Bishopston Trading Company
Bishopston Trading Company produces the cotton for our costume line, fikra. They also sew the fikra smella cape.
Bishopston is a fair trade company whose sole aim is to provide employment for the people of K.V.Kuppam in India with whom they have been working in partnership since 1985.
Bishopston uses Fairtrade certified organic cotton and are members of the World Fair Trade Organisation.
In essence the company is a trading partnership: Bishopston provides the design and marketing skills and the capital investment in the form of forward payments, and K.V.Kuppam provide the weaving and tailoring skills. Currently, Bishopston employs almost 200 tailors, cutters, hand-finishers, embroiderers and craft workers, and a further 90 people are employed as handloom weavers.
All profits generated by the business which are not used to grow the business and generate further employment in K.V.Kuppam are donated to Bishopston´s charity, The South Indian Rural Development Trust, which supports social development projects in the area.
For further information about Bishopston Trading Company, please visit www.bishopstontrading.co.uk