The Good Blanket
When we sat down for our meeting, to decide what new item we were going to introduce to our collection - handmade blankets where a no brainier. We’ve wanted to release them from the beginning when Wakened Apparel was still just a dream of ours. It's always been in our plans to eventually expand into a lifestyle brand. Shirts of course are our staple but we didn't just want to stop there. Every time we add a new item to Wakened, it is inspired from our personal life. We think about our lifestyle + the lifestyle of our amazing customers. We were so excited to finally get to launch our blankets! But first - we had to find the perfect ones that hit all of our qualifications.
So we began planning and researching all the fun stuff. What type of blanket, the style, the colors. We then, felt an overwhelming desire and responsibility to make a difference with these blankets. More so than just our donations. We wanted them to stand apart from the crowd. We wanted them to better the world of those who truly need it. We wanted to create a blanket that looked good, kept you warm and fit your lifestyle of course, but one that would also serve a greater purpose. One that would serve others. So we set out to find it, through many calls, interviews and research - the blanket that would fit that description. One that was Fair trade, eco-friendly, and life changing. We found and partnered with companies that work directly with fair trade artisans who truly benefit from the sale of each blanket. How does that work?
Well let’s start from the beginning. For the most part, clothing isn't recycled. When discarded, clothing gets to go sit in a landfill forever. Instead of ending up in a landfill though, large amounts of discarded U.S. Apparel are collected and recycled by being shredded into fibers. Once, made into fibers, they are sent to Mexico, threaded and given to local artisans to hand dye and hand weave into beautiful blankets. This is a completely ethical process. The weaving of these blankets, actually serves as supplemental income for these artisans and their families. Most work as farmers by trade during the day. One blanket may have up to a whole family working on different parts of it through out the week. It's totally up to them how many or how few blankets they choose to produce. They are paid at the end of the week, by the weight, time put in, as well as double the minimum wage. Living in the same village, these artisans come together with their funds from these blankets and do amazing things. The money made from these blankets alone, has enabled this community to build a schools and community centers. This has all helped to build stronger community ties, ensuring the children have a brighter future. More households have been able to stay together because with local fair work, members do not need to go else where for better employment opportunities. Fair wages also has helped to decrease crime. The artisans and weavers of these beautiful blankets in Peru and Mexico are able to provide a better life and future for them and their families. And at Wakened Apparel we are beyond happy and willing to support that! After all, that's exactly why we started this line in the first place. To help provide the means for others to receive help or to help themselves. Every purchase you make builds a future for these people and on behalf of the artisans and their families, we would like to thank you - the Wakened community for your support! We plan to continue to work with these amazing artisans to bring you more styles and colors. Keeping this important tradition to their culture alive.
Even with all that, we wanted to make sure that these blankets helped even more. Blankets are synonymous with warmth, comfort and safety. For every blanket purchased, we donate 10% to help homeless animals have a chance at love and shelter. We’ve partnered with Best Friends Animal Society to donate to their cause in saving and rescuing animals nation wide. They are helping end euthanasia and helping pets get homes, so they have the chance at knowing what it means to be loved. This is what our purchases SHOULD do. They should change our world for the better! That’s what we have set out to do with out blankets and apparel. And we won’t stop there. We plan to go further with Wakened Apparel and to add more lifestyle products. Please stay tuned for what's to come!
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twitter: @wakenedapparel and Facebook: Wakened Apparel and subscribe to our website to see how we plan to improve and leave a better world for future generations. Together we can make changes for the better! We have seen the support and we will continue to work hard to help those in need from people to animals. Thank you to all those that make this possible!
