Hi Reader,

These April Letters have revived me! When I left Bangladesh in March I was encouraged but a little down. You may remember this letter about the Highs & Lows.​

I'd also been near the site of the devastating Rana Plaza disaster - 13 years ago last week. An overgrown, empty lot stands as a bleak reminder of tragic loss. 1,134 people killed, and over 2,500 injured, as 5 garment factories in an 8 storey building collapsed on each other due to structural damage.
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The physical rubble has gone, but the silence remains.

Reflection

I carried the silence with me and began to reflect on how far we've come since then. Of course there was cynicism to a degree, thinking about the challenges that remain: some factories still being constructed below code; many workers still struggling for fair pay and safe conditions; big brand names still not playing fair; and more - but parking those, I definitely felt hope rising. And sharing these thoughts with you this month of Fashion Revolution has revitalised my vision for all that's yet ahead for Motif's part!
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I hope you've found them encouraging too, maybe even challenging?

Remembering why I commit to bringing the handwoven into a designer's practice was not hard this time. My trip coincided with the production of fabric for what will be Dee Shupe's first collection. How exciting!

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Liton, @HandTouchBD and I worked together on getting the stripe just right - Dee wanted to see a few options, and that's totally possible on a handloom, as you can see!

Being right there with professional weavers keen to get things accurate, hearing the sound of well seasoned looms in action, and knowing that communities are strengthened as a result of Dee's order made my heart sing along with the beautiful birds!

Revolution

When people think of handwoven fabric, the image of something chunky and tricky to sew is hard to shift for some. Thankfully Angela Aeschliman has stepped in to show it absolutely does not have to be that way! On the runway of Sustainable Fashion Week - Chicago, wonderful models were all thrilled to walk a range of coordinated looks made with 100% natural or recycled handwoven fabrics.

One model is so compelled by Angela's heart, and integrity in her collection, that she's promised to always be available for her! This is how movements grow ... passion is contagious!

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Come join Dee, Angela, and a growing number of us keen to explore what sourcing and creating gorgeous, ethically handmade fabric is really like for our design practice. Discover and join our Kind Fabric Collective here!

May holds World Fair Trade Day (WFTD) - Saturday 9th - and this year's theme is, Together we are the Business Revolution! ... just maybe it's your sign to embrace fair trade, handmade fabrics. 🙌🥰🙌
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Do share with me any WFTD events happening in your area - it's the kind of #IRL stuff we love to post in the Collective so members nearby can actually meet up in person!

Here's to making things, all things, better together! 🙌🫶🙌