Before Adored opened it's doors, owner, Emily Smith, did not have any knowledge of the apparel manufacturing industry. Her research for vendors began with a heart for fair and safe environments and the only words she knew on the subject were "Fair Trade". Over time, the search words transitioned to "ethically manufactured apparel", as the minimum orders required from many "Fair Trade" companies were too high.
Most of the businesses that populated with this search were small, fair and established to create opportunity for the most vulnerable. It was these companies, and their purposes, that made Emily's heart go pitter patter and that she desired to establish relationships with.
The search then became about the quality of the product, price point and style. There are many organizations with a mission aligned with that of Adored. While that was an important consideration in the decision making, it could not be the only factor. There had to be a match with the DNA of Adored Boutique, what Emily would wear herself and what she believed she could sell in the store. If there was a match, then Emily moved forward with ordering. Two years in and Emily continues to order product using this process.
After Adored Boutique opened, learning continued about the depth and breadth of the global use of sweat shops and labor trafficking. Emily began to understand that the integrity of some manufacturing is at risk due to behind the scenes factory negotiations that moves manufacturing without notification as well as the use of sweat shops by some "Made in USA" companies. This learning influenced the decision to stop ordering from certain companies and opened the door to ordering from new companies with a more transparent manufacturing process.
As a result of this change process, Adored Boutique has established an expectation for manufacturing transparency that is higher than when we first opened our doors. As a result, we have a greater confidence in the integrity of the products we carry than we did when we first opened! Change can be hard, but when it comes to valuing the life of another and ensuring the use of fair labor, it's always worth it!