Fairtrade Fashion Club (FFC) is a fun, new initiative developed by FAD to educate young people about the importance of ethical fashion and fair trade.

Developed for 12 -15 year olds, the project works in partnership with ‘The Flame Tree’, a women’s fair trade co-operative based in Tumu, Northern Ghana. FAD purchases hand woven fabrics and equipment directly from the co-operative to use in Fairtrade Fashion Club.

The project not only succeeds in putting a ‘face to fair trade’, but it’s also a great opportunity for London school children to explore their own or their classmate’s West African Heritage, while also learning important sewing & design skills.

At the beginning of each five week project, students are given a talk by Lesley Somers, founder of the ‘The Flame Tree’. Through photographs, she introduces them to the women who work in the Ghanaian co-operative; explaining how they live and why ethical trade is so important to them.

Students learn the different meanings of the traditional ‘Adinkra’ symbols used by the Ghanaian women in their printed textiles designs, before creating their own colourful batik accessories using hand carved stamps from Ghana.

The FFC course also includes a retail visit to the Canary Wharf shopping centre, where pupils carry out market research and analyse how stores use visual merchandising. The industry element of this project is an important one, as it helps young people to develop a basic knowledge of the retail process, increasing their future employability.

Fairtrade Fashion Club in Newham is made possible thanks to the generous funding of the London Thames Gateway Development Corporation (LTGDC).