About Silkthreads

Bringing you ethically sourced, beautifully hand crafted products..

Silkthreads was established well over 20 years ago. Having worked for a fair trade company in Oxford and Bath, Lucy decided to set up her own shop in Oxford specialising in hand crafted jewellery from UK designers and from around the world. This soon expanded into selling wholesale.

Wanting to incorporate travelling and looking to find lines that were not already on the UK market, Lucy started to import hand painted silk scarves from a small family run workshop in Turkey. Working closely with the two brothers to develop colour ways that would work in the UK, the light weight hand painted silk scarves continued to flourish whilst other scarves were sourced from Fair Trade companies such as Craft Link in Vietnam, Village Works in Cambodia, EMA and MKS in Northern India.

Silkthreads is proud to be a member of the British Association of Fair Trade Shops and Suppliers (BAFTS). BAFTS is a member of the World Fair Trade Organisation (WFTO).

Silkthreads together with our main suppliers Craft Link and MKS, offers a range of silk and velvet scarves and accessories including a unique range of hand embroidered applique Hmong jewellery.

Craft Link was set up in Vietnam by international NGOs with the aim of helping disadvantaged and marginalised groups gain a means of generating income and create a sustainable future for themselves and their communities whilst at the same time preserving some of their ancient traditions such as weaving and embroidery.

MKS is based in Kolkata, India, and was set up in 1994 with the aim of providing support to artisans who were not in a position to access markets and earn a living despite their craft skills. MKS also supports the development of communities for artisans, providing informal education and training and ensures that the artisans are paid fairly and their produce finds local, regional as well as international markets to help protect them from market volatility. MKS is a member of the Fair Trade Forum of India.

The Principles of Fair Trade

Creating Opportunities

To create opportunities for economically disadvantaged producers

Transparency

To be transparent and accountable in all dealings and at all levels of the supply chain

No Child Labour

Ensuring no child labour or forced labour is used. In some cultures it is common for children to be part of a production stage, however under Fair Trade this would be disclosed and it would only be accepted if it was guaranteed that the amount of work involved would not have a detrimental effect on a child’s well-being, education, security

Fair Trading Practice

Fair trading practices ensures the producer is protected by an upfront payment of 50% when the buyer places an order followed by prompt payment on receipt of order or placing orders at a time more beneficial to the producer to ensure continuity of work. It also involves being aware of producer production capacity and ensuring that there is good communication and trust to ensure a long-term working partnership

A Fair Price

Payment of a fair price to ensure producers receive at the very least the countries set minimum wage if there is one. A fair price is achieved through discussion and negotiation taking into account the principle of equal pay for equal work

Good Working Conditions

Ensuring good working conditions, which includes protection for any workers involved in the production chain but also of the environment. It involves all aspects of health and safety, including such issues such as breaks, training or how to safely dispose of dyes etc

Non-discriminatory

Commitment to non-discrimination, gender equality and freedom of association within the workplace including a trade union or bargain collective is also expected

Sustainability

Respect for the environment involves use of sustainably managed resources, using production methods that seek to reduce energy consumption and whenever possible have a negligible impact on the environment

Capacity Building

Providing capacity building involves working with the small producers to support them in how they can increase their production and expand their markets to ensure that they do not depend on just one supplier

Promoting Fair Trade

Promoting Fair Trade, to raise awareness of the aims of Fair Trade and of the need for greater justice in the world