Up in the Air!

"Up in the air" describes the activities that are happening with Local Buttons right now. Our samples may or may not have reached Jacquemel by now via airmail. We were putting together a package and including design instructions for our partners in Jacquemel. It was so hot, we were both feeling tired. We were trying to write clear explanations, we were drinking ice coffees to cool down and wake up, when it suddenly it occurred to me. And I was awake! "Anne! We are sending samples that will be made into vests by garment sewers in Jacquemel! Pretty soon we are going to receive a package in Toronto with their interpretation of the designs!" It's real. Cameron will receive our samples in Jacquemel and make sure the garment sewers get the instructions. It's in the hands of our Haitian partners! We are delighted and as curious as two young entrepreneurs can be. ie. we rejoiced once again.

"Up in the air" not only refers to our vests. It refers to the entire Peace by Piece project, also known as the Kennedy Line. Peace by Piece is the name Anne and I came up with. The Kennedy line was introduced to us as a brand for the project by Cameron and Toni. They told us it has already gained the interest of the big retail and donor community. Anne and I are still learning more about President Kennedy's affiliation to used clothing in Haiti. We have been told that he was the first president to send used clothing into "developing countries". We would like to know if any of you know something about the connection or have any comments?

Our partnership with Brandaid is very informative and rewarding. Our project has gained momentum thanks to the connections Brandaid has made in Haiti. However as Local Buttons, the smaller business, we feel slightly vulnerable as there remains to be so much "up in the air" . Specifically we remain concerned about covering our business costs and the cost of the labour on the Haitian side. Our priority, at any cost, is that the business remains ethical and mutually beneficial. We will request to see the outline of how labour and payment will be carried out. We also feel documents and pictures will give us more confidence in and connection to the project.

Anne and I recently picked up a book "Waging War on the Poor Majority: Canada in Haiti", by Yves Engler and Anthony Fenton. The book is grounding me in the roots of why our efforts in Jacquemel are relevant. The Government of Canada has not been there for Haiti in the past but rather has contributed to the fabrication of the social hardship that exists there today. The book so far is an informative read on this subject and has instilled in me a sense of responsibility. Haiti is not the only country to which apologies and amendments should be made. However it is the country I am involved with since the creation of our ethical fashion show. The fruits of our work with Local Buttons has shown me that focus leads to results...hence samples being flown to Jacquemel to contribute to the local living economy.

Maybe "up in the air" is more positive and exciting than nerve wracking in our situation.

A Little About Us

Consuelo McAlister, Co-Founder of Local Buttons: Advocating for Social Enterprise.

Specialized Honours Degree in International Development Studies, Cum Laude Dean's List Undergraduate of 2009, York University.

Before Co-founding Local Buttons, Consuelo worked on a number of international internships. In Salvador do Sul, Brazil, on a Canada World Youth (CWY) experience, Consuelo worked in community development with local youth and adults in a public housing project. In São Paulo, Brazil, Consuelo interned with Sister Watersheds, Ecoar, where she facilitated environmental workshops in classroom and community groups. In Rivne, Ukraine, on an Association Internationale des Étudiants en Sciences Économiques et Commerciales (AIESEC) student internship, Consuelo was the Canadian representative for an International Camp hosted by the Rivne State Humanitarian University, Ukraine. Consuelo's university studies and work experiences inspired further travels in Egypt, Western Europe, and the Caribbean.

Consuelo describes herself as a social entrepreneur intent on building sustainable local and global communities. Consuelo supports and engages in creative and effective methods of raising social and environmental consciousness as they relate to consumerism and lifestyle. Developing the sense of community is important to Consuelo in everything she does. The relationships she forms give her the energy to face the worlds challenges.

Consuelo remains an enormous fan of Brazilian culture and is currently practicing Afro-Brazilian and Samba dance with Dance Migration in Toronto. A fan of the outdoors, Consuelo looks forward to a summer in Toronto of biking, rollerblading, swimming, shows, picnics, and spontaneous acts of fun! Like what you read and... to laugh? you will make fast friends.

Anne Pringle, Co-Founder of Local Buttons, Advocating for Social Enterprise.

Specialized Honours Degree in International Development Studies, Dean's Honour Roll Undergraduate of 2009, York University. Prior to her education in International Development Studies, Anne Pringle studied contemporary dance and obtained a Dance Diploma from Grant MacEwan College in Edmonton, AB in 2005.

Before co-creating Local Button Anne worked as a research intern for Journalists for Human Rights in Toronto, where she researched human rights violations in Africa. Anne currently tutors ESL through the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture in Toronto. Anne’s international interests have led to travel adventures in Western Europe, Central America, the Caribbean and Morocco. She hopes to further explore the world in the near future.

Anne, who describes herself as an entrepreneur with a social conscious is excited to create a business that allows her to engage with projects in a holistic manner. With Local Buttons, Anne strives to address the unequal global market divide and to create solutions that fuse the social, the environmental and the creative to build stronger communities.

A lover of dance, movement and delicious food, Anne looks for the beauty in the small details of her daily routines. She looks forward to a summer of full festivals, late night BBQs, reading, coffee and attempting to learn how to rollerblade through the streets of Toronto.

The Cookie Project

A brilliant woman once quoted the Golden Rule when she told me 'treat others how you wanted to be treated'. This brilliant woman, well she is my mother. And while I may have spent a large part of my teenage years ignoring her wisdom it somehow managed to manifest itself deep within my subconscious. Over the years I have come to realize that I am alarmingly more similar to my mother than I had once thought, or cared to admit. Her various advice seems to be dislodging from my subconscious at an alarmingly frightening pace and reentering my life-only this time I am more prepared to listen. However, this notion of treating others how I would like to be treated, was one of those rare gems that did manage to resonate deeply within me and continues to be something I strive towards achieving....and it is also the subject of today's post. Bear with me as I embellish.

The Cookie Project

There is no greater a feeling than taking a bite into a chewy, oven fresh cookie. Feeling the chocolate chip melt in your mouth, savouring the flavor as it disappears into the abyss that is your rumbling stomach.

Now imagine not being able to experience this, based on the simple fact that you don’t have a home, let alone a kitchen stocked up with baking supplies. The reason you don’t have a kitchen? Because you are homeless, for whatever the reason may be, and have been for weeks, months or even years.

Being homeless doesn’t simply mean lacking a roof over your head, it means not being able to take part in the simple joys of life like a home baked cookie, or rolling out of bed into your comfy slippers to sip a cup of coffee while you read the paper.

I don’t (yet) have a sustainable and realistic solution to end both homelessness and poverty, but what I am proposing is creating a small change in your life. A change that could hopefully have a small impact on the life of someone else. I have been thinking about this ‘cookie project’ as I am calling it, for a few months now but have only recently taken this plan into action.

I started this week and for the weeks coming I will make a batch of cookies, muffins, scones and so on, wrap them up and hand them out fresh to three or four homeless individuals in my neighbourhood. While I know this is not life changing for anyone, I know that I would appreciate a home baked delivery every week. My idea is to have this happen on a larger scale, where people around Toronto, and even hopefully other cities, will take on this initiative. It takes little effort or money on your part and can be done on a weekly or monthly basis, whatever works for you. Think of it as your random act of kindness each week.

If you want to go down a healthier route than cookies, here is a muffin recipe I altered from the Student's Vegetarian Cookbook, and used for my trial run of the cookie project. It is vegan, sugar free and made with whole grains and very little oil. The berries can be substituted for mashed bananas and walnuts (or chocolate chip cookies for those who have a giant sweet tooth like me).

2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour (I substitute 1/3 of Cup with Wheat Germ, you could also use flax, or almond, coconut flour etc depending on your tastes)
3/4 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1tsp cinnamon
2 Cups unsweetened applesauce
2 Tbls oil (olive oil or whatever you have)
1 Cup mixed berries either frozen or fresh (I use a blend, but you could use only say raspberries if you like)
Mix all dry ingerdients together Mix applesauce and oil, add to dry ingredients, put in a greased muffin pan in 375 degree oven for about 15-18 min

Enjoy!!

Anne

Progress....?

This past week has been a great week for us, a little terrifying, but great all the same. For starters I turned 25, but that's a story for a whole other blog. Early on last week we had a meeting with Cameron Brohman of Brandaid to discuss our clothing project. It seemed, and rightly so, that nothing could move forward until we had a designer on board. While overall the meeting went smoothly, without having the actual garment sample everything felt a little up in the air. Following the meeting, I couldn't help but wonder (yes I am going there a la Carrie Bradshaw) when it comes to bags, men and cities, is it really what's outside that counts? (Season 3 episode 14). Ok so it doesn't make total sense but I really felt we couldn't have a blog without somehow quoting Sex and the City...back to our week.

Literally hours after our meeting with Cameron, as if summoned by some unknown ethical fashion goddess, a friend of Sways contacted us to know she was interested and ready to create a design for us. A quick chat later, complete with a few sketches, and Samantha Stoncius was on her way to becoming the first designer to collaborate on our Peace by Piece collection.

All week we anxiously awaited the arrival of the two vests to be finished. To add to our growing anxiety as we waited for the vests, we had another meeting, this time with Cameron and another co-founder of Brandaid, Tony Pigott. Tony, is a big wig. He is high up in the corporate ladder, and he knows what he is talking about when it comes to marketing and branding a name or entity. To say the least, we felt a bit out of our league, but attempted to hold our own.

We discussed taking the clothing line to retailers or to small boutiques and what would be the best avenue to go down. Sway and I tend to lean towards keeping the ethical line in small boutiques and coffee shops throughout Toronto. Our idea is to help local businesses grow, and create a more direct relationship between local artisans and tailors in Haiti and consumers and retailers in Toronto. Tony seems to lean towards creating a brand to be sold in a large retail setting. Hesitant and critical as we were, we tried to see how this could work.

Maybe just maybe we could do this. IF a large retail chain were to simply allow us to have a rack of clothing containing a logo that clearly depicts how and where the garment was made, and under what conditions. And, as long as said retail chain never tries to silence how we envision the line or alter the initial intention of an ethical clothing line and partnership, it could be beneficial.

I mean, and we're kind of dreaming here, what if this retail chain were to slowly begin to realize that the labour standards they impose on the workers in their overseas maquiladoras really aren't fair. And subsequently begin to change these practices to be more ethical. What if the average consumer who entered their store, saw this fashion line and then realized that ethically made fashion can be fairly priced and and fashionable and more readily available to them.

Maybe this is the start of reworking the way capitalism works. Perhaps it has to start with one small step, or one button as we would like to assume. Again, as I said we are dreaming here...but don't all realizations begin with a dream?

**The Clothing Show is on this week from May 14th-16th, we urge you to check it out!!**
http://www.theclothingshow.com/index.html

Peace by Piece

Peace by Piece is a tentative name for a new Local Buttons and Brandaid collaborative project. In Ezra's Pound at the Dundas West location Anne, Cameron and I brainstormed on a suitably rainy day. We discussed how to launch a clothing line that would be made in Haiti and designed in Toronto. The cafe literally rained with our ideas. Pun intended. The lightening idea was to design an awareness piece. After some time a VEST was chosen to be our signature item. How did this all come to be? "Rein" me in and I'll flashback to tell you..

Following our fashion show, Cameron had told Anne and I Brandaid was interested in expanding its business with Haitian artisans. It was interested in establishing a clothing line, and would Anne and I like to facilitate the process. Yes we would. Hence the "squealing like school girls" that Anne rightfully referred to.

Together we discussed the relevancy of creating a clothing partnership between Haiti and Toronto. There is an abundance of skilled garment sewers that live in the post-earthquake camps. Our project would be one more initiative to engage Haitians in sustainable enterprise. Made from refurbished clothing, Peace by Piece would be supplied by the second hand garment industry in Haiti. The second hand clothing market, referred to as 'Pepe' in Haiti, allows for several tons of clothing to escape landfills and to be reintroduced into the fashion industry. This collaboration between Toronto designers and the garment sewers in Haiti will function as an alternative to sweat shop labour. The garment sewers will receive fair pay and a share in the profit of the final sale of each garment.

Here are two interesting articles that further illustrates the relevancy of such a project in Haiti:
http://heartofhaiti.wordpress.com/2010/04/22/killing-haitians-with-north-american-kindness/

http://www.secondhandfilm.com/project.html

The Vest! aka our signature item, will lead to our launch of a clothing line. We cannot wait to disclose to you its design and designer! So stay tuned!

Wait! There's more!

In it's early stages of development our second new project with Brandaid calls for your participation!

Are you a Conscious Consumer?

You are invited to participate in a Focus Group researching ways to create an alternative and more equitable purchasing and selling market. We, Local Buttons, a small initiative advocating for social enterprise and Brandaid, an organization working to help build up artisan communities in Haiti, are collectively hosting a focus group.

We are looking for candidates to help us gather information and to discuss new ways of conducting business between artisan communities in Haiti and consumers in Toronto. We envision social gatherings organized to sell the works of Haitians. These events can be organized for so many reasons including an alternative gifting opportunity for holidays, showers, weddings, and housewarmings.

Please come and share your ideas and thoughts on how to make this a successful initiative. We encourage you to bring anyone you know who may also be interested.

When: Wednesday May 12, 2010 from 6:30-8:30

Where? contact us directly at swayanne@gmail.com

Light refreshments and snacks will be served.

RSVP is appreciated

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And...catch our next post coming soon!