://www.businessoffashion.com) Cohen, E. (1989): “The Commercialization of Ethnic Crafts”, Journal of Design History, (vol. 2, No. 2/3): pp 161-168 Dickson, Marsha Ann & Littrell, Mary Ann (2010): “Artisans and Fair Trade: Crafting Development” (1st edition). Kumarian Press. ISBN 978-1-56549-321-6 Graburn, Nelson H. H. (1976): “Ethnic and Tourist Arts; Cultural Expressions from the Fourth World” (1st edition). University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-02949-6 / 18 /
Forbes (2014) Stylish and Sustainable: How Brands Are Getting It Right, Susan McPherson, May 16th 2014 (http://www.forbes.com) Hassanin, L (2008): ”Egyptian women artisans: Struggling to face the demands of modern markets”, IEEE International Symposium on Technology and Society, (2008): pp 1-8 Slideshare.net (2013) Challenges of Corporate Social Responsibility in the Apparel Industry, Jenifer Kesik, May 30th 2014 (http://www.slideshare.net) Kommunikations Forum (2013) Shout CSR Out, Line Schmeltz, May 11th 2014 (http://www.kommunikationsforum.dk) Live Mint & The Wall Street Journal (2012) India’s forgotten handicrafts, V. K. Madhavan, May 18th 2014 (http://www.livemint.com) Mahindra (2014) Trust – The Brand Currency for the New Generation of Consumers, Lilach Felner, May 13th 2014 (http://rise.mahindra.com) McKinsey (2009) Making the most of corporate social responsibility, Tracey Keys, Thomas W. Malnight, and Kees van der Graaf, May23th 2014 (http://www.mckinsey.com)
Monitor (2009) Emerging Markets Emerging Models, Ashish Karamchandani, Michael Kubzansky & Paul Frandano, May 9th 2014 Nilsson, Jacob Langvad (2014) “Make emerging markets your primary market”, Rebel Times (No. 2, 2014): pp 91-94 Ploumen, Lilianne (2014): “Mere og hurtigere udvikling”, Udvikling (Nr. 2, 2014): pp 23-34 Prahalad, C. K. (2006): “The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid” (1st edition). Pearson Education - Wharton School Publishing. ISBN 0-13-187729-1 Sachs, Jeffrey D. (2005): “The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time” (1st edition). Penguin Books Ltd. ISBN 1-4295-1368-3 Schmeltz, Line (2012): “Conflicting Values in Discourses of Social Responsibility: Essays on Consumer-Oriented CSR Communication” (PhD dissertation). Aarhus University, Dept. of Business Communication. The Australian (2014) Top designers connect with artisans in Africa, Carli Philips, May 11th 2014 (http://www.theaustralian.com.au) The Daily Ittefaq (2013) Large decline in demand for metal craft, Xinhua, May 16th 2014 (http://www.clickittefaq.com) The Globalist (2006) Poverty Traps and Global Development, Stephen C. Smith, May 10th 2014 (http://www.theglobalist.com) The Guardian (2008) Ethics: in fashion?, theguardian.com, May 20th 2014 (http://www.theguardian.com) The Tribune (2012) Supporting arts and crafts: Artisans falling victims to poor infrastructure, lack of opportunities, Waqas Naeem, May 20th 2014 (http://www.tribune.com.pk) The Wall Street Journal (2012) Up to 95 Million Low-Skill Workers in Danger of Being Left Behind, Daniel Lippman, May 17th 2014 (http://blogs.wsj.com) The Washington Post (2013) Is the fashion runway at a crossroads?, Robin Givhan, May 30th 2014 (http://www.washingtonpost.com) Quaade, V. (2014): “Smuk med smør”, Udvikling (Nr. 1, 2014): pp 56-59
/ 19 /
/ 20 /
MADELEINE MARIA BANCK mbanck@mbanck.dk
FRUZSINA BOUTROS f ruzsina.boutros@gmail.com
KRISTOFFER HIMMELSTRUP kristoffer.himmelstrup@gmail.com