havens. Above all, Veja knows its limits and an easy solution. Thailand isn’t known for doesn’t try to hide them, but on the contrary low cost manufacturing. Everybody told us to to improve. For example, when there was go to Bangladesh, but I wanted to continue a lack of cotton due to a period of severe my adventure with my original partner. I drought between 2015 and 2017, Veja turned didn’t create Numero 74 to manufacture to recycled cotton. The brand also decided products, but to do what I like doing. We also to stop Fairtrade certification, too expensive have technical challenges as wemanufacture and not necessarily justified in the light of its on old looms.” Tara explains that she must philosophy. Veja is still looking for a way to constantly try to find a balance between her recycle its sneakers and defends its choice tricky choice of commercial strategy and the of not using natural dyes in order to respect challenges of being productive; there are its high standards of quality. some compromises she refuses to make. Ethics and social “We work on a cottage industry scale. As soon as we increase responsibility production volume it becomes too complicated. Once again, my goal is not to mass-produce.” Opting for organic production also implies a social So production is small scale, but not the commitment and favouring projects! After organic cotton and providing ethical forms of production. support to all these women to help give them a future, Tara has one last goal she wants to accomplish: founding a 20-hectare Numero 74 founder Tara, aka Poupy, tells village that will combine a foundation us how and when it all clicked into place. for young Thai people in difficulty and a “The reasoning behind my decision wasn’t tourist destination where visitors can come that organic cotton is better for your health, to express their creativity and find inner but because of the ongoing catastrophe in balance. “It would be a place for exchange India and Sri Lanka, which produce most based on communication. Anybody would of the world’s cotton and where more than be able to come and do pottery, farming, or 200,000 farmers have committed suicide participate in well-being activities in this since 2000. The production system means that natural environment”. the soil is increasingly depleted and, between The dream is well on its way to becoming a the constant decrease in yield, the cost of reality because it has already received the reimbursing machinery and the toxic seed sold support of the Bangkok University’s faculty to them by Monsanto the farmers can’t make of architecture. “Overall the project will ends meet…” The answer was plain to see. take 5 years to bring to fruition, but it will be active right from the start with community Buy organic cotton from volunteer projects a llagend the vi will gradually grow over time”. In 2019, Numero 74 cooperatives that work to will be celebrating is 10th anniversary and support farmers rather than will be moving in a new direction. “In my weakening their position. opinion, creativity is a key aspect of life. In the act of consumption, i.e. when customers buy one of our products, their creative input Her other battle is the status of women in is very limited.” Tara will therefore soon be society, which is why she decided to have presenting a new line of articles to make her products manufactured by a women’s yourself, “so people can go from simply being community in Thailand. “And yet it wasn’t an end consumer to being a maker.” doog gniod ,doog gnikooL