dg bremner menswear, Waterlily Shoes and, of course, Marmalade Tart Boutique put on a great show for a packed house at Haro’s.

Take a look at the video:

Neon Buddha and Pure are 10% off this month.

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Neon Buddha & Pure  – Ultimate Ethical Fashion

By: Geraldene Coates

When I was looking for clothing lines to sell in my shop, Marmalade Tart Boutique, I wanted exceptional quality, natural fabrics, Canadian designers and fashions that are fun, flirty and fabulous, all at a reasonable price.  When I found Neon Buddha and Pure I knew that their product has all of these things.  And then I heard their story and found out that they have so much more.

Sebastien Sirois was already in the rag trade, importing South American wool sweaters at 17 years of age when he started to look for a way to develop an ethical business model in the developing world.  He discovered a women’s group in Thailand that did hand knitting and recognized a unique opportunity to develop a successful Canadian business that would bring self-reliance, a living wage and other important benefits to the women.

The company now produces over 16,000 Pure sweaters knit by hand on needles every month, by women working in their own homes.  A company truck drives weekly around to the villages in the area picking up product and dropping off new yarn.

There is also a factory in Chiang Mai, Thailand where the Neon Buddha line is produced.  Altogether more than 3,500 are employed.  All of the women have health care, maternity leave and continuing education, including university.  There are currently two of the women working on Masters degrees.  As a result, the women have been able to continue to live in Northern Thailand and prosper in a way that they never could before.  The alternative for many would ultimately have been to move to a city to work in the sweatshops that we know so well.

In 1998 Shannon Cooney joined Sebastien as the artistic designer for the company, responsible for the innovative designs that make these products such fun.  The Pure line of sweaters evolved from their signature wrap, designed by Shannon, which was a first for the Canadian marketplace.  Each year the design reinvents itself, with stunning colours and the innovative use of their signature buttons making these wraps all season favourites. In addition, the line has developed a unique complete sweater collection inspired by the wraps, featuring signature and fashion styles.

Neon Buddha is a line of casual wear that is comfortable and stylish.  Less athletic than popular lines of yoga-wear, Neon Buddha is designed to provide a chic alternative in casual, comfortable, carpool couture.  Both Neon Buddha and Pure are made from natural fabrics sourced in Thailand.  It is the only truly 100% pre-shrunk cotton I have found on the market.  The fabric is amazing!

The buttons used in both lines are incredible and really add to the impact of the clothes.  They are made and punched by hand, using natural substances such as coconut shells, tin and pearl.  If you see a button in the middle of the back of a jacket, you know its Pure Handknit or Neon Buddha!

Vibrant primary and pastel colours really make theses clothes stand out.  But Sebastien has been worried about the pollution and health and safety concerns related to the dying process.   As a result, he is building a dying house in Thailand from which pollution has been eliminated.  The dying and production processes have now been integrated into a new factory facility that will be operational soon. One of the greatest features of the new ecological dye house is that it is energy self sufficient; it incorporates a 2 mega watts biomass power plant fueled by agricultural waste products that would otherwise have been burned in the fields. Thus providing additional income to the farmers, reducing air pollution and providing free hot water and steam to the factory.

The company is continuing to innovate, experimenting with new dying process and the production of new fabrics.

Neon Buddha and Pure are available at Marmalade Tart Boutique, 2378B Beacon Avenue, Sidney BC (in the courtyard).  www.marmaladetart.com