Hi guys, Sarah here!
I’m sure you have heard of those Eat This, Not That books. These are the books that compare the hamburger and the salad at a certain restaurant and show you that the dressing to that salad is actually worse for you than just ordering the greasy hamburger. And then you find yourself regretting that you ever tried to be “good” in the first place.
I’m going to do that with Fair trade Items, I just hope you have less guilt at the end of the post!
I was browsing one day for winter styles to see what would be in stores and what the trends would be. Of course I went to my go-to store, Anthropologie. I was excited to find Fortress of Inca boots on sale in their store (check out this post for my review on their shoes) and I was also surprised to see that I could genuinely pick out items in the store that looked very comparable in price and style to non Fair Trade items.
I feel like most of the time because Fair Trade stores don’t have good websites or they don’t have the best graphic designs, their products can get lost in looking “less than” what is in style or what is trending. At least I’ve fallen into that mindset in the past.
So let me take the liberty of doing a “Compare This with That” chart similar to a Eat This, Not That book. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t buy Anthropologie because they, compared to other boutiques, carry a lot of Fair Trade products! But if you feel as though Fair Trade is not keeping up, hopefully this chart will help you see otherwise!
Sseko Designs, Vintage Gold Lalibella Loafer - $109.99 // Anthropologie, Splendid Cannes Loafer - $99.00
Krochet Kids, The Poppy - $37.95 // Anthropologie, Cable Knit Beanie - $49.50
Passion Lilie, Pollock Blue Scarf - $24.00 // Anthropologie, Malabar Scarf - $148.00
Red Earth Trading Co, Asante Necklace - $44.00 // Anthropologie, Horn Pavilion Necklace - $78.00
The Little Market, Floral Napkin - $8.00 // Anthropologie, Aviary Napkin - $12.00
Teysha, Design Your Own Riding Boots - Starts at $300 // Anthropologie, Seychelles Expedition Boots - $190.00
Armadillo & Co, Sahara Entrance Mat - $145-165 // Anthropologie, Handwoven Jute Rug - $68.00-898.00
So what do you think? Granted there are a lot more options with Anthropologie and it took some digging to find good comparable products, but in a lot of ways Fair Trade options don't fall too far from the tree.
What Fair Trade shops do you know of that continually keep up with current trends?