Fair Trade matters. So on the first day of Fairtrade Fortnight, it was apt to join the wonderfully energetic Safia Minney launching her People Tree Foundation at the Centre of Sustainable Fashion alongside Jo Wood. It was a heartfelt launch. Here's why.

It was Jo Wood's honest words that resonated with us most. "I just had no idea just how bad the garment industry was. I mean, I know a lot about the organic world. Afterall, I have an organic beauty company. But going to Bangladesh with Safia to see it with my own eyes, well, it was quite another matter. It was a real eye opener." And watching the video of Safia and Jo visiting Swallows, the Fair Trade project People Tree run in Bangladesh was compelling evidence that Fair Trade Fashion can make a genuine, and much needed, difference.

You may be of the opinion that Fair Trade is now a mainstream idea, a way of life even. In some ways you'd be right. Particularly for the food industry. But when it comes to the fashion industry, it is quite another story. Safia is emphatic, "The job isn't done. It hasn't even started."

So what's the problem? There's no moral fibre in the industry for starters. A mere 1% of cotton sold in the UK is fair trade. Hunger is prevalent and is driving rural artisans into the cities, and into slums. Hundreds of thousands of migrants in Bangladesh end up working in the garment factories under horrendous exploitative conditions, and are separated from their loved ones.

Typical slum house built on bamboo stilts in which hundreds of thousands of rural migrant workers in Dhakar, Bangladesh have to live in.

Jo Wood spoke out passionately, no doubt fuelled by her own experience as a loving mother and wife. "Domestic violence is prevalent in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. Many of the women I spoke to seemed to think this awful violence is the norm. They'd just put up with it."

By working in the world of Fair Trade Fashion, Safia Minney is making a huge difference to these women. Artisanal skills, such as hand weaving, embroidery and natural dyeing is being taught, and the quality, with education invested, is reaching much higher standards. Safia shares "We're working with the most vulnerable peoples. Women who are divorced or abandoned. By paying them a living wage, they are able to put food on the table, pay their rent, live a decent life."

The Government in Bangladesh is clearly responsible for holding back its people. Safia says "The minimum wage set by the Government is a third of what the living wage should be. The devastating poverty as a result is immense." With 1.4 billion people in the world experiencing extreme poverty, this is no small matter. Interestingly, fair trade and reviving artisanal craftsmanship can make a powerful difference. Hand weaving, for instance, creates nine times more jobs than running a power loom.

Jo Wood spoke of her experience visiting People Tree's Swallows project. "It really has made me think about where our clothes come from, under what conditions." Safia also highlighted that Fair Trade is not just about the social issues. It's about environmental justice too. "We need to develop a truly sustainable fashion model" she stated.

It was good to see the conversation at the press conference turn to solutions. Safia urged us to rethink fashion and for all of us, as consumers, to put pressure on the fashion industry and on our own government. In other words, write to the Government Ministers, your local MP, and don't be shy to contact the fashion giants. They all need to know we care emphatically about Fair Trade Fashion.

When the meeting drew to a close, we caught up with Jo Wood and asked her what she personally thought would make all the difference. "We really have to make Fair Trade Fashion sexy. Unless it's sexy, the consumer and fashion industry won't notice it."

So there you have it. Let's raise our consumer voice and tell the whole world that Fair Trade Fashion is sexy. But what's clear from today's launch is Safia is right. The job's not even started. And it's up to us, as consumers, to cheer on the hard, sincere efforts of organisations such as People Tree and support Fair Trade Fashion not just with our wallets, but with our vocal cords too. As the Fairtrade Foundation says of its Fairtrade Fortnight, Make It Happen.

People Tree began in 1991, and is the pioneer of Fair Trade Fashion internationally, promoting environmental justice and Fair Trade. The People Tree Foundation is an independent charity, working alongside People Tree the Fair Trade Company. The Foundation will bring benefits to an even greater number of farmers and artisans through scaling up training, technical support and environmental initiatives and through raising awareness and campaigning for fair and sustainable fashion.