Tribal Trends - Spring Fashion Blog Series

We're so very happy to welcome the lovely Lauren fromMercyInk on the blog today to talk about her favorite Spring Fashion Trend. Lauren weighs in:

I could not be more delighted about Jen's Spring Fashion trends blog series. For me, there is always a tension between conscious consumption and staying on top of new trends, as Jen mentioned in herrecent post.Over the past year, I've learned more aboutfair trade fashionand am ever wrestling with the desire to shop well and fair while also shopping fresh, current trends. It is getting easier to do so, friends! (Check out my latestFair Trade Fashion for Springpost for some ideas).

Let's take my very favorite trend of the season, tribal patterns, for instance. I very much limit purchasing items new, especially if they are not fair trade or handmade, but when I was out of town recently and forgot half my luggage (I have a mushy mama brain, what can I say?), I ran out for some Target therapy and a few new staples for spring. I was super happy to find these puppies:

Tribal prints are popping up everywhere, and you don't have to forgo fairly traded items to keep up with this trend, which is one reason it makes me happy.

TOMS is up on their tribal:

Tribal knits($56)

TOMS+ Black Yuma Classics

I also recently found a new favorite of mine in the fair trade world (next to Purse & Clutch, of course!) called Indego Africa. Among other beautifully crafted, fair trade certified products, they also partner with well known designers to create fair trade pieces. J.CREW and Anthropologie are among recent partnerships. TheseNicole Miller Wrapped Textile Banglesare a beautiful example of a collaboration at work:

You can also find tribal all over the handmade world:

Tribal Knot Bow$4 via etsy

Tribal Aztec Scarf,$11.99 // Atomically Adorned on etsy

Multi Colored Tribal + Gold Earrings, $7 // Button Upp on etsy

I am in love with this trend for so many reasons, but mostly because it is way more than a trend for our family. We recently began the process of adopting a child from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Congolese women in Goma. image via Getty Images / Uriel Sinai

The beautiful Congolese fabrics, prints, and bright colors cannot help but remind me this trend. So for us, this trend will stay in style, even long after it's trending, because it is now a part of our child's culture and our soon to be Congolese-American family.

Do you have any favorite tribal patterned pieces this spring? How have you wrestled with the tension between staying on trend and shopping fair?