[Canmore, AB 10-23-09] The past three years of development and launch of encounter earth has literally been a education. The ee team been schooled in fashion, in business, international trade, retail storefront, supply chain, fair trade, and the list goes on. There is much to learn and much more to journey to find what, we believe, is the ideal… Direct Trade.



This first phase of ee operations has been to discover what is currently available in the fashion industry that is truly fair made and sustainable. There is a growing group of manufacturers/suppliers who see the need to bring change. In light of the entire industry it is still but a drop in the ocean but there are many more drops forming.

As we look ahead to 2010 the encounter earth team believes that opportunities are unfolding to see us begin to transition from fair to direct trade. The biggest difference between these terms is first, fewer people are involved in the process of bringing the products to market and second, the stories of the workers and their communities stay with the clothing/accessories and do not get lost after flowing through many companies’ hands.

Dialog has begun regarding Colombia, Peru, Dominican Republic and India. Trips are being planned to some of these locations. The journey towards ee partnering directly with people in cooperatives and small factories is coming closer to reality. We will keep you updated as the changes begin to happen.