GOSIA PAITEK is so committed to sustainability; she travelled to India to check on the working conditions of the farmers and producers behind her fashion label.
The Wellingtonian started Kowtow, an organic and Fair Trade clothing label, in 2007 with her graphic design partner.
Kowtow now has clothes in 30 stores around New Zealand, Australia and Japan, including Wellington outlets Starfish, Rex Royale, Marvel Menswear and Juniper.
The clothes are not only Fair Trade certified, which means the farmers who harvest the cotton are paid a fair price for their labour, but they are also organic in that they’re GM-free and organic fertiliser is used in their production.
“I’ve always been sustainably-minded, and when I was coming up with business ideas they all were to do with sustainability, and I saw there was no Fair Trade clothing in the New Zealand market,” says Paitek. “I couldn’t do something Fair Trade without it being organic as well. I had to know that the crop was being grown from seed production in a sustainable manner.”
So after researching, Paitek came across a factory based in India that looked like it had a good work ethic.
It puts the worker’s children through school, and the workers receive free healthcare, holiday pay and are organised in unions – something unheard of in much of India.
Paitek checked the factory with Fair Trade labelling organisation FLO, which has certified Kowtow, and was sent a report about the factory that looked good.
But Paitek says she had to see it with her own eyes and travelled India for six weeks.
“I spent two weeks in the factory working, and they just left me to my own devices. Then I went to the farms to visit our producers. After seeing what they do, it made it real for me, it’s given me a second wind.”
Paitek was particularly touched by a school she visited in India that was run by two people in their early twenties.
Although they could only afford to have 12 students, Paitek was impressed with the way the couple taught the children.
“They did meditation and yoga in the morning, and the kids were also taught instruments like the sitar,” she says. “But the main thing they need is more students.”
So Paitek has put on a photo exhibition from her time in India, and all proceeds from the sale of prints will go to the school, called Wichi Art School.
“We’ve also got a small documentary from the trip, and (Wellington musician) Ryan Prebble has done the soundtrack.”
The exhibition, Cotton, is being held at Starfish, 128 Willis St, 5.30pm, Apr 30. Visit kowtow.co.nz.