Macy's Shop For a Better World Fair Trade Product Line

We've always loved Macy's famous Thanksgiving Day Parade. Now, marching to the beat of a different drum is "Shop For a Better World." The fair trade product line features hand-woven baskets from Rwanda, sumptuous silks from Cambodia, and terracotta crafts from Indonesia...

We love the swirl motif of this Indonesian bowl, it reminds of us spin art:

Philanthropist and businesswoman Willa Shalit's partnered with the retailer for the first program, "Rwanda Path to Peace," which employed impoverished women to weave traditional baskets.

Now, it's expanded to Indonesia and Camboida and uses locally harvested resources, preserves artistic traditions, and best of all, has made a long term commitment to provide a sustainable business to local communities. We love that it's not just a "limited time only" program, but is something that craftspeople can depend on for the future.

This one's from Rwanda. The True Unity bowl features a motif of three lines, each one representing a different ethnic group there: the Hutus, Tutsi, and Twa.

Check out more about the program here.

Comments (2)

Hey, there is a book that's basically a study about how this partnership has affected Rwanda's economy over the past three years. I think it's called a Second Chance or something--does anybody know what the title is? I tried Googling it and there's, like, a kajillion books called Second Chance. ooof.

posted by flixbix on September 26th 2008 at 5:57am
view flixbix's profile

Hi, FlixBix, the book is called:

âA Second Chance: What Economic Opportunities Mean for Impoverished Women in Rwandaâ

By: Rakiya Omaar & Elizabeth Ashamu of African Rights

Happy Reading!

posted by Chartreuse79 on September 26th 2008 at 8:02am
view Chartreuse79's profile