Good People Awards
Good is proud to announce Erica Gadsby and Deborah de Graaf, the duo behind ethical clothing label ReCreate, as the Flick Electric People’s Choice winners of the inaugural Ceres Organics Good People Awards.
ReCreate, winner of the People’s Choice Award
Erica Gadsby and Deborah de Graaf are two women on a mission. That mission is to change the fashion industry for the better with their label ReCreate, which produces boutique streetwear using a selection of premium certified organic fabrics, and transforms the lives of those producing it – marginalised people in Cambodia who receive full sewing training, fair employment and hope for a better future.
Gadsby and de Graaf were one of 12 category winners selected by a panel of judges as part of the Ceres Organics Good People Awards. Following this, we asked you, our readers, to vote over the course of four weeks, for the Flick Electric People’s Choice winner, who would take home the $5000 cash prize. Three thousand votes later, with more than 600 going to the duo, Gadsby and de Graaf came out on top. We asked the humble winners about what it means to have won, as well as their plans for the future and upcoming collections.
What does being voted the Flick Electric People’s Choice winners of the Ceres Organics Good People Awards mean to you?
It means so much! We feel like it makes a statement that
New Zealanders are becoming more aware of the importance of ethical production and that everyone who voted is standing with us in wanting to make a difference in the fashion industry. Winning provides such an amazing opportunity for us to help raise awareness and continue the discussion that sustainable fashion is not only possible, but the way forward.
On a more personal level, this is simply a huge encouragement to us to continue in our work with ReCreate. It has definitely not been an easy journey. We love what we do, but at the same time there have been challenges. In the past year both of us have had new babies, so our meetings have often been over the phone while feeding the two boys, and the middle-of-the-night wakings have turned into the perfect timeslot for coming up with new ideas. We are inspired to see people becoming more and more socially aware – wanting to purchase knowing that people and the environment have been respected. Winning this award confirms
“We feel like ... everyone who has voted is standing with us in wanting to make a difference in the fashion industry.” Erica Gadsby and Deborah de Graaf