Mission-Driven Manufacturing | Encelia Hair
Encelia Hair | Mission-Driven Manufacturing
Encelia Hair is pleased to share information about our mission-driven manufacturing methods.
As some of you may know, eight months ago, I was horrified when I came across the CNN, Black Gold piece. I learnt about the Xinjiang internment camps and how Uyghurs are forced to work in factories creating a variety of products, including ventilating wigs. This heartbreaking news brought me to my knees, and I immediately halted work with my Chinese partner factory.
Starting from scratch, I started with the hair. Wearing another person's hair has a personal and unsettling quality to it. In this blog article, I discuss the most peaceful shave that I know of. As some of you know, the most peaceful kind of hair that we can wear comes from India through a process called tonsuring. In India, one of the most important customs followed by Hindus is called Mundans, which are ceremonial haircuts/shaves. This type of giving and sacrifice is highly valued, since it allows people to feel free, closer to their god, and provides them hope. I can't think of any hair that is more gorgeous than this in my mind. This is why Encelia will only use temple hair from India that has been purchased directly from the temples.
From there, I went out to discover an Indian factory that only worked with or bought hair from temples. Months went by without any process, and then it happened. Have you ever had a situation where everything just fell into place? "Everything always works out for me," is one of the mantras I've repeated to myself during the last four years of living with complete hair loss. I can't tell you how many times I've said this mantra and struggled to believe it, but life is a journey, and occasionally something occurs that is greater than you, bigger than anything you could have dreamed - and that is exactly what is happening at Encelia!
What if I told you that you could have incredible helper hair while also helping others? I'm pleased to inform you that at Encelia, your purchase is important! You have the ability to effect change and have a direct positive impact on the lives of others!
Our wigs are created in a region of India where a woman's primary source of income is creating tobacco products in hazardous conditions. Their working environment is so toxic that they are developing cancer along with other illnesses. The daily quote set by the tobacco companies is so high and demanding that many of these ladies labor 10-12 hours a day, foregoing meals and family time, for as low as $5 per day. This is similar to slave or forced labor in many aspects. These women will never be able to move ahead or experience economic advancement!
At Encelia, every wig purchased provides economic opportunity/advancement for these women in India, as well as a safe and fair working environment.
Ethically sourced | Fair Trade | Empowering Women in India | Improving Hair Loss Survivors' Quality of Life = #myhairlossutopia
