We can all make a difference. It’s a matter of deciding. Designer and entrepreneur Pam Burnett decided to make a social and environmental difference by switching from designing fashion clothing to creating a range of stylish and functional premium organic cotton workwear for the restaurant & spa industries.
Pam was tired of fast fashion and drawn to the growing health, wellness and organic sectors, “I want to be part of business with a health consciousness both for people and planet”. Pam started researching and was surprised to learn that most holistic and organic practicing chefs wore uniforms made from polyester blended with conventional cotton because there weren’t other options. Cream Workwear was born.
There was a bigger reason behind Pam’s decision to change direction. “I started researching organic vs. conventional cotton and was shocked and saddened to learn of the exceptionally high rate of conventional cotton farmers in India who suicide each year”. The Guardian newspaper reported in May 2014, “More than 270,00 conventional cotton farmers have killed themselves since 1995”. Farmers despair because of crops failing due to nutrient poor soils from over exposure of synthetic fertilisers and pesticides, unable to pay bank loans, their children being continually sick, and having no sense of hope.
Pam says, “Being in the fashion trade and responsible for purchasing thousands of meters of cotton each month, I couldn’t be a part of that. The solution is organic farming. No pesticides, no synthetic fertilizers equals healthy soils, healthy waterways, healthy communities, and crop rotation between cotton and vegetables.”
Pam believes, “The more the public supports organic practices, the more affordable all organic products will become, and the healthier we will all be.”