Fairly Traded easy-to-pull-on Trousers in fine print stripes, made in France by La Queue de Chat... The Cat's Tail, from 100% organic cotton. Featuring 'Cheeky the Cat' on the cute pocket.
Available in:
'Wildrose' (see image 1) and 'Provencal Blue' (see image 2).

The Tale of Two Marvelous Adventurers
After several years honing her skills for a major French fashion house, Anne-Charlotte was suddenly bitten by the travel bug. Trading her draing table and computer for a stack of sketchbooks and a big map, she set off on her travels to far-off lands seeking inspiration for waht would eventually become, with her business partner, her own enterprise. She was particularly struck by the diverse beauty of Asia with its myriad cultures, magical animals, hand-made fabrics and brilliant colours, all of which were to become sourves of inspiration in the design of La Queue du Chat (aka The Cat's Tail) collections.
With a similar desire to travel, Helene determined she'd put her practical and educational knowledge (a degree in Political Science combined with several years' professional experience iwth a number of NGOs) to good use on the front-line and not in an ivory tower. Never one to give up in the face of adversity, Helene returned from her trips in the field passionate about how she might be able to make a difference and build a small bridge between people in beautiful but far away places and a small office in the South of France.
Consequently, with the establishment of 'The Cat's Tail', Helene and Anne-Charlotte have not only created a business that reflects their combined fields of interest, but in doing so they have succeeded in promoting the values they strongly believe in - those reflected in fair trade.
The Organic Cat
Conventional cotton is the most toxic crop in the world. It uses a quarter of all the insecticides and 12% of all pesticides in the world but only grows on 2.4% of the world's farmland. Conventional cotton is heavily fertilised with toxic fertilisers. These chemicals have a direct and serious impact on the health of cotton farmers and their families. They also damage wildlife by killing or injuring millions of birds, fish and other wildlife and pollute groundwater supplies whereever cotton is grown. Conventional cotton clothes contain chemical residues that remain even after the clothes are washed repeatedly. Those residues can be toxic to human health, as our skin absorbs up to 60% of what it comes in contact with.
'The Cat's Tail' products are made from 100% organic cotton (certified by AGRECO and SKAL) and are tested for banned chemicals such as formaldehyde, nickel, pesticides and heavy metals.
The cotton used for the collections is grown in the district of Dhar, in the Northern state of Madhya Pradesh in India. It is grown on small farms by local farmers, each owning on average less than 15 acres of land, grouped into a cooperative. The cooperative provides technical support to organic farmers, and at the same time actively assists any member of the local farming community seeking to change their way of farming from traditional to organic. The cooperative structure facilitates the management of common projects that serve the interests of the local farming community. The cooperative also provides individual farmers a better chance of their voice being heard in matters such as commercial negotiations. Finally, the cooperative is an essential source or information on organic farming and plays a key role in the fight against GM cotton. 'The Cat's Tail' aim to support this cooperative, which in turn assists in the promotion of organic farming. 'The Cat's Tail' constantly strive for higher standards of Fair Trade.
Sustainable farming practices are used in growing organic cotton don't pollute the water, soil or air and actually improve the quality of the soil. Organic cotton clothes smell cleaner and feel softer than conventional cotton clothes. Babies' immature immune systems and rapidly developing bodies make them especially susceptible to chemical residues. Clothes made from organic cotton contain no chemicals or pesticides and won't trigger allergic reactions on babies' sensitive skins.
The Fair Trade Cat
All their clothes are manufactured in Umergam, Gujarat, India, a coastal town located some 150 km north of Mumbai. The factory, which works exclusively with organic cotton, is clean, spacious and provides a safe working environment for all its workers. The facilities were finished in February 2005. The factory is working towards getting the 'Social Accountability 8000' Certification.
A total of 160 workers are employed at this factory, none of which are children of course. Female workers make up 30% of the workforce and get equal pay to their male counterparts. A similar proportion of female workers have qualified and non-qualified jobs. From their start date, all workers receive a wage well above the local starting salary in this sector, in additiona, on top of their wage employees receive a yearly bonus (one month's pay), medical insurance and have free access to a doctor and a pharmacy, both for their own as well as their family's needs. 'The Cat's Tail' visit the factory frequently to ensure that these high standards are consistently being met and improved whenever possible.
'The Cat's Tail' believe that Fair Trade means that each actor involved in the trade benefits fully in the exchange. From the very beginning, they have been committed on two fronts:-
1. To ensure that good working conditions and a fair wage are promoted throughout the production chain. This requires not only the constant promotion of these aspects throughout the chain, but also bearing the ongoing cost of this commitment.
2. To engage in concrete projects that benefit the community in which the products are made. They are currently assisting an orphanage by contributing to its rent payments in the locality where the baby clothes are manufactured. With the growth of their activities they are hoping to increase that support. They also aim to become involved with a school in the area where the cotton is grown (Dhar).
Social Actions and the Environment
In France, 'The Cat's Tail' work with a not-for-profit organisation that retrains disabled staff to print all of its promotional documentation. For each collection, they send a collection of baby clothes to charities that provide essential assistance to homeless mothers.
'The Cat's Tail' are keen to use the most environmentally friendly way of transporting their baby clothes from their factory in Gujarat to their warehouse in the South of France. Accordingly, the collections are shipped by boat from India to Bordeaux.