Fair Trade Chicago

Sunday, August 07, 2011

First and foremost, the Chicago Gift Show was a success and we are still here for round two at StyleMax in the Merchandise Mart! Here is our booth at the show. 

It’s always great to see so many faces light up at the sight of our products and when they hear the story behind emiLime. We successfully opened up some new accounts, which is always exciting and is, of course, the main reason that we attend trade. Really goes to show that people are loving emiLime’s new fall 2011 line!

The most memorable part of the show was without a doubt the amazing individuals that we met. Of them, Susan Moinester, founder of Manos de Madres, stood out the most. She is empowering otherwise-vulnerable women in Honduras and Rwanda by starting a sewing collective comprised of 25 women in an effort to provide training and develop a sustainable business. The group of women in Honduras that her daughter initially started working with make “trash bags” or purses made out of chip bags that would normally be discarded trash, while the women in Rwanda make beautiful handcrafted accessories.  As Emily listened to Susan’s story, she couldn’t help but relate to the co-ops of Peruvian women that emiLime collaborates with for its production.

Although joining the Fair Trade Federation has been on the list of objectives for emiLime, it was Susan push for this organization that finally convinced her to start the application process. The foundation is a trade association that strengthens and promotes North American organizations fully committed to Fair Trade. It is also part of the global fair trade movement, building equitable and sustainable trading partnerships and creating opportunities to alleviate poverty.

The principles of the of fair trade are simple:

• Creating opportunities for economically and socially marginalized producers.
• Developing transparent and accountable relationships.
• Building capacity.
• Promoting fair trade.
• Paying promptly and fairly.
• Supporting safe and empowering working conditions.
• Ensuring the rights of children.
• Cultivating environmental stewardship.
• Respecting cultural identity.

Although emiLime has always followed the fair trade guidelines, Emily realized that solely practicing it wasn’t enough. The federation will give the company the legitimacy needed in order to provide buyers with the certainty that everyone involved is treated equally and fairly.

Upon deciding to finally apply, Emily said, “I was so inspired by all the amazing people doing work in this industry that it finally gave me the push to start applying for it. It is a long application, but since I work so closely with the artisans and know that we do qualify to be a member, I think it would be worth it.”

We are really optimistic about our future with the Fair Trade Foundation! We hope that this step forward will give us the boost that we need in order to keep expanding.

You can find out more about Manos de Madres at www.manosdemadres.org and about the Fair Trade Foundation at www.fairtradefederation.org. 

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emiLime in Chicago

Thursday, July 28, 2011

emiLime takes wind in the windy city!

Emily arrived in Chicago this afternoon to begin set up, packed with many of our favorite products and full of excitement about the Chicago tradeshows taking place these next two weekends.

We just got started on setting up our booth. It needs lots of love, but we have a feeling it is going to transform.... 

The first tradeshow, the Chicago Gift Show, will take place at the Merchandise Mart on Friday, July 30th through Tuesday, August 2nd. The show is a quarterly wholesale tradeshow, an independent buying venue for an extensive selection of products inspired by unique tastes. Despite the rainy weather that is expected to grace us during the next two days, emiLime is thrilled to be back in Chi town and cannot wait to show everyone what our Austin-based company has to offer. Our booth will be number 9104, and we will be presenting immediate deliveries for the fall and holidays.

Can’t make it to this show? We will be here for a second round in the same building, but for a different show.

Our second tradeshow in Chicago, Stylemax, will take place once again at the Merchandise Mart, this time on Saturday, August 6th through Monday the 8th. Stylemax is a women’s apparel and accessory trade show where you can shop thousands of today’s best sellers and most unique lines – over 4,000 in all! Our booth will be number 2048 and once again, we will be presenting immediate deliveries for the fall and holidays.

This is something you don’t want to miss. We know the weather forecast that is in store for Chicago in the upcoming fall and winter. Why not fight those freezing days in the teens and twenties with a bit of alpaca? emiLime will help your customers keep cozy in style. Our warm alpaca and sheep wool will help you get through the winter and provide you with a handmade product that tells a story.

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