Kuyichi signs the Transparency Pledge

“Take a stand”, “make a fist” and “be conscious in what you buy”. We can endlessly keep throwing statements, and for sure we will since the fashion industry absolutely needs that radical change, but how can we expect from you to make a conscious choice when the journey behind clothing items remains untraceable?

On November 12th this year we officially sealed the promise towards 100% transparency and today we want to highlight the importance of this step. In the current fashion industry, it is total chaos when it comes to information about all attending parties in the production process. The label in your shirt, for example, might say it is made in China but it is very likely that the yarn, cotton, buttons, etc. all have different countries of origin. This makes it all very confusing for you, the wearer of the shirt.

Being clear about the production process has always been one of our main values. For some years now, we have listed all our suppliers, whom we are very proud to work with, on our website. Also, we open up about the materials we use on our PURE DENIM page. This way we try to inform the customer, so they can make their own informed choices. Does this mean we are there yet? No, there is always room for improvement! We would rather be honest than impressive. Therefore we signed the Transparency Pledge because we believe that showing true colours is the first step of many towards better practices in the garment industry. 

But what exactly is the Transparency Pledge and how does it make a difference? The pledge is an international initiative founded by a global coalition of nine trade union federations and human rights organisations. One of the attending parties is the Clean Clothes Campaign, an organisation that stands for human rights in the garment supply chain. How are the working conditions for the workers and do they work in a safe environment? In order to resolve issues found in the factories, it is important that brands are transparent about where their garments are made.

Sharing the names and addresses of their factories will make it possible for organisations such as Clean Clothes Campaign to link the right brands to a factory where violations of the international labour standards are found. The brand can be made accountable for these violations. Clean Clothes Campaign, the supplier and the brand can then jointly work towards resolving the violations. This way it is not only possible to improve the working situations of the people that make our clothes, but also it will give you as a consumer the information you deserve to know behind the items that you are wearing. 

Transparency is still not a common good in the fashion industry. Brands are afraid that other brands will ‘steal’ their suppliers. Or even worse, they are not even aware of where they are producing, due to agents that stand between the brand and the supplier and complicated supply chains. At Kuyichi we want to show you where and with who we are working, since we take great pride in our partnerships. We want to inspire all brands and organisations to commit to supply chain transparency and work towards an honest global fashion industry together.

Curious by whom and where our pure goods are made? We gladly refer you to our full suppliers list on our PURE PRODUCTION page.