Overview

Innovative design coupled with sustainable trade practices can be used as a source of competitive advantage for artisans from developing nations. This is particularly true in the current climate of globalization and the declining value of traditional artisanal products. The Ethical Fashion Initiative (EFI), implemented in partnership with the International Trade Centre (ITC), aims to strengthen the capacity of Haiti’s micro-producers for export trade by connecting local suppliers with international buyers, using an inclusive business model. It enables communities of artisans and micro-producers to thrive in association with the high-end fashion and lifestyle industries. This in turn supports the development of local creativity, fosters employment and empowerment and helps to reduce poverty.

Objectives

EFI works to connect small groups of artisans to international buyers at the top end of the global fashion market. It introduces a new system of work to both empower Haitian micro-producers and reposition the Haitian handicraft sector in the international marketplace by developing high-value products in partnership with international fashion and lifestyle brands. In addition, the project aims to close the gap between producers and consumers by raising awareness of the value of artisan goods, helping artists to better compete with mass produced goods. The collaboration between USAID and ITC will help to stabilize buyer-supplier relationships with existing international brands (Osklen and Stella Jean) while seeking to expand the number of participating designers and fashion houses. It aims to increase artisan income from revenues by up to 150 percent through orders from the US, Europe and Brazil.

Activities

The Ethical Fashion Initiative in Haiti will:

• Establish a new production hub in Port-au-Prince to train artisans in the timely fulfillment of high quality fashion exports;
• Guide micro-producers in the formation and governance of effective cooperatives;
• Train artisans to sustain their place in lucrative value chain relationships through design innovation, quality control and marketing; and,
• Develop the capacity of a local social enterprise to provide continuity to the program and help sustain quality control and responsiveness to high-fashion buyers into the future.

Expected Results

• Income growth and improved employment opportunities for artisans and cooperatives through increased sales revenues;
• Strengthened export access to the global high fashion marketplace for social enterprises and informal sector micro-enterprises;
• Improved production, quality and supervisory capacity of micro-producers;
• Increased consumer awareness of the link between products and their makers; and,
• Successful re-positioning of Haitian handicrafts within the high-end fashion and lifestyle industries.

Additional Information