Canadian Fair Trade Handmade Guide

Handmade FAIR TRADE BUYER’S GUIDE Apparel, artwork, decor, and gifts crafted by expert artisans in the developing world and available in Canada from ethically-driven wholesalers and retailers

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FAIR TRADE Trading of ethically produced handmade goods is based on an idea that sits at the heart of fair trade: Relationships matter.

The relationship-based structure of fair trade developed in the 1940s from the work of a few innovators who sought to alleviate poverty through the sale of handmade products. In Puerto Rico, visiting a sewing class, Edna Ruth Byler discovered that local women were living in tremendous poverty despite extraordinary talent, artistic ability, and work ethic. In war-ravaged Europe, recovery workers helped refugees provide for their families by finding international customers for their handmade products.

Ten Thousand Villages and SERRV were born from these efforts, with others following.

At the core of this movement was — and still is — the idea that trade should involve a true partnership between buyer and seller: one that empowers producers, builds their capacity to do business, and improves the quality of life for their communities.

You can purchase handmade fair trade goods throughout Canada. These high-quality items are unique and expertly crafted.

Wholesalers and retailers offer everything from artwork and home decor to apparel, accessories, and gift items. These products support the work of talented artisans in the developing world, and also remind us that all products come from somewhere, and that everyone deserves a life of dignity and respect.

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Cover: Clothing and Photo by ADRIA Mode Back: Zulugrass by Leakey Collection, Available at Multiple Retailers Right: Pure Art, Non-Profit Fair Trade Retail Store

WHAT’S INSIDE? The Fair Trade Federation is a community of businesses that share a deep commitment to fair trade principles. FTF members work with artisans in partnerships built on trust. Members are rigorously screened to ensure not only fair wages and safe working conditions for producers, but also socially and environmentally responsible practices through all of the business’s work. Unless otherwise noted, all businesses and organizations featured in this guide are members of the Fair Trade Federation.

The World Fair Trade Organization is a global association of 324 fair trade organizations in more than 70 countries. The WFTO aims to improve the livelihoods of marginalised producers and workers, especially in the Global South. Several organizations in this guide work with WFTO-verified producer groups. The Fair Trade Federation is also a proud member of the WFTO. The Canadian Fair Trade Network (CFTN) is a non-profit organization that works with civil society and industry stakeholders to advance awareness and support for fair trade in Canada. It supports collaboration and best practices within the fair trade movement to increase Canadian commitments to international social responsibility.

The Canadian Fair Trade Network partnered with the Fair Trade Federation to create this guide.

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CONTENTS ADRIA Mode.......................................... 5 Ark Imports.............................................6 Didi Bahini...............................................6 Distribution Solidaire...............................7 Fibres of Life............................................7 Gaia’s Fair Trade Gifts..............................8 Hamro Village..........................................8 Kindred...................................................9 Laundromat Fair Trade............................9 More Than Half Clothing........................10 Pueblito................................................10 Pure Art................................................11 Social Gem...........................................12 Ten Thousand Villages (WFTO)..............12 Twigz Creations.....................................13 World Folk Art.......................................13 Wakami (WFTO)....................................14

ADRIA MODE

www.adriamode.com info@adriamode.com 5425 De Bordeaux Suite 402-A Montreal QC Canada H2H 2P9 418-571-0536 418-805-4551

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[ wholesale ]

ADRIA Mode clothing is designed for active women who want to live and shop according to their core values.

In Montreal, we design clothing for Western women inspired by the traditional embroidery and silk screen techniques of Nepal.

We work mainly with organic cotton and our prints are made by silk screen, using non-toxic, water-based inks, limiting our environmental footprint. ADRIA Mode is committed to respecting fair trade principles at every stage of production, distribution and management.

ARK IMPORTS [ wholesale ] www.arkimports.com noah@arkimports.com 877-275-1275

1260 Journey's End Circle, Unit 17 Newmarket ON Canada L3Y 8Z7

Ark Imports has been in business since 1985, always keeping the welfare of our suppliers and their staff as a top priority. We make sure that our producers and artisans overseas are paid fair wages and have safe and healthy workplaces to do their jobs.

By supporting handcraft artisans we promote traditional skills that are native to the Nepalese culture. We also work with our artisans to ensure that traditional patterns and fabrics are incorporated throughout our collections so that we can help preserve and display aspects of the Nepalese culture to the world. We are proud of the longstanding relationships we build with our friends in this beautiful Himalayan land.

DIDI BAHINI

[ wholesale | online retail ]

19 Ferguson Road Chelsea QC J9B 1X8 Didi Bahini is a fair trade organization helping socially-minded Nepalese artisans find markets in North America. We offer a variety of handcrafted fair trade products including jewelry (silver and Tibetan), pashmina shawls and scarves, stationary and paper, cotton bags, textiles, instruments and body products.

819-790-8273 www.didibahini.ca shopdidibahini @gmail.com

Didi Bahini not only supports socially minded artisan groups by making regular purchases but also seeks to support the very large destitute population in Nepal. The initial 5% of our profits go towards programs that empower disadvantaged women and children.

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DISTRIBUTION SOLIDAIRE [ wholesale | online retail ]

www.distributionsolidaire.org info@distributionsolidaire.org 819-823-6599 2075 Chemin de Sainte-Catherine Sherbrooke QC Canada J1N 1E7 Distribution Solidaire is a non-profit organization committed to the organic, fair trade, and international development movements. We distribute goods from associations of Peruvian producers, with whom we deal personally — everything from wool and handmade jewelry to gourmet teas, coffees, and chocolates. Our products come from fair trade businesses, and as a fair trade distributor, we offer attractive prices in large and small quantities.

Distribution Solidaire is committed to protecting the environment and we are proud to be a zero-carbon distributor, certified by C02R.

FIBRES OF LIFE [ wholesale | online retail ] www.fibresoflife.com jennifer.fibresoflife@gmail.com 902-402-9996

25 Winchester Ave Halifax NS Canada B3P 2C9 7

Fibres of Life works with small producers in Nepal who make genuine fair trade products that demonstrate the unquestionable value of handmade, ethically produced, quality goods.

We strive for color, whimsy and intelligent design that people will want and will move them to think about their role as an ethical shopper. Our products allow customers to have a personal and human connection with what they wear, what they use, on a daily basis. All of this adds up to quality and a unique style that demonstrates the positive values of your business to your customers.

GAIA’S FAIR TRADE GIFTS [ retail store ] 307-287 Gower Point Road Box 1124 Gibsons BC V0N 1V0 gaiasfairtradegifts@yahoo.ca www.facebook.com/gaiasfairtrade 604-886-7117 Gaia's Fair Trade seeks to provide customers with quality fair trade products; helping to sustain livelihoods for artisans and farmers in developing countries. Our unique products come from diverse sources throughout the world. We sell baskets, clothing, jewelry, paper products, singing bowls and other Dharma products, accessories, instruments, home decor and more.

HAMRO VILLAGE

[ wholesale ]

608 Fleet Street Unit 103 Toronto ON Canada M5V 1B3 www.hamrovillage.com info@hamrovillage.com 416-457-9796 Hamro Village offers modern products, ethically sourced, that are handcrafted using indigenous techniques of ancient Nepal. Our mission is to design and deliver the ultimate handmade gifts that serve a purpose. Every product we sell brings our artisans and producers closer to their dream of self-empowerment, enabling them to earn an honest living.

Our aim is to design, develop and deliver the ultimate in gifts and decor.

With a keen eye for craftsmanship, we pride ourselves on paying attention to the smallest of details and acquiring that something special which makes each item a unique piece.

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KINDRED

[ wholesale | online retail ]

www.kindredapparel.com ali@kindredapparel.com 250-532-2992

105 - 2920 Phipps Rd Victoria BC Canada V9B 0G1

Kindred offers customers the opportunity to be the freedom they want to see in the world. We offer high quality, on-trend, fair trade and organic merchandise, with heart. Our products feature recycled materials, organic cotton, and natural fibers, with the added value of the Kindred’s social mindfulness.

Kindred is the Canadian distributor for Freeset, a WFTO member producer group in India. By choosing Kindred products for individual or corporate needs, you are empowering women, protecting our environment, and supporting businesses with heart.

LAUNDROMAT FAIR TRADE [ wholesale | online retail ]

www.laundromatstuff.com info@laundromatstuff.com If you're looking for the most stylish, comfortable, hand knit woolens around, then you've found the right company. Laundromat wants to help our customers look their best while fighting off the cold.

866-777-0959

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501 Dufferin Granby QC Canada J2G 9G3

We combine our Canadian designs with the skills and talents of knitters from Nepal in order to bring you some of the best hand knits in the world. You can rest easy knowing that our colour dyes are eco-friendly, that our products are made with 100% natural wool, and that those who make our products are treated with respect and paid fairly. We invite you to take comfort in our knitwear.

MORE THAN HALF CLOTHING [ retail store | online retail ]

8 King Street E Kitchener ON N2G 2K6 519-577-2777

PUEBLITO

www.morethanhalfclothing.com mel@morethanhalfclothing.com

More than half clothing is a fair trade clothing retailer located in Downtown Kitchener. We carry a small but vibrant selection of fair trade clothing that reflects our desire to showcase clothing that is beautiful, well-made and affordable. Fair Trade shopping has something for everyone!

[ wholesale | online retail ]

9251 Yonge Street #8157 Richmond Hill ON Canada L4C 9T3 www.pueblito.ca info@pueblito.ca 416-642-5781

At Pueblito, we design, distribute and wholesale eco-friendly fair trade goods, handmade by artisans in South America. Our products include beautiful jewelry, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, bags and other items made from sustainably-harvested tagua nuts, coconut, fique fibres, totumo gourd, bamboo, acai and various seeds found in the Amazon and rainforests of Colombia.

These eco-friendly fair trade jewelry items turn the gifts of the Earth into stylish items for a variety of fashion connoisseurs. Colorful, rich, fun to wear and very affordable, the pieces are a must-have for anyone looking to enhance their eco chic jewelry collection with something out of the ordinary.

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PURE ART

[ retail store | online retail ]

132 Chemin de l'Anse Vaudreuil QC Canada J7V 8P3

www.pureart.ca rmckinnon@pureart.ca 866-567-4325

Pure Art is a socially conscious, non-profit retail store operating with the pure and simple vision of celebrating fairly-traded, handmade crafts of global artists. We partner with the Pure Art Foundation to bring sustainable change to marginalized communities in Peru and Tanzania. Working with artisans from across the globe, as well as numerous fully committed Fair Trade brands, we are dedicated to the story behind every product we sell. Our goal is to increase awareness and educate others of the importance of “Shopping With A Purpose.�TM 11

SOCIAL GEM

[ wholesale | online retail ]

www.social-gem.com bluemoon.info@gmail.com 888-974-2583

33 Hazelton Ave Unit 16 Toronto ON Canada M5R 2E3

Social Gem partners with artisans in the developing world to create beautiful and ethical collections of handmade jewelry and accessories. Innovative designs using up-cycled materials—funky scarves from yoga-wear leftovers, crocheted purses from strips of fabric leftover from garment production—are made with joy and pride by women using traditional skills learned from generation to generation.

Our business model is sustainable, transparent and fair trade. We support girls’ education in the Global South with every Social Gem piece connecting the buyer with the schoolgirls who get help.

TEN THOUSAND VILLAGES [ retail stores | online retail ] www.tenthousandvillages.ca 877-289-3247 Ten Thousand Villages is the oldest and largest Fair Trade organization in North America, selling artisan- crafted personal accessories, home decor and gift items representing the diverse cultures of artisans in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. Our buyers make regular visits to artisan partners, where they collaborate to create products and empower our partners to develop their businesses and design skills.

A non-profit program of Mennonite Central Committee, Ten Thousand Villages has its roots in the work begun by Edna Ruth Byler in 1946. For almost 70 years, we have worked to bring unique treasures from around the world to Canada. Ten Thousand Villages Canada is a member of the WFTO. Visit our website to find which one of our 35 locations is nearest you!

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TWIGZ CREATIONS [ wholesale | online retail ] www.twigzcreations.com suzanne@twigzcreations.com 604-832-7110

2050 Lion Court Abbotsford BC Canada V3G 1G3 Twigz Creations was founded in 2009 with a focus on transforming African communities through wealth creation and providing modern, priced-right, fast-selling fair trade goods to retailers and organizations all over the world.

Twigz works together with the very talented artisans of Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda to design trendy, handmade jewelry and home décor that display the beauty and the brilliance of African talent.

WORLD FOLK ART

[ wholesale ]

World Folk Art is a family owned and operated fair trade company. We work with artisans in Central & South America and South East Asia to create pieces of functional art. We design all of our own products, which are then made by our exclusive artists—all by hand. Working directly with these rural families helps to support traditional cultures and lifestyles.

When you purchase a World Folk Art product, you’ll know that we guarantee its authenticity in every way: world ethics, exclusive design and traditional quality. When you wear a World Folk Art product you are helping to build a better world. Plus, our hand-crafted garments and accessories will show and wear beautifully for years to come.

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www.worldfolkart.com info@worldfolkart.com 800-567-2670 7057 Leland Road Lantzville BC V0R 2H0

WAKAMI

[ wholesale | online retail ]

www.wakamicanada.com info@wakamicanada.com 866-567-4325

Wakami is a socially conscious brand that designs handmade fashion accessories. Our brand represents a rustic yet urban lifestyle and encourages people to connect with one another, with the Earth, and with their dreams.

We aim to enrich the lives of both the artisans who create Wakami products and those who buy them, inspiring them to do what they love most. Through our entrepreneurial driven model, artisans are able to empower themselves and become leaders of change in their communities. Wakami is the Canadian distributor for Kiej de los Bosques, a member of the WFTO. Our Social Vision: Dreams + Opportunity = Change We hope you enjoy our products and share the Wakami Connection.

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Left: Photo by Kindred Right: Photo by Laundromat

Deeply committed.

Membership in the Fair Trade Federation tells customers that your business keeps fair trade principles — like good wages, lasting relationships, safe work conditions, and environmental responsibility — at the center of its work.

For more information, please visit us online at www.fairtradefederation.org.