Adili.com, one of the largest online retailers of fair trade clothing is planning to float on the London Stock Exchange. The company is selling 20% of the business worth an estimated £1.5m. Adili, the Swahili word for ‘ethical and just’ was established just over a year ago by founders Adam Smith, a former e-commerce specialist, Quentin Griffiths of The Online Shopping Store and Christopher Powles, a finance specialist. The online store sells a wide range of products, from women’s and men’s fashion to accessories and home décor, including established values-led alternative brands, People Tree, Terra Plana, Stewart + Brown, Ciel and Howies. Adili is expanding to include an own label range in the autumn of next year under the creative directorship of Sim Scavazza, the former creative director of Miss Selfridge.

Adili’s success indicates that consumers are concerned about the conditions in which their clothes are made. Whilst the alternative brands sold through Adili are doing lots to raise awareness of a variety of ethical issues, from the need to preserve traditional skills to recycling of textiles, if we are to see real improvement in the conditions for garment workers throughout the industry, ethical business practice needs to become the norm for all retailers rather than the aspiration of a few values-led alternative brands.

Read more about the floatation on: Times Online.co.uk 

Learn more about on: www.adili.com