Written by: Amanda Kloer, selected from humantrafficking.change.org
It's that magical time of year again when children of all ages tuck away their swim suits and flip flops away and get ready to go back to school. And while back-to-school time might mean homework and grumpy teachers, it also means seeing old friends and, of course, gettingnew school supplies. This year, consider making your back-to-school shopping Fair Trade. You'll not only get great school supplies for yourself or your family, you'll also be helping children in communities around the world get an education.
Fair Trade products help artisans around the world earn a living wage, so they can send their children to school and protect them from child labor and trafficking. Buying Fair Trade is also one of the best ways to keep from buying things made by children or slaves. To support Fair Trade with your back-to-school shopping, check out the following suggestions:
Backpacks
Younger students (or older ones who appreciate ironic accessories) will love the Super Duck backpack from Ten Thousand Villages, made by Bangladeshi artisans. For high school and college students,Pristine Planet has a great collection of organic, Fair Trade, eco-friendly, stylish backpacks. And if you want a super hard-core looking bag that will protect your assigned reading material from both surprise downpours and ninja attacks, you need Wannakes' Fair Trade Urban Bag, made of recycled trucks tires. It's intimidating.
Pens and Pencils
Try and slither into class with these awesome Fair Trade snake pens made of colorful, hand-carved wood. Or if you're looking for something a little more glam, check out this bejeweled writing pens from India. They're perfect for anyone who wants to bring a little bling to class. Plus, you can keep all your Fair Trade writing instruments sharp with this adorable turtle pencil sharpener and together in a fun, patterned pencil case made by female artisans in Burma.
Tech Accessories
While a Fair Trade laptop is still only the stuff of dreams, there are some great handmade felt sleeves and funky padded sleeves to help protect your machine on the go. Or store your smart phone or fancy calculator in this beaded phone pouch, made of recycled saris from India. And of course, use that Fair Trade-protected computer or cell phone to read Change.org (in between classes).
Back-to-school may be a magical time full of awesome Fair Trade school supplies, but college and post-graduate students might also be excited to know that Fair Trade vodka is finally available in the U.S., you know, for study breaks. And for everyone else, there's nothing like relaxing at the end of a long day of classes with a nice hot mug of Fair Trade hot chocolate. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a beverage to make while I study.
What are some of your favorite Fair Trade back-to-school items?
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If you liked this article, you can find more like it at fairtradeconference.com. The Fair Trade Futures Conference (FTFC) is hosting the latest Fair Trade news and conference updates. Stop by, get connected and stay tuned in!
Handmade Expressions will also be writing from the conference and posting on fairtradeconference.com. Let us know, by commenting below, if there is a discussion session you would really like for us to attend and we will do our best to check it out! Here is the FTFC schedule.
Take Care Fairtraders
Dear Retailers
This week we were at New York International Gift Fair, amidst beautiful weather and wonderful people. It was great to meet many of our retail partners face to face and get their feedback. Being in a wholesale setup, I don’t get a chance to do that often. So it was a treat!
I attended many seminars, walked the show and collected feedbacks from you all and this is what I learned.
“Handmade look” is in fashion
The good news is that handmade look is very much in fashion. Stores that are carrying ethical, sustainable products did well and have seen a growth even in this bad economy.
The bad news is that handmade look is in fashion. I observed that even big conventional businesses who in the past have focused on industrially produced good are now carrying a range of “handmade, green feel” products. So there is a lot of competition in the market for handmade look.
Make sure you pick the right product for your customer and communicate the story behind the product well. This will give your product an edge over the pseudo handmade of the market. People are looking for “products with a meaning”.
Product beyond product
As I said earlier people are looking for products that give them more – not materially but spiritually. They should feel good about their purchase and not guilty. The “product” itself is just a part of the package. The product enveloped by the story of where it is made, how it is made and how is it affecting the world makes the complete product. The political changes on the world map have intrigued the consumer to think of his purchase on a global level. He will be a happy consumer if he can tell his friends how his purchase is impacting the world in a positive way.
So make sure to offer this ‘ Complete product’. Good product tags that explains the ‘where and how’ of the product is a must. Learn more about making of the products yourself and also ask your vendors to provide you with information, display posters etc about the artisans who made the product. If you are an online retailer, videos of the product in making can be helpful.
Other trends
- Personal accessories like scarves, jewelry and bags are doing better than home decor items. Also small gifty items (Retail $10 - $30) are doing better.
- The market is still price sensitive. Products with reasonable price points are doing better
- No matter how the market is, the customer will always look for good designs and quality.
- A collection sells better than individual pieces. While buying for your store make sure to buy as a collection of similar items. Also selling as a collection helps. For example setting up ‘Sustainable’ or ‘Eco’ or ‘Travel’ sections in the store will draw more customers.
Trends to look out for Spring 2011
- Prominent colors will be pinks ( from blush pink to magenta ), all shades of blue, greenish yellows and shades of cream and grayish whites
- Materials will be Metal, paper, ceramic, glass and felt.
- Homemade will grow. Even the luxury market will be include, sustainable, eco, Fair Trade products.
- Eco packaging will be big. The customer will respect less or responsible packaging. Ask your vendors for less plastic packaging or eco packaging. You can run promotion programs such as bring your own bag to get 5% discount on your purchase. Or maybe organize recycling programs in your store to collect discarded cardboards/plastic bags etc that you can use as “give away” bags. All of this will create a loyal clientele and of course a “happy earth”
You retailers are our eyes to the market and trends. I invite you to share with us what is happening in your domain, what you think is up and coming and what you would like to see in the marketplace.
Have a happy Fall!
SETU, our partner non-profit in India, recently distributed safety kits to bell makers in the Muslim Luhar community of the Kutchh region in India. Bell making involves heating iron structures coated with brass and copper powders in furnaces. Many bell makers work from their homes on local or homemade furnaces with no exhaust or proper safety equipment. As a result, bell makers are exposed to extreme temperatures, fumes, dust and pollution. Without proper safety precautions, artisans can suffer many serious health issues.
Taking into consideration the seriousness of the matter, SETU in association with Khamir, in its constant endeavor towards improving the health of its artisans, provided safety kits that significantly increased the protection of the bell makers.
The safety kits included eyewear, mouth and nose protection, and gloves.
To help the artisans become familiar with the safety kits, a three day workshop was organized by SETU to demonstrate the different components of the safety kit. So far, the feedback has been positive. Now the artisans can continue their craft in a safer environment.
Thanks SETU for increasing the safety of artisans throughout India.
Dear readers,
We are very excited to tell you that we’ve decided to start blogging about our design process and experiences here at Handmade Expressions! Yes, this is a behind the scenes look into our creative, fun, and sometimes frustrating world of design and product development.
Creating fair trade & sustainable products can sometimes be challenging. This week our main focus was to sew purse samples from scratch so we could send them to our Artisans. These samples will be used as their sewing and construction guides. Many of the Artisans have never seen styles like this before, and it will be challenging for them to recreate our designs. It is always intriguing to see what they come up with using their beautiful handmade fabrics.
So, first, we started with a computerized sketch. Then, we had to make a flat paper pattern - this can be tough because it is hard to create something 3 dimensional out of a flat piece of paper. Next, we cut out the fabric using the paper patterns. Lastly, we stitched the purses on our sewing machine and by hand. Ruchi and I made a big mess of the design room (thread and fabric everywhere), but in the end we were very excited and pleased with the results!
Keep checking in for new design updates. We can't wait to share more with you.
Check
out our friends at Greenolastyle.com. They are offering a new line of
baby to toddler organic undyed cotton dresses. Each dress is
hand-crocheted from organic raw cotton by the women of Warmis. The Lena is my
favorite! The fully crocheted top is adorable
and the two tan buttons in the back add nicely to the natural basics of
the dress.
"Lena" "Drea" "Meggie"
And
natural, they truly are. All three dresses come undyed, but can be easily
dyed by you. Embrace the curious creative in you and make one of these
dresses extra special for the little one in your life.
For
other children’s items from us check out our toys.
-Sam
Member of Co-op America
Member of Fair Trade Federation