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Women's Employment
Why We Hire in Togo
Togo, Africa has one of the highest rates of gender inequality in the world.
Only 20% of Togolese women have completed primary school. In Togo alone, this leaves 1.6 million uneducated women who have aged out of the formal education system by 17 years of age.
Seamstress training is one of the most popular careers for uneducated women in Togo. Training is expensive and seamstresses typically work unpaid for 3 years in apprenticeships.
Seamstress labor is precarious and vulnerable to exploitation. At the S H E factory, we guarantee salaries above living wages and employ through multi-year contracts to provide stability for our talented employees.
Responsible Manufacturing
Notse, Togo, Africa
We opened our responsible clothing factory in Notse, Togo in 2019. We produce all S H E uniforms, menstrual kits and produce custom projects for clients around the world.
We intentionally employ rural seamstresses from low-income and low-education backgrounds. In addition to a guaranteed starting salary above living wage, each seamstress at S H E receives free adult education each morning, and full-time employees are guaranteed paid maternity leave and childcare assistance.
We pride ourselves on responsible labor practices, circular product design, sustainable waste management, and reduced energy use.
What exactly does "responsible" mean?
Salaries above living wage
40-hour workweeks
Paid maternity leave
Locally-sourced materials
Zero-waste and circular products
The clothing industry is one of the most polluting industries in the world and the third largest consumer of water. The industry has been notoriously harsh for female workers who are often underpaid and subjected to unethical working conditions. However, there's been tremendous progress in recent years towards an ethical transformation of the clothing industry.
Clothing manufacturing is an important industry for S H E because it directly impacts some of the poorest women on the planet. Sewing is one of the most common trades for women who cannot read or write. So we're leveraging the vast reach of clothing manufacturing to create a sustainable and scalable platform for responsibly employing and uplifting women around the world.
We think responsible manufacturing is even more than ensuring dignified treatment of all workers - it's designing products and processes to be better for girls, women, and the planet.
Interested in manufacturing with S H E?
Contact us for our product catalog, quotes, or custom designs!
