Handmade Holidays: Fair Trade Shopping Guide

Let's get ready for another edition of Handmade Holidays! Today my little sister Julia is here with a post about handmade shopping's cool BFF: the fair trade movement. It takes handmade items to the next level by helping people in developing countries achieve a better quality of life. She has a blog all about it, which you can check out right here. In the meantime, she has some of her favorite fair trade gift ideas to share with us. Eye-candy ahoy!

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Howdy! I'm Julia from the Fair for All Shopping Guide, a blog that focuses on ethical shopping and conscious consumerism. When I hear the phrase "Handmade Holidays," my thoughts automatically turn to fair trade. 

Fair trade is a system that empowers artisans by providing fair wages, eliminating child labor, respecting cultures, supporting equality for women, and generally helping marginalized producers succeed in the global marketplace. It's about helping people through economic development rather than charity. Artisan groups from around the world participate in fair trade, and they create beautiful, unique gifts perfect for the holidays.

Here are a few of my favorite handmade fair trade items:

1. Zulu Telephone Wire Basket from Bridge for Africa

These baskets are hand woven by Zulu artisans in South Africa. Each design is one-of-a-kind, created from multicolored telephone wire. These small baskets are perfect for trinkets, candy, or simply as a decorative item to add a pop of color to a room.

2. Here Comes Sandy Claws Christmas Card from Sanctuary Spring

Cards from Sanctuary Spring are handmade by survivors of sex trafficking in the Philippines, using a variety of handmade and recycled papers. They have a wide variety of cards for Christmas and many other holidays and occasions.

3. Stone's Throw Necklace from Mata Traders

Mata Traders, a Chicago-based fair trade importer (had to throw in some Chicago for Paige!), offers a wide variety of bold geometric statement jewelry crafted by artisans in India. I particularly like this yellow necklace for bringing some sunshine to a cloudy winter day.

4. Red Zacualpa Throw Pillow Cover from Fair Trade Quilts and Crafts

This trendy 18" pillow cover is handmade by artisans in Guatemala and comes in three other colors as well (scroll to the bottom of the linked page to see the options). Don't be off-put by this small business's primitive web design—I bought my bedspread from here and they have fantastic, very personal customer service.

5. Wooden Sudoku Game from SERRV

This gift gets bonus points for being appropriate for both dudes and ladies. Handcrafted by woodworkers in Sri Lanka, this set comes with 27 sudoku games at three difficulty levels. Visit the SERRV website for a list of more fair trade gifts for men.

6. Kiko Glass Matte Frame from Greenheart Shop

These minimalist picture frames are a sleek, modern way to display photos and keepsakes. Handcrafted by artisans in India, they are sold by another Chicago-based retailer, Greenheart Shop, and come in 4" x 6" or 5" x 7". The artisan group, Nkuku, makes a ton of elegant, minimalist home items—I definitely recommend checking out their whole range.

When you purchase a fair trade holiday gift, you can feel good that your purchase is helping to support an artisan in a disadvantaged community. Today happens to be #FairTuesday (the ethical shopping response to Black Friday and Cyber Monday), so if you buy a fair trade gift today, be sure to share it with the hashtag to show your support!

You can find more fair trade retailers on the Fair for All Shopping Guide or on FairTuesday.org. To learn more about fair trade, visit the Fair Trade Federation.