In simplest terms, Fair-Trade is about ensuring that the workers creating products (or are part of the overall supply chain) are fairly compensated and in safe working conditions. It’s about supporting businesses that are helping their employees thrive rather than exploiting them for profits.

Something we can all get behind, right? I really just want to know the spending I’m doing (and encouraging others to do for their closets and homes) is contributing to other families success.

For my personal goals and purposes, I’ll also be focusing on shopping with small businesses (especially local ones) because obviously if it’s a one-woman shop (or something else quite small) my funds are going to directly help support that person and their family which always feels pretty great.

Getting started with a shift towards shopping with fair-trade, ethical, and/or sustainable companies is easier than you’d expect, but it can be overwhelming at first.

Here’s how I’d begin looking into your options if this is of interest to you.

Educate yourself. Figure out why this is important and find the connection to the movement. Finding fair-trade gifts, home decor and clothing is absolutely possible, but it does take a little more time since you’ll be researching companies that align with this vision.
It will help if you feel passionate about why you’re shopping with a particular business. I suggest watching The True Cost which provides insight to the problems within the fast fashion industry.
You can also find a wealth of information at Fair Trade Certified’s website.
Start Small. Find an area you typically spend money - clothes, home decor, coffee, gifts, etc. - and find a few businesses in that category that you could shop with the next time you have a need.
This doesn’t have to be a massive, dramatic, all at once kind of shift. Finding small ways you can begin changing your shopping habits is an awesome way to start. So before running into Target or placing a quick order on Amazon, pause to see if there’s an alternative that would be more likely to make a positive impact in the world.
If you’d like a list of business I feel comfortable shopping with based on their policies, be sure to sign up for my email list. I’ll send my vendor list for home goods and clothing right to your inbox!
Change up who you follow. If your Instagram feed looks anything like mine, you’re likely seeing dozens of Amazon, Target, and Walmart “hauls” on the regular.
If you’re wanting to shift from fast fashion to fair-trade or slow fashion, unfollowing a lot of these accounts that encourage you to shop fast fashion brands is important. Instead, start following some fair trade accounts, thrifting accounts, and other slow fashion accounts. (This goes for home goods as well.)
Save & Plan. Shopping fair-trade can be more expensive. I mean, when you’re actually paying everyone in the supply chain a fair and living wage, you can’t sell a t-shirt for $4.
Once you understand why the price point is higher, it’s easier to be willing to spend the money. You may, however, need to plan and save in order to make the purchase. The great thing is that you’re typically getting a much higher quality item with better materials meaning the item will last you much longer than any alternative fast fashion version. That not only makes your investment worth it, but if we’re being honest, buying fewer, higher quality items versus numerous cheap and ultimately disposable items will likely positively impact our shopping budgets over the years.

Now, no one is asking perfection in any of this so as you shift into caring more about where your items come from, offer yourself loads of grace. This isn’t an all or nothing situation and you won’t change every bad spending habit overnight. None of us will.

But small shifts over time from a large number of us can make a real impact. Let’s focus on that and cheer each other on along the way.

Here’s a small collection of some of my favorite fair-trade (or working towards it) clothing/accessory companies:

LEV Apparel
Noonday Collection
Sela Designs
Pact
Liz Agil
Elegantees
Girlfriend Collective
ABLE
Nisolo
Tradlands

Here’s a small collection of some of my favorite fair-trade (or working towards it) home decor companies:

West Elm (fair trade line)
Artifact Uprising
Made Trade
Etsy
Jaipur Living
Minna
Vintage Stores

Fair-Trade: Why I Care & How To Start