People Tree aims to use fashion as a tool to empower the world's most marginalized people, actively supporting 2000 farmers and artisans through 50 Fair Trade producer groups, in 15 developing countries.

People Tree principally creates ranges for women, although they do also create small ranges for men, youth, children and babies. The brand is design-led, working innovatively to interpret seasonal trends into designs that use traditional hand-skills and natural materials.

People Tree work to long production lead times due to the handmade nature of their products, and the fact that they ship products to minimize their carbon footprint. To compete with the fast turnaround of the high street, People Tree call-in the services of trend forecasting agencies, and work with high end designers such as Bora Aksu and Orla Kiely. 

Fair Trade

Fair Trade is an alternative approach to conventional international trade. It is a partnership between producers and traders, which aims at sustainable development for excluded and disadvantaged people in developing countries. On a personal level Fair Trade enables people to put food on their tables, to live and work with dignity and look forward to a better future. On a global level Fair Trade has the potential to alleviate poverty by changing the unfair structures of world trade.

Fair Trade vs Ethical Trade

Fair Trade differs from Ethical Trade, which seeks to ensure workers’ rights throughout the supply chain of the fashion industry.  Fair Trade goes beyond this, working directly with producers, helping them to access trade, and investing in their community development. People Tree sets the gold standard for Fair Trade fashion, seeking to help the world’s most marginalized people, creating livelihoods in rural areas, preventing urban migration, promoting traditional skills and technologies and using sustainable production methods.