I'm super excited to have been accepted as an approved stockist for this gorgeous brand! I've been pondering on the idea on having some permanent residents on the new website but they had to be just right to fit in with Toad's core values. So what better than fair trade, ethical, sustainable AND affordable? I'm so pleased to be able to offer you guys these items and increase how size inclusive Toad can be. But have you heard of Gringo? Here's some more information for you to get to know and love Gringo too!
Gringo is a leading fair trade clothing, accessory and giftware company based in Swansea, supplying customers in UK and Europe.
Born in 1988, Gringo is the result of many carefree years travelling the globe with a surf board under arm. Deb and Dave travelled around Europe, North Africa, Asia, The Americas and Australia. Then, finally inspired by truly amazing sights, unique crafts and wonderful weaves decided to share their finds. Dusty Mexican villages, tropical beaches and Himalayan slopes, all influenced the Gringo of today, whilst not compromising their over-riding ethical principle of fair trade and helping to provide much needed employment in ethnically deprived areas.
As ethical trade is very important to us, we only buy from factories or co-operatives that we have visited in person, in order to ensure that all our suppliers meet our fair trade criteria. These principles are:-
- No child labour
- Equality in the work place, ensuring both men and women receive fair and equal wages.
- Safe working conditions, regular breaks and paid holidays, religious freedom and hourly wages.
- Development of skills and new ideas, using traditional methods to western standards.
- To pay the price the supplier needs and not to haggle for a cheaper price.
- To pay up front for all or goods including a minimum of 40% deposit with initial order.
- To encourage respect for environment and to stop pollution and promote organic and sustainable produce.
- To maintain long term relationships with our suppliers, giving them confidence to make improvements and investments.
We like to encourage traditional methods of tie-dying, sewing and weaving, offering a marketplace for local expertise and to stop the decline in traditional trades, also to help women find work that they can do at home, to support their families in very poor rural areas.
Gringo is renowned for its exciting and colourful clothing, beautiful accessories and truly innovative gifts which are made from sustainable sources. Each season, Gringo provides a stunning collection of tops, t-shirts, dresses, skirts trousers and shirts, inspired by nature with natural weaves, tie-dyes and uniquely individual cotton printed fabrics. The majority of our women’s and men’s wear is designed in house, sympathetically working together with tailors overseas, to offer you stylish, bohemian alternatives to the mass production of the high street. We specialise in handmade clothes with unique hand finished touches, like appliqué, stitching techniques and quirky decorative extras making every item of clothing original and individual. No two pieces are the same!
We continue to travel several times a year to the Far East to pass on to you our wonderful fairly traded, ethically principled products.Be as passionate about fair trade as we are and help make world poverty a thing of the past.
