All Little Yellow Bird uniforms are made under fair conditions. Our men's and women's business shirts are all made in a small factory in Bangalore, India. The sewing unit is a Fairtrade certified factory that employs primarily women (and two men) from low income communities. Everyone receives free training, an above average salary, 24 days sick leave, 11 days of paid government holidays, transport subsidies, medical assistance and financial advice.
Our team in Bangalore
From my experience visiting and working in this unit all the women here seem happy to come to work and enjoy the community they have built here. The unit was originally set up as an NGO project over 20 years ago. It is now a self-sustainable business that continues to provide jobs and training for some of the most disadvantaged people in the area. Most of the women have come from extremely difficult backgrounds and have faced many hardships during their lives.
Kali, Mumbeen, Priya and I
In most garment factories workers spend long hours making clothing, sometimes up to 100hours each week. At our production unit most people leave at around 5 or 6pm and do not work on Saturday or Sunday. Some of the girls choose to make sari blouses or tunics for friends in their communities, earning extra income to support their families with the skills they have learnt.
Kalavani, Kali and Ammu
Usually in the apparel industry each worker spends long hours doing repetitive tasks such as sewing a single shoulder seam on the same garment type for months at a time. Our workers enjoy much higher job satisfaction because they are constantly working on different projects and generally assemble one garment piece from beginning to end. We even have each person sign the hangtag of the garments they have made, something that each worker is incredibly proud to do.
Each shirt is signed by its maker
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