Katie Schmidt is the owner of Passion Lilie, a women's Fair Trade clothing line based in New Orleans. Katie explains that Fair Trade is a trade-based system that guarantees workers fair wages and safe working conditions. Fair Trade also assures that the manufacturers who produce the goods do not use child labor. "We work with artisans in India to empower them with a fair wage and safe working conditions …", Katie says. Artisans hand-stamp the fabrics for Passion Lilie clothing with eco-friendly dyes made from plants or vegetables.
While Katie's clothing line is made in India, she creates all of the designs herself. Katie studied luxury and fashion management in the south of France, but she notes that her designs are influenced by New Orleans' culture and also by the culture in California, where she grew up. In this podcast, Katie tells us about her new 2014 fall fashion line and explains how it differs from her summer styles. Passion Lilie designs are available at retail outlets throughout the country, and online.
