WARNING: This post contains a little bit of gushing about Bono.

I say that because it's come to my attention that some people don't love him as they should. Well I do. How could I not? He comes from catwalkgenius.com's home shores, he's been writing genuinely belting songs since the middle of last century and the man can really wear a pair of sunglasses.

Now before you rush to vent any anti-U2 feelings that you may have been bottling up, relax and know that this post is more about Ali Hewson and Bono - or 'AliBono', to use the parlance of our times - and their socially conscious clothing line, Edun.

Edun's CEO Chrisian Kemp-Griffin did a great job of explaining their work to the seminar's audience. What follows ay come across as a bit of a love-letter to Edun, because while I knew they were probably not exploiting 5-year-olds, I didn't realise they were *this* good...

What they do, in a nutshell:
* They train people in the developing world, mostly sub-Saharan Africa, to develop the skills for making clothes. The whole process, from farming through to the sewn product.
* Then it provides demand to these new production centres, so that they can earn a living and build their community.
* They sell them and make a profit, to prove to other companies that this is a viable business model.
* Their aim is to help the communities in most need of their help.

Go to Edun's FAQ for more info.

Why you should love it:
* It mixes trade and aid in such a way that everyone's a winner - nobody's being exploited.
* In 1980, Africa had 6% of the world's trade. Now it's just 2%. Each of those percentage points is worth $70bn.
* If you're a designer, you have more options for sourcing good quality, organic cotton. Start by trying Cool Ideas' African sourcing agents.
* They do a great line in cool quotes. Try these for size:
"Meaning is the new luxury." "We carry the stories of the people who make our clothes around with us."

Organic Exchange are clearly the go-to guys of the ethical fabric world, with several namechecks from the retail brands at the seminar. Simon Ferrigno, the Director of Farm Development described some positive trends in the use of organic cotton.

Organic's just an excuse for retailers to charge more, isn't it?
* No. I'll admit I've been sceptical about organic food in my time, but as the exhibition says, pesticides in cotton production have disastrous effects. Many farmers get ill, many are forced into crippling debt to pay for it and tragically, many commit suicide.
* The yield and production costs of organic cotton is roughly the same as non-organic. Prices are generally higher because the supply currently can't meet consumer demand.