Fashion's first not-for-profit: Origin Africa

Design featuring Origins’ iconic eye design.

By BEL JACOBS

Everyone’s trying so hard, aren’t they? But husband and wife duo Tom and Alice Cracknell decided to try harder. In 2018, they launched ORIGIN, the UK's first 100% not-for-profit sustainable fashion business. Not for Tom and Alice, the 10 or 20 per cent most companies put towards good causes. Run entirely for the benefit of the projects they oversee, Origin is literally one in a million. 

Based in the UK, the clothes have one aim: to support humanitarian projects in the communities from which its fabrics originate; Mali, Ethiopia and Gambia. The ethos derives from the couple’s backgrounds. With a focus in tropical medicine and global health, Tom has spent a large part of his career in medicine, working in Africa while Alice has employed her experience in marketing and business strategy in global charities and organisations. 

Together, they believed there was a better way of making a difference to communities in the developing world. Current projects include providing remote sanitation in the Simien Mountains, Ethiopia; launching a seamstress school to provide training opportunities for women in Bamako, Mali and building an HIV specialist clinic in Gambia. Crucially, all are co-created and run by local partners, passionate about helping their communities.

A recent crowdfunding campaign raised £40,000 to buy stock in larger quantities, leading to higher turnover, increased profits and, therefore, a sustainable platform for the business to grow. I talk to Tom and Alice about aims and methods, hopes and dreams.

What makes it possible for you to give all profits to the projects you fund?

We chose to run the business as a social enterprise in the belief that fashion could be a force for good. We invested our own money in setting up the business, building the brand and creating our first collection. The collection was a huge success and those initial sales along with a crowdfunding campaign earlier this year allowed us to build our latest collection. The 100% model means that, after we have covered the costs of running the business (creating the garments, paying fair wages to the artisans and other Origin support staff, marketing etc), we use all our profits to fund humanitarian projects in Africa. Many inspirational writers such as Muhammad Yunus have championed the concept of social business, where an organisation is purpose-led rather than using the profits to increase personal wealth. This was always our goal, and so far the model is absolutely working!

How do you pick the projects you fund? 

Prior to setting up the business, both of us had spent a lot of time in Africa so we had a number of connections in the countries in which we are now running projects. Early on in setting up Origin we agreed on a set of principles to help guide the selection of a project.

Each project MUST:
✓ Be LOCALLY led: Entrepreneurial at a grass roots level. Local leaders come to Origin for advice and guidance to establish a project, but they are the passion and drive behind the idea and making it a success. 
✓ Be SUSTAINABLE for local people: These are social businesses, not sink funds for 'aid' budgets. Each one must also be environmentally responsible.
✓ Have a selected SOCIAL IMPACT GOAL: The goal is locally driven but justifiably needs based (it must positively impact the lives of the local community).
✓ Realistic & culturally APPROPRIATE in the local setting

How has Tom's work as a doctor influenced the choices you make? 

Tom's role as a doctor, specifically his training in Global Health, helped us to create principles like the ones mentioned above. Knowledge of local health needs ensures that we are making culturally appropriate decisions. It has also allowed us to build strong connections with organisations like Hands On Care, a specialist HIV hospital who we support in The Gambia.

How do your makers perceive Western markets?

This isn't a question we have directly asked, they are passionate about creating their own fabrics and sharing with us their own traditional garments and creations. We work in three very different countries in Africa (Mali, The Gambia and Ethiopia) and each one has its own perspective on/relationship with Western culture and fashion. Much of the product of our 'fast fashion' culture ends up in markets across Africa - second hand damaged and discarded clothing being resold to poor communities. However, if you take the time to explore, you'll also find incredible artisanal fabrics made using traditional hand-looming techniques like the ones we use. Our focus has been on reviving these techniques (which are currently slowly declining due to the volume and availability of imported, factory-made synthetic fabrics), encouraging eco-friendly cotton production and the continued mentoring of a new generation of weavers. 

After crowdfunding, how do you hope to expand the range?

Our crowdfunding campaign ended in May this year and since then, we have expanded our range of t-shirts to include three new designs, the addition of children's tees, a brand new collection of sweatshirts featuring artisanal fabric pockets and we will soon be launching a limited edition silver necklace designed using our iconic Origin eye. 

As issues like climate change and their effects on African countries take hold, what do you want Western shoppers to think about when they buy your brand?

We want Western consumers to realise the power they hold. Each time they make a purchase, that decision can make a real and tangible difference. We must all play our part if we want to reverse the effects of climate change and a big step in the right direction is carefully considering the brands we buy from. Take the time to research them. Are they sustainable, are they ethical (not always the same thing!) and are they doing everything they can to be kind to our planet and the people on it?

Learn more about Bel’s Fashion in Schools

“Maala is a legendary carpenter. He hand carved this beautiful sign out of local mahogany. The map shows exactly where our artisanal fabrics are sourced so when you choose a sweatshirt you can trace the pocket back to its Origin.”

“Yemsrach Kassaye is an Actor from Addis and was the star of a recent safe migration campaign. She's passionate about theatre and youth culture in Ethiopia. She’s modelling Origin’s ORIGINal tee, which helps to provide safe sanitation for families in the Simien Mountains.”

Tom and Alice Cracknell, founders, Origin.