Home Gifts From Companies That Give Back
When You Buy One of These Gorgeous Gifts, You're Actually Giving Back in the Most Meaningful Way
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Every year around this time, I get choked up flipping through the catalog that lets you buy a goat, a llama, or a flock of geese as a thoughtful and world-changing holiday gift. I vow to get everyone I know an adorable baby chick, only to reluctantly conclude a few weeks later that no one really wants a hypothetical farm animal as a present.
If this sounds all too familiar, not to worry. The power of the internet means that we can support individual artisans, many of them women providing for their families, while still securing amazing gifts for our loved ones. The days when the words "fair trade" automatically meant "no thanks" are long gone. Shops with a noble purpose abound (many are even nonprofits), and their wares are as drool-worthy as the items at your local chic boutique.
Flip through the slideshow for some of our favorite feel-good offerings this holiday season. Be sure to include a note with any gifts you give so your friends and family can read about all the good things made possible by their gift!
Color-Block Baskets
Gift: Color-Block Baskets ($20 and up)
The Basket Room works with women's weaving cooperatives in rural southwestern Kenya to create these colorful baskets. According to its website, "buying this basket directly supports the weavers to increase their livelihoods and become less dependent on self-sufficiency farming, which is very unreliable during the dry seasons. Each basket comes with a thank you card from the cooperative who made your basket."
Reversible Table Runner and Napkins
Gift: Table Runner ($98) and Napkins ($36)
Symbology works with female artisans who use traditional art techniques. According to its website, "the handmade process allows us to work hand in hand with local artisans and small factories, creating jobs and sustainable incomes around the world. We are committed to sustainable manufacturing practices, paying livable wages to our artisans and using eco friendly dyes."
Acacia Wood Heart Bowls
Gift: Wood Heart Bowls ($20 and up)
Lauren Conrad's online shop, The Little Market, works with a fair-trade studio based in Nairobi, Kenya, to "help people in a sustainable manner, including by creating jobs, providing training, and giving back to communities through education and healthcare initiatives. By learning these techniques, the team members and artisans receive vocational training, gain skills, and start earning a sustainable income."
Cow Horn Whiskey Tumbler Set
Gift: Cow Horn Whiskey Tumbler Set ($75)
Enrou works with artisans around the world to create beautiful products that help the artisans and their community. See its website for stories of some of the artisans.
Badala Tatu Tray
Gift: Badala Tatu Tray ($40)
Redemption Market is an online boutique that focuses on fair-trade gifts. This tray was made in Kenya by Badala artisans.
Chiapas Throw
Gift: Chiapas Throw ($155)
According to Enrou's website, this throw was woven by Mayan artisans in the remote mountains of Chiapas on handcrafted foot looms and finished with a macramé fringe design distinct to Southern Mexico. Ten percent of the proceeds are reinvested in artisan education, youth academic scholarships, and community health initiatives for the artisans.
Slate Serving Board
Gift: Slate Serving Board ($40)
Ten Thousand Villages offers this authentic fair-trade product, which is ethically sourced and handcrafted in India through a fair-trade program for community development and business in and around Delhi.
Blue Bird Otomi Cushions
Gift: Blue Bird Otomi Cushions ($79 for 2)
Genuina Market works with artisans in the town of Tenango, located in the state of Hidalgo, Mexico, to produce these pillows. The pillows, which are 100-percent hand embroidered, feature the traditional art of Otomi embroidery.
Recycled Glass Decanter
Gift: Recycled Glass Decanter ($53, originally $89)
VivaTerra is committed to socially and environmentally conscious practices. This fair-trade, recycled-glass beverage server was crafted by a glass workers' cooperative in Guatemala.
Springtime Sari Garland
Gift: Springtime Sari Garland ($34)
Authentically Eco creates products that are sustainable, fair trade, and ethical, "not only for the benefit of the environment but for the artisans who create these pieces and who are fairly rewarded and recognized for their craft." This garland was handmade using recycled saris.
Layl Pillow
Gift: Layl Pillow ($69)
Darzah works with female artists in Zababdeh, West Bank, to create the Layl pillow cover, which means night in Arabic. Each pillow takes three hours to embroider by hand. Darzah's one-of-a-kind products are 100 percent made in Palestine, and each purchase on Darzah.org supports training and employment programs for refugee and low-income communities in the West Bank.
Calavera Catch-All Dish
Gift: Calavera Catch-All Dish ($53)
Genuina Market believes that "quality and timeless pieces should be created by the fair labor practices that we wish to promote for our native artisans." This plate, featuring a hand-painted sugar skull, is made from Talavera pottery made in Puebla, Mexico. According to the website, Talavera is the oldest tin-glazed ceramic in America and it is still being manufactured with the same techniques as in the 16th century.
Brass Serving Spoon Set
Gift: Brass Serving Spoon Set ($75)
According to Enrou's website, these pure brass serving spoons are "delicately handcrafted, slowly hammered into shape and carefully polished by local artisans in Uganda from start to finish." Investing in this piece helps by "preserving traditional techniques as well as providing fair trade and improving livelihood of local artisans and small-business partners."
Panta Pillow
Gift: Panta Pillow ($124, originally $176)
Proud Mary works with five different weaving cooperatives in Mexico to create its products as well as other countries. This pillow was handmade in Chiapas, Mexico. According to the website, "All of our artisan's wages are set by themselves. We are committed to providing consistent orders which equals consistent income. Job creation is what drives us."
Brass Elephant
Gift: Brass Elephant ($180, originally $250)
Indego Africa works with artisans in Ghana to produce this elephant, made entirely from recycled brass. According to its website, "all profits fund educational training programs for the women who handcraft our products. Since partnering with Indego Africa, 89 percent of our artisan partners have risen above the poverty line."
Mosaic Ceramics
Gift: Mosaic Ceramics ($14 and up)
According to Lauren Conrad's The Little Market, "The studio of Le Souk Ceramique opened in 1997 in Nabeul, Tunisia. Each timeless design is created in the studio where the artisans do not use any machinery or decals. The artisans mix every color batch of food safe glazes by hand and freehand paint every detail, resulting in one-of-a-kind works. Le Souk sets wages above minimum wage, provides healthcare and social security payments for artisans, and is in process to receive Tunisia's Fair Trade certification."
Mini Eyelash Tassel Basket
Gift: Mini Eyelash Tassel Basket ($70)
Indego Africa uses locally grown sweet grass and sisal to produce this hand-dyed basket. According to its website, "all profits fund educational training programs for the women who handcraft our products."
Dipped Cocktail Muddler
Gift: Dipped Cocktail Muddler ($55)
Female-owned Enrou works with artisans in Sub-Saharan Africa to produce this unique cocktail muddler. See its website for stories of individual artisans.
Blue Lace Tapas Plate
Gift: Blue Lace Tapas Plate ($44)
This delicate lace-embossed tapas plate is crafted by local Turkish artisans. According to Lesouque's website, "Each plate is made by meticulously pressing real embroidery directly onto the clay, which results in a truly special, one-of-a-kind pattern that is unique to each piece." Lesouque donates a portion of its profits to the Malala Fund to help support the education of girls around the world.
Lemonade Ikat Silk Pillow
Gift: Lemonade Ikat Silk Pillow ($51)
Lesouque works with artisans in Istanbul to create these ikat pillow covers made of hand-loomed fabric using a centuries-old ikat hand-dyeing technique in Uzbekistan. The company donates a portion of profits to the Malala Fund to help support the education of girls around the world.
Hashmark Baraka Spoon Rest
Gift: Hashmark Baraka Spoon Rest ($18)
Enrou works with artisans in Kenya and Honduras to produce these Baraka spoon rests from locally sourced olive wood. See its website for the stories of individual artisans.
Sunrise Coaster
Gift: Sunrise Coaster ($4)
Lauren Conrad's The Little Market partnered with Mayan weavers from eight different rural communities in the highlands of Guatemala to produce these coasters. According to the website, the Guatemalan organization provides "opportunities to the weavers including scholarships and school supplies for their children, home improvements, micro-lending, skills training, and domestic violence classes. Your purchase allows these talented weavers to earn an income to feed their families and send their children to school while preserving their cultural traditions."
Brass Heart Box
Gift: Brass Heart Box ($95)
Indego Africa is a nonprofit organization that donates all profits from the sale of its products to fund educational training programs for its artisans. According to its website, since partnering with Indego Africa, 89 percent of the artisans have risen above the poverty line.
Cow Horn Serving Spoons
Gift: Cow Horn Serving Spoons ($65)
Enrou works with artisans in Sub-Saharan Africa to create this unique product made from 100-percent Ankole cow horn that has been locally and ethically sourced. See its website for individual artisans' stories.
Petite Solid Brass Bowl
Gift: Petite Solid Brass Bowl ($65)
According to Enrou's website, "each bowl is delicately handcrafted, slowly hammered into shape and carefully polished by local artisan in Uganda from start to finish."
Cow Horn Heirloom Tray
Gift: Cow Horn Heirloom Tray ($55)
According to Enrou's website, this product was "made from all natural products in Sub-Saharan Africa by skilled artisans. Every tray is uniquely hand-crafted and represents the joy that comes from using all the resources our world offers us."
Ginger Sunrise Basket
Gift: Ginger Sunrise Basket ($68)
All Across Africa works with craftswomen in Rwanda to produce this intricately woven basket. According to the website, "the artisans use timeless tradition to weave carefully dyed sisal fibers and sweet grass to make one of a kind pieces rich in cultural meaning and purpose. Baskets carry their own symbolism in Rwanda. Because friends give them to celebrate major life events such as weddings, births and graduations, baskets are proudly displayed as symbols of wealth of friends, family and life."
Golden Mango Wood Bowl Set
Gift: Golden Mango Wood Bowl Set ($60)
Ten Thousand Villages works with artisans in Moradabad, India, to produce this authentic, fair-trade product. According to its website, "most of the artisans are women, who benefit from the fact that they can work from home and maintain their responsibilities for children and household."
Dove Cinnamon Box
Gift: Dove Cinnamon Box ($9)
Ten Thousand Villages works with artisans in Vietnam to craft these aromatic boxes made from bark of the cinnamon tree, a renewable resource. This fair-trade product was ethically sourced, and proceeds provide income generation and marketing services to Vietnamese artisans.
White Bone Salad Set
Gift: White Bone Salad Set ($15)
Shop With a Mission, an online fair-trade marketplace created by a nonprofit organization, offers this white bone salad set, which is handmade of wood and bone in Kenya. Proceeds benefit the basic needs and school fees of HIV/AIDS orphans in Kenya.
Olive Chunky Knit Sari Throw
Gift: Olive Chunky Knit Sari Throw ($72)
Dignify's chunky knit throws are handmade from reclaimed sari cloth by women in Bangladesh on a traditional wooden peg loom. Dignify employs women who were previously trafficked into or otherwise engaged in sex work. Their new works brings them dignity and an essential form of livelihood.
Kolka Bread Warmer Basket
Gift: Kolka Bread Warmer Basket ($26)
Fair Trade Winds brings us this basket for bread or tortillas with a removable terra cotta warmer. According to its website, "Jobs are scarce in rural Bangladesh, especially for women. Working for a fair trade group provides many benefits including access to a credit fund and training classes on leadership development, women's rights, HIV-AIDS awareness, and accounting. Many women are now able to earn enough income to send their children to school, which will have a huge impact on their family's future."
Natalia Woven Pillow
Gift: Natalia Woven Pillow ($120)
Each purchase of this pillow from Lauren Conrad's The Little Market supports artisans at ProTeje in Guatemala. "ProTeje works as a support program for more than 80 women weavers in communities throughout Guatemala. They are committed to the preservation of backstrap loom weaving. This incredible technique, traditionally practiced by women, has been passed down through generations but is becoming less common over time."
Harambee Serving Spoon Set
Gift: Harambee Serving Spoon Set ($36)
All Across Africa is best known for its baskets, but it also offers these intricate serving spoons, which are the result of a "perfected skill passed down from one generation to the next in Kenya. A young apprentice works among seasoned master carvers to learn the techniques of the craft, from splitting timber to carving and hand-polishing the finished forms. Craftsmen model each form using simple tools to create unique one of kind serving spoons."
