Australia / New Zealand
International
WELCOME TO BAIIA
We are proud to say our swimwear line is made by incredibly talented seamstresses in China. We’ve partnered up with an amazing manufacturer who are genuinely concerned about ethics and sustainability, about environmental issues and worker welfare. Due to their change in adopting more of an ethical Corporate Social Responsibility, their prices have risen and they’ve lost a lot of fashion labels to cheaper manufacturers in other Asian countries. BAIIA felt it was our responsibility to support a business who is trying to do the right thing, but are losing support. BAIIA has no racial bias when it comes to who we work with. Our approach was born out of the appreciation of high quality goods - cause you’ll wear the heck out of something if it’s high quality.
In our research, most of the best manufacturers for long lasting and high quality garments are located offshore. Australia has wonderful manufacturers for swimwear, but for our designs, sustainable fabrics and eco dyes, the only resources that were up to the challenge were in China.
As well as:
- Seamstresses are encouraged to hand make each swim suit slowly and carefully. They are not paid on the amount they produce, meaning they are not pressured to reach a certain quantity by a certain time.
- Employees receive medical insurance.
- Employees work in a well ventilated, well lit and spacious working space.
- The factory owner himself was a seamstress for 10 years. He prides himself in his ability to care, understand, listen and respect his workers and their needs because he’s been there before.. So of course he also holds regular staff parties, excellence awards and surprises his workers with birthday gifts!
Our seamstresses are paid approximately 4% above the median wage in Guangzhou, China for garment workers of an equivalent skill level, and approximately 34% above the minimum wage. This equates roughly to a 5 to 15 yuan above average hourly wage depending on the skill level of the worker. Baiia’s lowest paid seamstress is paid approximately 24CNY (Chinese Yuan) hourly with a global industry average of 14CNY hourly.
Each worker is offered the option of free housing for themselves and their family with some food and living expenses, as well as free transportation to work, and a monthly bonus to assist with other living costs.
China’s carbon emissions are quite high, however as a nation they are committed to moving towards a cleaner economy so these emissions are always being analysed. In fact, just a few weeks ago China announced their goal of net-zero emissions by 2060 (the global target is 2050, read more about the Paris Climate Agreement here). In comparison, Australia has currently committed to a 28-30% reduction in emissions by 2030. While Australia’s target is a shorter time frame, it also hasn’t changed much than in previous years; in fact it’s almost the same target given 5 years prior at the last Paris Climate Agreement meeting in 2016. China’s target is 10 years behind the recommended time frame, but experts have advised that this goal is more than achievable and may even be exceeded based on China’s previous trends of emissions targets. Australia, on the other hand, is playing it safe with their emissions targets, at a time that requires radical action and reform.
