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Safia Minney
Photograph of Safia Minney
Born1964 (age 59–60)
Occupation(s)Social entrepreneur, speaker, author.
Known forSocial business leadership, Environmental activism: Founder of Fashion Declares, REAL Sustainability, founder and former Global CEO of Global Village and People Tree.
Notable workAuthor of Regenerative Fashion, Slave to Fashion, Aesthetics Meets Ethics, Slow Fashion, By Hand.
AwardsMBE, FRSA

Safia Minney MBE FRSA (born 1964) is a British social entrepreneur and author. She was the founder of Global Village[1] which she set up in 1991,[2] and the founder and former Global CEO of 24 years of People Tree,[3][4] a pioneering sustainable and Fair Trade fashion label. She is also a spokesperson and campaigner on Fair Trade and ethical fashion.[5] She initiated World Fair Trade Day in 1999,[6] which is endorsed by the World Fair Trade Organization and their members and celebrated on the second Saturday of May each year. Additionally, she wrote the books Naked Fashion: the New Sustainable Fashion Revolution,[7] Slow Fashion,[8] Aesthetics Meets Ethics[9] and Slave to Fashion.[10]

Career

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Early career

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Minney started her career in marketing and publishing. She worked for Creative Review magazine for four years[11] and created her own social marketing consultancy[12] working with New Statesman and Friends of the Earth.

In 1990, Minney moved to Tokyo with her husband where she learnt Japanese[13] before working for a publishing company, Amnesty International,[14] and the Body Shop.[15]

Global Village

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In 1991, Minney founded Global Village, a non-governmental trading organization in Japan.[16] She began working with two students from Yokohama University, initially publishing a free leaflet that provided consumers with environmental and organic information and listings, and later also selling fair trade products.[17]

People Tree

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In 1995 Fair Trade Company was formed as a limited company in Japan by transferring the fair trading activity of Global Village. A shop was opened in the Jiyugaoka district of Tokyo and in 1996 the business became a member of the World Fair Trade Organization.[18]

In 2000 People Tree was launched by Fair Trade Company in London to establish fair trade fashion in Europe.[19]

In 2014 People Tree became the first company to be awarded the World Fair Trade Organisation Fair Trade product label with an international sales turnover of £8m. WFTO labelling is intended to guarantees People Tree's compliance to the Principles of Fair Trade, covering fair wages, working conditions, transparency, capacity building, environmental best practice, gender equality and setting standards for conventional fashion companies to improve their supply chains.[20] People Tree launched the first clothing range[when?] to meet the Global Organic Textile Standard certified by the Soil Association in the developing world. In September 2023 People Tree went into liquidation with debts approaching £9 million. Fair Trade producer groups in the Global South and ethical lending organisations suffered significant losses.[citation needed]

During her time at People Tree, Minney worked with many designers, celebrities and influencers, including Emma Watson,[21] Dame Zandra Rhodes,[22] and Bora Aksu.[23]

Recent work

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Minney left People Tree as Global CEO at the end of 2015 after separating from her husband James Minney, who was Chief Financial Officer.[24]

Following her departure from People tree she spent some time as Managing Director of ethical Shoe brand Pozu.[25] In 2019 she started a Community Interest Company called Real Sustainability that "aims to support citizens and organisational leaders to transition to carbon zero and sustainability".

In 2022 she launched Fashion Declares, a grassroots campaign to encourage people at all levels within the fashion industry to tackle the current "climate, ecological and social emergency" associated with climate change.

Awards

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  • Selected as one of the world's most "Outstanding Social Entrepreneurs" by the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, World Economic Forum, 2005
  • Social Entrepreneur of the Year in the Edge Upstart Awards in Britain, 2006
  • Finalist in the Triodos Bank Women in Ethical Business Awards, 2008
  • The Observer Ethical Awards – Fashion, 2009
  • MBE for services to the Fashion industry and Fair Trade industry, 2009
  • High Street Fashion Week Awards – Eco Warrior Award, 2010
  • WGSN Global Fashion Awards – Most Sustainable Brand, 2010
  • People Tree Highly Commended in the Sustainable Fashion category at London Sustainable City Awards, 2012
  • Ranked #9 in UK100 Corporate Modern Slavery Influencers' Index, 2018
  • Woman's Hour Top 30 Women in Sustainability, 2020
  • P.E.A. Awards, Green Pioneer, 2021

Personal life

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Minney was born in Britain in 1964 to a Swiss mother and Indo-Mauritian father.[26][1][27][better source needed]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "People Tree takes root in Japan". Japan Today. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  2. ^ West, Naomi (22 November 2003). "A World of Difference". Telegraph Magazine.
  3. ^ "Lucy Siegle meets the winners of the ethical fashion award People Tree". the Guardian. 6 June 2009. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  4. ^ "Top of the fair trade fashion tree". The Independent. 9 February 2010. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  5. ^ Nikita (29 June 2017). "Safia Minney's Journey to Pioneering a Sustainable Fashion Label". Women's Business Club. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  6. ^ Intern, Comms (4 May 2016). "'Slave to Fashion', a book and educational campaign by Safia Minney, MBE". World Fair Trade Organization. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  7. ^ Naked Fashion: The New Sustainable Fashion Revolution. Oxford, UK: New Internationalist. 2011. ISBN 978-1-78026-041-9. Retrieved 11 October 2017 – via Barnes & Noble.
  8. ^ Safia., Minney (2016). Slow Fashion. New Internationalist. ISBN 978-1-78026-285-7. OCLC 947083834.
  9. ^ Noble, Barnes &. "Slow Fashion: Aesthetics Meets Ethics". Barnes & Noble. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  10. ^ Noble, Barnes &. "Slave to Fashion". Barnes & Noble. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  11. ^ "Ethical Entrepreneurship: Safia Minney". Ivy City Tribune. 13 October 2012. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  12. ^ "People Tree takes root in Japan". Japan Today. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  13. ^ "Ethical Entrepreneurship: Safia Minney". Ivy City Tribune. 13 October 2012. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  14. ^ "Safia Minney – Illustrated Women in History". Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  15. ^ "Fashion with a conscience". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  16. ^ "People Tree takes root in Japan". Japan Today. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  17. ^ "Ethical Entrepreneurship: Safia Minney". Ivy City Tribune. 13 October 2012. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  18. ^ Europe, WFTO (16 November 2015). "Our Members – People Tree". WFTO Europe. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  19. ^ "Awardees". Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  20. ^ ben (21 March 2019). "Our Fair Trade System". World Fair Trade Organization. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  21. ^ "Top of the fair trade fashion tree". The Independent. 9 February 2010. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  22. ^ "Featured Video – Safia Minney and Zandra Rhodes | Eco Fashion Talk". Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  23. ^ UK, POPSUGAR Fashion (23 September 2008). "On Our Radar: Bora Aksu for People Tree". POPSUGAR Fashion UK. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  24. ^ Mcgregor, Kirsty (21 April 2022). "Power from the People". Drapers.
  25. ^ Hendriksz, Vivian (9 February 2017). "Safia Minney joins Po-Zu as Managing Director". FashionUnited. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  26. ^ "My Fair Lady". Lucire. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  27. ^ Woods, Kate (12 March 2011). "Safia Minney". Juno. Archived from the original on 17 September 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
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