Cashmere with a Conscience
Cashmere That Cares
The perfect gift provides luxury warmth and improved conditions for working women around the world.
By Britt Burritt
There are two presents that everyone can appreciate: cashmere and compassion. This holiday, they come wrapped together in Nordstrom Signature's new line, Cashmere Never Felt So Good. Not only does this exclusive collection of sweaters, socks and baby clothes cover everyone on your list in 100 percent pure softness, but you can feel good about giving it even before it's unboxed. That's because we've partnered with the global nonprofit HERproject to support thousands of women employed in the factories where we source and produce our knits.
"The mission of HERproject is to unlock the potential of women working in global supply chains," says Chhavi Ghuliani, associate director of HERproject. "These are women working in factories or farms across the developing world that are so essential to the supply chains of multinational companies."
HERproject assists companies like Nordstrom bring finance (HERfinance), health (HERhealth) and equality (HERrespect) workshops and tools directly to factory floors. Workers participate in trainings, become peer educators, and share learnings with their communities. Women are taught to open bank accounts and how to manage them, leading to greater savings for employees and their children. Ultimately, women feel more empowered to advocate for themselves with managers and employers—and improve their lives outside of work too.
Nordstrom Signature cashmere is sourced in Inner Mongolia, and produced in China at the Jiaxing Ultramax Cashmere and Nan Yuan Knitting factories. "It’s important to have Nordstrom and other companies like Nordstrom as part of the conversation so that the suppliers realize that this is what multinational businesses are looking for," Ghuliani says. "It also helps drive a lot of the behavior change and investments and improvements that we want to see in those workplaces."
Ran Wanqiong, a factory production manager, has seen the difference HERproject has had on her colleagues. "Before HERproject, some workers felt very worried when they had small health issues. Now they know to go to the hospital and have health checks. They feel less worried and have more energy at work," she says. "There has also been a big change in the relationship between managers and workers. We promote the training in all departments. It allows direct contact between managers and their employees, which helps them create a more easy-going environment."
But the care that’s gone into producing these luxury knitwear pieces begins with our design team in Seattle. They’ve created beautiful soft luxury sweaters with intricate stitches, Nordic pattern socks, and adorable giftable sets for tiny tots, all from HERproject-aided factories.
This season, you can give presents that really make an impact, both on your loved ones and on the global community.
