Secret Source: Worldly Goods

Filed under: Your Home, Design, etc

By choosing these shops, you're not only infusing your home with multicultural decor, you're also making a difference.
Many retailers claim to sell home-decor products from far-off nations, but you don't truly know if you are supporting a sustainable business model or a sweatshop-type work environment.

Fortunately some stores do the digging for us, making it easy to "do the right thing." These eight online destinations specialize in linens, decorative art and even utilitarian items from various cultural pockets of the world. Each company employs a socially-conscious philosophy that ensures the artisans earn a fair wage and supports their indigenous arts.

Here are some of our favorites:


1. MarketPlace, Handwork of India
What started as a non-profit, fair-trade organization during the mid-'80s now sells items made in India. You can buy the goods -- which include hand-woven table linens, cushion covers, window treatments, oven mitts and kitchen aprons created by cooperative groups -- online from the comfort of your own home. Many are made using batik block printing, where a design is printed on fabric using wax and a wooden object, then hand-painted by an artisan.

Why it's good to shop here: MarketPlace works with 14 cooperatives in India, which translates to 480 female artisans now being paid fair wages to earn a living using their talents. The company hopes to empower the women by teaching them leadership skills and decision making in the workplace as it relates to keeping the cooperatives running.

Above: Pink Curtains, $62/pair; Red/Orange Curtains, $32/panel



2. Global Exchange
While Global Exchange sources goods from many countries, we fell in love with the "Sabrine" pottery from Tunisia. It features a very intense shade of marine blue. Not surprisingly, this northern-most African country is near the Mediterranean Sea, which probably inspired these pieces. Each hand-formed, hand-painted piece is crafted in a studio where the workers receive an ample wage, and they also receive a 13th-month salary in celebration of Ramadan and an additional bonus for Aid al-Adha (a Muslim holiday).

Why it's good to shop here: All of the vendors that work with Global Exchange receive fair wages.

Above: 12" Deep Salad Bowl, $48; 15"' Large Serving Platter, $52





3. Flying Daisies, Rwanda
The women who run this Boulder, Colorado, boutique (Michelle Kranz and Krista Torvik) are artisans themselves, so when it came time to stock the rest of their shop, they chose only worldly goods supported by fair-trade programs in Rwanda. The selection is stunning and ranges from the red and white design in this "Peace" basket to the skilled artistry in the Zebra bookends. By partnering with Azizi Life in Southern Rwanda, a female cooperative, Flying Daisies is able to import some truly unique items for the home.

Why it's good to shop here: You're supporting two female-owned and operated businesses in Colorado, in addition to the global Fair Trade movement.

Above: Zebra Wood Bookends, $30/pair; Sisal "Peace" Basket, $22.75





4. Ten Thousand Villages
Bolivia is among the dozen or so nations in Asia, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East that Ten Thousand Villages supports by purchasing hand-made items from its indigenous residents. In addition to the online marketplace, there are 72 branded stores in U.S. cities, including Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Boston, Seattle and St. Paul, Minn. Always on the lookout for fabulous throws to keep us warm on cooler nights, we fell for these blankets made from soft alpaca fibers by artisans in Katakora, Bolivia. Wouldn't one of these look gorgeous draped over an Adirondack chair on your patio?

Why it's good to shop here: Immediately after an order is placed, the artisan receives a 50-percent cash advance, and the rest of the payment once the order is shipped. Artisans are guaranteed fair wages and there is a lot of communication between the designers and Ten Thousand Villages' buyers to infuse trend and color information into products.

Above: Striped Alpaca Blanket, $185





5. The Hunger Site
El Salvador is one of the countries whose artisan-made products are featured in the online shop for CharityUSA, which debuted in 1999. This pale-pink hammock is constructed of a breezy, lightweight fabric that's been recycled. It's perfect for lounging in on a weekend afternoon. Inspired by this hammock, we culled a few other outdoor-living products from other nations. From Indonesia, we like this aquatic-inspired wind chime. And making use of candy wrappers, artists in India came up with this clever idea for small woven planters. We think they'd be great for basil or cilantro -- inspiration for pesto or pico de gallo snacks for to munch on on a glorious day.

Why it's good to shop here: Artisans strive to make goods using recycled items, therefore supporting sustainability in their own communities and decreasing their region's waste supply. They earn fair wages. Each purchase made through the site helps provide food for hungry people around the world through established organizations like Mercy Corps and Feeding America.


Below: Recycled Cotton Hammock, El Salvador, $50





6. Indego Africa
This 501(c)3 organization works exclusively with female residents in Rwanda who are organized in cooperatives that provide emotional and financial support to the women who make the crafts. Their goal is to lift these women out of poverty. Wine coasters are sewn by the Cococki cooperative from Dutch wax cloth that's characteristic of African textiles, with bold colors and patterns. They're so chic that they're even sold at shops inside the National Textile Museum and U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. Plateau baskets are hand-woven from fine-plant thread using needles. Try one as a fruit bowl, a place to hold your house and car keys or hang it on the wall for decoration. The baskets (which each take about seven days to make) are also sold at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Why it's good to shop here: Before partnering with Indego Africa, many of the participating artists earned less than $1 a day. Now, they earn four times that. Also, 100 percent of the profits are returned to the cooperative of artists.

Above: Wine Coasters (set of four), Rwanda, $15; Basket, Rwanda, $44





7. World of Good
Of all the sites here, this one has the most extensive marketplace, with the goods sourced from just about every country you'd imagine, including Ghana, Brazil, Kenya and Peru. There's a nice mix of contemporary products in bright colors -- such as the pillows and cups -- and also more traditional, neutral shades (see the book stand and wall art). For the Tree of Life wall art, a Haitian artist gave recycled oil drums a second life.

Why it's good to shop here: Producer profiles beneath each item on the website put a face to the product, in addition to telling their story and artistic visions. Each artist receives 50 percent of the purchase price in pre-financing, and they are encouraged not to use machines and to rely on traditional materials and techniques.

Above: Pillows, Thailand, $30







8. SERRV
Constructed from kaisa grass by Dhaka Handcrafts (which employs 3,200 producers and their families in Bangladesh), this set of two baskets works well not just as decorative items but also for storing toys, craft supplies or fashion accessories. There are lots of vases and tabletop accessories sold on SERRV's site but what captivated us was this stunning blue and white pattern on small rice bowls. (We think they'd be cool as snack dishes for a party, too.) The bowls are made by artisans in under-served areas of Vietnam, particularly Ho Chi Minh City as well as mountain cities throughout the country.

Why it's good to shop here: SERRV offers pre-payments to artists so that their businesses can stay alive, also providing fair wages, encouraging educational opportunities that might further their craft and giving equal rights to women.

Above: Baskets (set of two), Bangladesh, $25; Rice Bowls (set of four), Vietnam, $38

 

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