Hi Tamasyn, I was looking at your scarves in particular but it could apply more generally. I design tartans but not ordinary tartans. I have 22 African national tartans, 10 Eurpean, 8 premiership football clubs etc. I produce these in the ultimate eco-friendly material - wool. A percentage of the profits from these goes to help fund projects in each respective country. or invest in stage 2 - fairtrade cotton and silk for the fashion industry. Ive just received a sample of a silk tie in the Sakura (Japanese for cherry blossom) tartan and have ordered samples of fairtrade certified cotton from India to check its suitability for fashionwear. Proceeds from Japanese tartans goes to projects in India.
I work very closely with World Women Trade Fair a US-based organisation that arranges training and sets up production and marketting for womens co-operatives throughout Africa and Asia and takes them to events/fairs worldwide.
I target particular markets and design textiles accordingly. I also work with fashion schools, local designers and organise fashion shows with a difference.
The 'tartans for Africa' launch show featured African tartan outfits designed by Africans and modelled by Africans. The Sakura lunch in Nagasaki will use Japanese models.
It struck me that printed silk scarves in one of the 4 tartans in the 'Four Seaons' range might be ideal for the Japanese market.

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Hi Tamasyn. Yes a collaboration would be the ideal way to go. I like your products and the fact that they are 'ethical' in their source, original in design and and yet one-off in production. I take ethicial a stage further and return 10% to the source.
I have a range of designs targetted to appeal to the 'haves' which suit this ethos.

For example Im working on a project to target the Japanese market - its almost ready to launch. I was at a seminar this week and the Japanese Consul General remarked that the Japanese seek high quality, well-presented, original products such as yours. I have designed a range of 4 tartans - -the Four Seasons' which would add the final fatal attraction to your scarves. The website will be going online in the next few weeks in English Japanese and Mandarin. We've already been featured twice on the BC website.
The added bonus of the designs is that they are spring, summer autumn and winter - all-year round demand. Sakura (cherry blossom) represents spring, chou chou (butterfly) summer, kiku (chrysanthemum) autumn and nihon (Japanese national) winter.
33 students at Grays School of Art , Robert Gordon University, have designed original outfits in the 4 tartans which will be launched at a fashion show on 7th May. This show will be taken to Nagasaki in September.
The Japanese have little history of individual giving so the fact that 10% of everything they spend will go to India to feed and educate the poorest of the poor and create employment has really appealled to them.