Who made my Swimsuit?

Who made my Swimsuit?

 

When a brand claims to empower women, it shouldn't just extend to the end user of the product. Everything we do at Baiia is founded on the value of being leaders of compassion in women's fashion - this filters right down from how we interact with the suppliers of our materials, through to our manufacturers, contractors, team members and then eventually to our customers. Kindness is an all-encompassing extension of our brand that permeates our every interaction.

 

We've all been burned in the past from believing a brand's 'word' of empowerment, only to discover that the conditions in which their products are made are anything but empowering. The only way to truly demonstrate that you are a business based on ethics and morale is simple: transparency. 

 

So with that in mind and of course being Fashion Revolution Week, I wanted to take the opportunity to share a few snaps from my recent trip to visit our seamstress team and shine a light on things like their wages and workers entitlements.

 

Above is a little collage I put together of my most recent trip to visit our talented team in Guangzhou. One of the things I love about our manufacturers is that the small team is made up evenly of women and men, with no difference in pay based on gender.

 

 

A few more little facts about our manufacturers:

- Seamstresses are encouraged to hand make each swim suit slowly and carefully. They are not paid on the amount they produce, meaning they are not pressured to reach a certain quantity by a certain time.

- Employees receive medical insurance and maternity leave.

- Employees work in a well ventilated, well lit and spacious working space.

- The factory owner himself was a seamstress for 10 years. He prides himself in his ability to care, understand, listen and respect his workers and their needs because he’s been there before. So, of course he also holds regular staff parties, excellence awards and surprises his workers with birthday gifts!

 

 

So there you have it, a little insight into whose hands are actually responsible for the construction of your Baiia Swimsuit. To me, the livelihood of who make our swimsuits are of equal importance of those who wear them. Too often we're so disconnected from the production of our garments - the fashion industry overglorifies the finished product, yet forgets the history of how that product came to be. I think the closer we get to know its history, the richer our experience and the greater our appreciation of what we wear. 

 

These seamstresses are just a part of the Baiia swimsuit story (albeit, a very large and important part!) and I want to continue sharing snippets of that story with you. I'd love to know, what part of the Baiia story would you like to see next?

 

With love,

Amber x

 

 

 
 
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