Our Commitment to Building and Sustaining an Anti-Racist Business

Over the last couple of weeks, as our eyes have been opened to the brutality that Black and Indigenous people suffer at the hands of the police, I have spent a great deal of time listening and learning about the racism and deep rooted inequality that continues to exist in our sewing community, our country, and all over the world. I have spent a lot of that time also reflecting on my own privilege, the part I have played in upholding an inherently racist system, and how I can be a better ally and actively work towards dismantling that system. Listening, learning, and posting on social media, however, is simply not enough. Passivity is not an option and I am committed to making real long term change with my business. As such, I have put together an action plan outlining the steps that I will be taking to do that. This plan is by no means a finished product, but rather a work in progress that will be amended and added to as I continue to learn and as my business continues to grow and change. Some of these actions will be easy and can be implemented immediately while others will be more challenging and time consuming, but I am committed to making them all happen. Here is our plan:

General and Social Media

• I will continue to listen, learn, and educate myself on how to be a better ally
• I will continue to amplify Black voices and use my platform to speak out against racism in the sewing/crafting community as well as the community at large
• I will not tolerate racist comments or hate speech of any kind on my social media platforms
• I will ensure that my social media feeds and blog properly represent the diversity in the sewing community
• I will set up a donation budget and plan for our business in order to support non-profit organizations that help and support Black, Indigenous, and marginalized communities

Hiring, Collaborations, and Work Environment

As a one woman operation these are not actions I can currently take, however, I feel it is important to set out my intentions now for how I want to operate in the future and as we grow.

• I will actively promote work and collaborative opportunities within the BIPOC community and seek to build a diverse team
• I will foster a diverse, welcoming, and inclusive workspace
• All employees, freelancers, and creative collaborators will be paid fairly for their work and will receive equal pay for equal work
• Discrimination, hate speech, and racism of any kind will not be tolerated in the workplace or by employees outside the workplace

Fabric Sourcing and Suppliers

Systemic racism is not simply a North American problem; it is a global epidemic and simply making changes in our own community is not enough. Our business may be Canadian, but our supply chain is a global one and I believe who we choose to support with our dollars is a powerful political act.

• We will work with and buy from companies whose values align with our own
• We will seek out companies that are actively working towards social equality for all
• We will not support or source from companies that promote or condone racist and/or discriminatory business practices and behaviours of any kind
• We will vet all of our fabric suppliers to ensure that their manufacturing practises are ethical and do not employ slave or child labour