Indie of the Week: Fair Industry - April 12
I’m a big believer in fair-trade products & that is one of the reasons that I love our Indie of the Week so much. Fair Industry is a New Jersey-based business owned by Lauren Markley. She’s got such cool stuff so come shopping with me!
You can easily create many unique outfits at Fair Industry. Lauren carries a line of shirts, skirts, pants & jewelry for socially conscious shoppers who still want to be completely stylish. Simple yet unique, Lauren does most of the designing of the items herself & then has them manufactured in countries where employees would normally not be paid a fair wage…yet Fair Industry makes sure that it won’t be the case with their products.
Lauren tells Wickedly Chic readers that, “I sort of fall in between two major genres of business, “indie designer” and “fair trade retailer”. I am working to create a unique line of clothing and jewelry that sort of defies the traditional stereotype of fair trade, which is of wildly-colored, “ethnic” clothing. As a designer, the challenge is to come up with interesting, appealing products that can be made using the resources and skills that the producers have at hand.”
When asked how she came up with the idea for Fair Industry, Lauren says, “The idea for Fair Industry came to me while I was taking sewing and pattern drafting lessons when I was living in Japan. I had always been interested in fashion design but knew that the garment industry was one of the worst for human rights abuses. I started learning more about fair trade and how the principles could be applied to fashion. Starting this company seemed like a good way to indulge my desire to design and to do something good for people and the planet.”
The best sellers at Fair Industry are the handwoven short sleeved blouses (absolutely adorable yet perfectly simple) and the silver/amethyst rectangle earrings. These are quite lovely, by the way.
There’s something about the simple styles that have such an air of elegance to them…I think that our readers are going to find it awfully hard to resist the lure & charm of shopping here. And nor should anyone resist. Shopping is so good for you…and when you are doing something good for the world with your money, it’s even better.
I’ve got a great secret. Fair Industry is now having a 20% off sale on a number of their items. What a great time to treat yourself! If you don’t want to spend a lot, grab yourself a pair of fun earrings for the summer!
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