Clearing customs

Hi there all you fans of The Fair Tailor.

We are currently moving forward towards the launch at a high pace. A luckey few have got the chance to design their own unique shirts at our beta site. Their respons has been very positive and helpful. We are now changing a few things after their tests and opinions.
The website looks great, the IT crew at Monator are doing a great job. I cant let you see the site yet, but you'll have to trust me.

When we launch the site we will have more products than tailor made shirts, we will also sell towels in ecological Egyptian cotton, cuff links made from recyckled circut boards and paper products made from in Nepal from recycled paper.

We are currently planning to move this blog, so that it will appear under our main website www.thefairtailor.com. But we will of course let you know all about that.

Right now the fabrics are clearing customs between India and Nepal. As soon as they get to Kathmandu we will start making the first shirts. Govinda, our employee in Nepal is doing a great job to get everything up to speed.

On Sunday you should try to get a hold of the newspaper Göteborgsposten. They interviewed me this Monday about social media. It's going to be interesting to read the article.

Sebastian Stjern

THE FAIR TAILOR
-Dress Responsibly

Tailor made Fair Trade and ecological fine dress shirts via Internet

Friday night at the office

It's little before 7pm and I'm sitting at the office together with Lina. It's such a romantic setting, the white office walls with nothing but our post-it project plan on them, the buzzing of the laptop fans and the magical light from the fluorescent lamp. This is one part of the magical, mystical life of this married couple.

On Monday we give a very important presentation AND we are launching the beta version of the site. Later today we are contacting every one who have been interested in becoming on of our first customers. Some of them have been lucky and will be given the opportunity to be one of The Fair Tailors first customers. Unfortunatley some of them will have to wait for the official launch to buy their first shirts. But I can not reveal that everyone who has expressed a desire to be one of our first customers during our drive will get a little special something from us when they become customers later on.

Well, it's time for me to get back to work. My goal is to get home before 10pm, it as after all a Friday. Good thing my wife is in this company as well. Otherwise it would be really difficult to explain why I spend so much time on it.

Sebastian Stjern

THE FAIR TAILOR
-Dress Responsibly

Tailor made Fair Trade and ecological fine dress shirts via Internet

Front page news

Today we want to encourage all our fans to buy the newspaper Göteborgsposten.
If you do you will find a very interesting teaser on the front page, a small teaser and a picture on the front page of the financial section and a big article with a huge picture on the first spread.

If you do not want to see our pictures but just read the article you can also find it here.
We are really excited and very happy about this publicity. And the funny thing is that the reporter, Linus, contacted us. Lina spoke at seminar at the organisation Företagarna and they were so impressed by our story that when the reporter contacted them to find young people who have started a company they told him to contact us.
We really liked the pictures Magnus, the photographer, took. Our office is very, ehm, minimalistic. But he managed to find angles to give it life.

Today we are leaving for Malmö where we will speak at Rättvis Handelsforum and on Monday and Tuesday we will speak at Venture Cup. People must really like to hear what we have to say =)

We have put up a temp page at www.thefairtailor.com. Check it out if you want a preview of our website design and learn more about our company.

If you want to get updates on what happens with The Fair Tailor - send us an email (info@thefairtailor.com) and we will send you our newsletter.

Sebastian Stjern

THE FAIR TAILOR
-Dress Responsibly

Tailor made Fair Trade and ecological fine dress shirts via Internet

A stylized logo and a press release

Earlier this week The Fair Tailor sent out our first press release. It is only available in Swedish, you can read it here. We used a service called MyNewsdesk to send it, I can highly recommend the service.

I promised you guys the new stylized logo and the black/white logo once they were finished and here they are.

We decided to go with a black button thread on the black/white logo to make it more visible against the grey button.

We wanted to keep the font of the logo and at the same time make the button cleaner, to be able to use it for example on logos.

The webdesign on our future site will follow the style of these logos and the x and the button will follow us for many years to come.

Our fabrics are currently on their way to Nepal. According to the latest reports we will keep our time plans. I just hope everything will work out well at the Indian/Nepali border.

The work at the production house is going well, Govinda and Tirtha are working together to get all things up to speed for the start of production.

As I wrote in my last post we are giving some fans of The Fair Tailor the chance to become one of our first customers and the response has been great. Next week we will have a raffle to decide who will get the chance.

Sebastian Stjern

THE FAIR TAILOR
-Dress Responsibly

Tailor made Fair Trade and ecological fine dress shirts via Internet

Our new logo is here

Ok, I know this I have already posted once today, but since our logo is released today here is another post.

I just wanted to share the new logo with all of you to get some feedback.

This is the full logo with our company name and our company motto

This is just The Fair Tailor button, a symbol you will find on all our shirts

Please give us feedback on the new logo? It's nice, right?

Also, some luckey Swedish fans of The Fair Tailor will get the chance to buy our first shirts. Please contact us if you want a chance to become one of The Fair Tailors first customers.

Sebastian Stjern

THE FAIR TAILOR
-Dress Responsibly

Tailor made Fair Trade and ecological fine dress shirts via Internet

We have organic fabrics!

We have found organic cotton fabrics! I have today received samples of organic cotton fabrics from a supplier in India. The cotton is basically as clean as it gets. It is grown without pesticides, it is dyed with organic natural dye from plants and it is produced under fair conditions. And I am impressed by the quality.

It is of course not quite as good as the top quality cotton fabrics that we have, but they are better than I had expected.

I am currently conducting the interviews for the position as quality inspector and I have met some really good candidates. Hopefully we will know more soon.

Every morning at 6am an orchestra across the yard from my hostel starts practicing:

I changed hostels to get away from a huge cockroach, but it looks like he found me after all. It took him three days to travel 1km. I hope some of his little friends will stay behind at the old place... One is OK, 10 is not.

The work here at Child Watabaran is really crazy right now, there are so much to do for all of us.

I made a video of what it's like in the office. Tirtha and Poonam are busy with the inauguration and I have my hands full with the start of The Fair Tailor production.

Who would have known it would be so difficult to make Fair Trade tailor made shirts =)

Sebastian Stjern

THE FAIR TAILOR
-Dress Responsibly

Tailor made Fair Trade and ecological fine dress shirts via Internet

A meeting with Björn Söderberg

After yesterdays tour of the fabric markets to look for fabrics for our fair trade tailor made shirts this has been a much calmer day. Saturday is the day of in Nepal so I thought it would be more quiet today. Little did I know that the neighbours have an orchestra and the orchestra had practice time a 6am today. I am glad that I can sleep fairly well despite of the noice.

Me using public transportation on the way to the fabric dealers

If the video doesn't work, use this link.

Today I have met with Björn Söderberg, a Swedish entrepreneur that is the reason that we have decided to put our production in Nepal. We had originally thought of having the production in Cambodja, but we started talking and here I am, 8 months later, in Kathmandu, Nepal.

We talked for hours about what can be done here in Nepal and why some things can not be done. It was interesting to get his insight to the situation in Nepal. He also had some really exciting projects planned for the future, but I can reveal here what he has planned. Today we discussed entrepreneurship, our business and Nepal. On Friday we are going out to see the Watabaran paper production facilities.

I have uploaded nine videos on YouTube now, you can find them if you search for The Fair Tailor.

Sebastian Stjern

THE FAIR TAILOR
-Dress Responsibly

Tailor made Fair Trade and ecological fine dress shirts via Internet

Cockroaches in the room and ants in the laptop

Yesterday I met with Tirtha and Poonam at the new office of Watabaran. It was great seeing them again and the new place looked great. They have changed offices to try to get many of ther projects located in the same area.

This is a video showing me and Tirhta going over some CVs and Poonam working by the computer.

During my visit Tirtha and I set up a busy schedule for my time here. I'm fully booked until Thursday so far, but I have a feeling that more things will turn up.

Video showing the outside of the new Watabaran office and the production house.

After the meeting with Tirtha and Poonam i found myself involved in a game of some kind with the locals. I don't know the name for it in English, but it is a little bit like pool.

I didn't get much sleep last night. I am a little, but not to much, jetlaged. But one thing that definitly kept me up was my bed company...

Big Bob, the king of my friendly room mate cockroaches

My first night here I was to tired to notice it, but the rooms was filled with cockroaches. I know that they'r not dangerous in any way, but I still don't like them. When I started my computer this morning I realized that I had some more friends. Suddenly there was an ant on my laptop keyboard. I flipped it away but soon there was another. And another, and another. I guess they moved in to my computer over night...

I have already called a new hostel, I'm moving after I have finished breakfast.

Sebastian Stjern

THE FAIR TAILOR
-Dress Responsibly

Tailor made Fair Trade and ecological fine dress shirts via Internet

Getting ready to meet with Tirhta

Nepali shoomakers have their shop in the middle of the street.

I'm currenly sitting in a café to get some lunch and to upload pictures to Picasa/this blogg and to upload some videos to YouTube.

I will try go get the videos into the blog, we'll see if I make it.
If it works, this is what my room looks like:

Nothing seemed to work for me last night, but now things are looking better. I am glad I'm usually don't have a problem with sounds when I sleep, because the sound level in my room is, well, loud. I have a YouTube video to show it.

In halv an hour I'm meeting with Tirhta, I'm looking forwad to seeing him again.

Sebastian Stjern

THE FAIR TAILOR
-Dress Responsibly

Tailor made Fair Trade and ecological fine dress shirts via Internet

Hanging out in Abu Dhabi

I'm on my way to Kathmandu and right now I'm changing flights in Abu Dhabi. It's going to be fun to get back to Nepal again. It is the end of the monsoon season right now, so I suppose it will be a little rainy...

We are planing to conduct several interviews for our open position as quality inspector and I am also planning to meet with Björn Söderberg.

I'm a little tired right now, but this time I managed to get a few hours sleep on the flight from Frankfurt.

I just realised that they have a free wifi connection here - much better than the public computers.

I hope to be able to update the blog in Swedish - http://blogg.va.se/entreprenor as well before I leave here.

Sebastian Stjern

THE FAIR TAILOR
-Dress Responsibly

Tailor made Fair Trade and ecological fine dress shirts via Internet

Getting ready to go to Nepal

It's just two days until I'm going to leave for little more than two weeks in Nepal. The work has been quite intense these last weeks and I doubt that it will slow down anytime soon. If everything goes as planned I guess I will be able to take a week off in about a year... But hey, the trip to Nepal will take about 24 hours, I can rest a little then. Right now I'm working on getting some pictures to use to describe to Watabaran what we mean with certain things. I have a short window when I'm able to work before Lina gets up. She doesn't like me working on the week end... And she is probably right, It would be better to get some rest right about now.

I have not started packing yet, but I think I know where everything I need is at least. I should be able to make it in time.

Sebastian Stjern

THE FAIR TAILOR
-Dress Responsibly

Tailor made Fair Trade and ecological fine dress shirts via Internet

An inspiring environment

I must say that it is very inspiring to have an office in an company incubator and meet interesting entreprenours on a daily basis. There are currently a start up program with about 50 companies at IQube, the company incubator where our office is located, and there are maybe 20 more established companies here. Every single day I talk with someone whom either I get an idea from or that I give and idea or tip to. There are down sides as well of course. Everyone is very much in love with their own project and hence likes to talk about it. A lot. But generally that is not a big problem. Had we not been recommended by Trygghetsrådet to apply here we would probably still be sitting in our apartment.

Well, it's almost time for our meeting with our business coach, Christian Zanders from Jetshop. Before that I need to send an email to Tirtha in Nepal.

Sebastian Stjern

THE FAIR TAILOR
-Dress Responsibly

Tailor made Fair Trade and ecological fine dress shirts via Internet

Our website is on it's way!

We have signed a deal with our website suppliers, Monator.

They will produce our soon-to-be-excellent website during the upcoming months. It is a big step for us and it means a huge financial commitment. But it also means that we are really on our way.

The applicants for the job in Nepal has started pouring in. Some of the applicants looks really exciting, I can't wait to get to Kathmandu to meet with them.

Lina did a great job in Stockholm last week. She made a lot of important contacts, both with interesting people that works with social entrepreneurship and with potential customers. I can really understand that she was exhausted when she came home on Friday evening.

Sebastian Stjern
THE FAIR TAILOR
-Dress Responsibly

Tailor made Fair Trade and ecological fine dress shirts via Internet

One thousand and one things

I know that I've written about this earlier, but things are moving forward really, really fast right now.

Lina is in Stockholm right now, getting ready for the Eco Now fair on Thursday-Saturday. She caught the train on Monday morning and will not be back until Friday evening. While she is in Stockholm she is meeting with potential customers and with some interesting people.

I am currently doing everything at once. Yesterday I worked with a tax form between 8pm-9pm before I decided that it would probably seem a little bit more understandable is I waited with it until today. I have not dared to check yet today. It is a two page form and it has a 28 page instruction... I'm trying to find fabric suppliers in India, button suppliers in Sweden, trying to hire people in Nepal, trying to decide on website design, blogging in two languages and loving every minute of it.

We meet so many inspiring people, both here at IQube but also when we meet potential customers, people who work with Fair Trade, at events and at fairs. And it is really fun with all the comments I get at Veckans Affärer.

Sebastian Stjern
THE FAIR TAILOR
-Dress Responsibly

Tailor made Fair Trade and ecological fine dress shirts via Internet

We are hiring! Please let people know

We are planning to hire a quality controller in Kathmandu, Nepal and an ad will be posted in some local newspapers.

Please forward this ad to anyone you know who might know someone who might know someone in Nepal. Use Twitter, Facecbook, your blog, Reddit, Linkedin and any other way you can find to promote this.

Wanted a Quality Controller (QC) for textiles product based company

About The Company
The Fair Tailor is a company located in Gothenburg in Sweden. We sell Fair Trade and organic tailor made shirts and other textiles such as towels and pillowcases. We work together with the organisation Child Watabaran in Nepal, which gives all profit from its production house to social projects. Child Watabaran runs a school for street children, a child home and medical services for street children. We are convinced that it's possible to combine a successful business enterprise with social responsibility.

About the work
We are looking for someone who can work for us at the production house of Child Watabaran. You will be the link between The Fair Tailor and Child Watabaran. You will be in charge of quality inspections and you make sure that everything is up to our quality standard. You will also help us keep track on stock levels and shipping statuses.

Desired Qualities of Quality Controller
Honesty is an absolute requirement for us and besides, you have:

· At least 5 years of experience working as Quality Controller in exclusive tailoring and export based garment and a knowledge and understanding of the quality expected by our European customers.

· Knowledge of quality related to fabric types, accessories, production process and process of quality check

· Excellent command of both written and spoken English and Nepali.
Computer proficiency in several Windows-based applications, such as Word Processing, Internet browser as well as experience of using a digital camera.Excellent knowledge of using internet and computer savvy people gets priority.

· The ability to work independently and as part of a team and that you can perform under pressure.

Women and candidates from underprivileged castes and ethnic groups are highly encouraged to apply. Interested candidates are solicited to send their complete application with CV, two referees and a recent passport size photograph.

Only short-listed candidates will be called for interview.

Apply before August 29 2009 with CV, name and address of two referees, recent photo and expected salary.
Send your application to info@thefairtailor.com and tirtha@watabaran.com

Sebastian Stjern
THE FAIR TAILOR
-Dress Responsibly

Tailor made Fair Trade and ecological fine dress shirts via Internet

The Fair Tailor exists!

I just got of the phone with Bolagsverket, the Swedish company registration agency. Three weeks ago we sent in our registration forms to them and I wanted to make sure that they would approve our name. They informed me that August 7 2009 will go down in history. It was the date when The Fair Tailor was officially founded.

I don't know if it will be make a huge difference on the day to day work but it feels really great that we got the name we wanted, that can always be a little tricky.

Yesterday I booked my flight to Nepal. I will leave Sweden at September 1st and return on the 17th. Last time I flew Etihad and I liked them so I'll take the exact same route again.

Lina is preparing for her trip to Stockholm next week, she will visit the EcoNow fair and meet with some interesting people while she is there.

We are also working on updating the budget. The previous version was made a couple of months ago and since then we have made small changes here and there. I feels better to wipe out all the all figures and make a clean start. Our website project is also moving forward, we had a workshop yesterday. Yesterday we also started working with a designer, everything seems to be happen a once.

Sebastian Stjern
THE FAIR TAILOR
-Dress Responsibly

Tailor made Fair Trade and ecological fine dress shirts via Internet

Acceleration

The pace is picking up by the minute and even if I sometimes can feel that I don't have 100% control over the situation I really like it.

We are planning to employ someone in Nepal to work for The Fair Tailor at Watabaran to be in charge of quality and to blog about the work in Nepal on our website. For some reason the didn't teach us in school how to write Nepali wanted ads. But I have learned a lot of calculus and programing...

The plan right now is to go to Nepal in the beginning of September and stay for two weeks, but that can of course change. I will employ the quality control supervisor and, visit the fabric markets and talk to the people who will work for us at Watabaran. But the thing I'm looking forward to the most is maybe the inauguration of the new Watabaran Childrens home. The Inauguration is set for September 14, so I should be able to attend it.

Lina is doing a great job with setting up meetings with potential customers. She is going to Stockholm in a few weeks to visit the EcoNow fair and also to meet with people and companies we are interested to work with or learn from.

We are working on getting the website up and running, that's quite a challenge. Hopefully we will meet our deadline.

Sebastian Stjern
THE FAIR TAILOR
-Dress Responsibly

Tailor made Fair Trade and ecological fine dress shirts via Internet

We're back in business

After having a few days of we are now back in business, filled with energy. It felt great coming back after my vacation, I'm not used to that. I'm supposed to drag my feet when I approach my work place, but it seems like it makes a difference to be self employed. It also makes a difference to work with something I care about and believe in.

Lina is working next to me, and on top of setting up a lot of meeting with potential customers she has also managed to get booked as a motivational speaker at Företagarnas conference for county business representatives. I will probably be in Nepal at that time, so she will have to do it on her own, but I'm confident that she will be great.

I'm planning my next trip to South Asia, the plan is to go to Nepal and India in September.

Sebastian Stjern
THE FAIR TAILOR
-Dress Responsibly

Tailor made Fair Trade and ecological fine dress shirts via Internet

We're cutting up fine dress shirts and sending them to Asia

In order to show our producers, DEM Collective and Watabaran, what shirt quality we strive towards we have bought fine dress shirts on Second Hand. The plan now is to cut them in half and send one part to South Asia and keep the other part here as a reference.The shirts we are sending are Gant, Stenströms, Eton and Hugo Boss. It feels a bit strange to run a pair of scissors through such fine garments, but what else to do?

Lina, my wife, is in charge of sales for The Fair Tailor and yesterday she started calling companies that might be interested in doing business with us. It didn't take long for her to book two meetings, with Göteborg Energi and Semcon. I'm impressed by her and convinced that she will sell a lot of shirts.

We are in the process of registering the company The Fair Tailor, on Thursday we plan to send the forms needed to the government agency.

Sebastian Stjern
THE FAIR TAILOR
-Dress Responsibly

Tailor made Fair Trade and ecological fine dress shirts via Internet