With an exclusive event, Dibella Group Ltd and the Cotton made in Africa (CmiA) Initiative celebrated their successful partnership at the Heimtextil Trade Fair in Frankfurt last week. On the occasion of their one-year anniversary, Laura Chaplin, granddaughter of Charlie Chaplin, has created an exclusive bed linen set made of Cotton made in Africa certified cotton. At the Heimtextil Fair, she personally presented the original to the public for the very first time. The bed linen featuring a zebra pattern was produced by Dibella.
“Laura Chaplin, our partner Dibella, and Cotton made in Africa all have one thing in common: the aim of raising global awareness for sustainable cotton from Africa as a raw material for textiles, thereby giving the people from growing regions a face in international trade,” says Tina Stridde, Managing Director of the Aid by Trade Foundation, which funds Cotton made in Africa. “We are taking a stance in the industry – for sustainability and textiles that put a smile on everyone’s face – from smallholder farmers to consumers – with this exclusive bed linen set created by Laura Chaplin,” states a delighted Ralf Hellmann, Managing Director of Dibella Group Ltd, founded in 1986. “We feel it is an honor to be able to present this exclusive bed linen set together with Laura Chaplin and Cotton made in Africa,” continues Hellmann.
Just recently, in October 2017, Laura Chaplin discovered the origin of Cotton made in Africa-certified cotton when travelling to Uganda, one of the 10 countries in sub-Saharan Africa where the sustainable cotton initiative operates. During her trip, she followed the cotton on its way from the cotton field via the so-called ginnery, where the cotton fibers are separated from the seeds, all the way to the textile production company Fine Spinners in Kampala. “Africa inspired my designs – with its magnificent nature and colors, the earth, the wildlife and the people who I met there,” reports Laura Chaplin upon her return. As a Cotton made in Africa ambassador and designer, she wants to give something back to the local people and nature, which provided her with so much inspiration. Her exclusive bed linen set is launching her mission.
In order to check whether the cotton in the bed linen set by Laura Chaplin is made of Cotton made in Africa, Hellmann and Chaplin checked the original live at the trade fair using the latest scanning method. This method allows them to retrace that the product contains Cotton made in Africa certified cotton, thereby uncovering the source of the bed linen original.
Besides Dibella, Cotton made in Africa currently cooperates with more than 30 textile companies and brands. With their demand for CmiA certified cotton, companies create added value for more than 780,000 smallholder farmers in 10 African countries and protect nature.