Here are some looks I am loving these days. Aren't they so beautiful?! What I'm loving even more is the story behind each piece and the mission of the companies who are bringing them to market. Each of the companies represented below employ women who are paid a fair wage for their work. Sseko Designs seeks to provide university tuition for their talented and promising young women employees through a sustainable monthly income. At the same time, they are contributing to the overall economic development of their country of Uganda. The Noonday Collection pieces below are made by women in Ecuador, Guatemala, Uganda, India and even Tibetan refugees living in NYC. All of the artisans receive a fair wage for their work, and many are part of programs that also offer education and financial assistance. Open Arms uses repurposed tshirts to create skirts and scarves. They employ refugees who have been resettled in the United States to provide a living wage for them helping to break the cycle of poverty in their lives. Many of the Raven + Lily pieces here are handmade from melted bullet casings and recycled metals (brass, silver, copper) by HIV-positive women in Ethiopia. Beautiful jewelry made out of instruments of war and destruction. Talk about redemption!!! Truly, beauty from ashes! Raven + Lily provides sustainable economic opportunities for these women as well as returning proceeds to fund healthcare and literacy programs for women and children in this community.
Now, isn't it fun to connect in some small way with the people who made the things we buy and wear and the real lives they lead?! So much better than grabbing a random piece of clothing off the rack at a big box store and not knowing who made it.... and under what conditions... and if they were even paid....
 |
|
|
No comments:
Post a Comment