Fair Trade in Focus: 7 Brands Supporting Artisans In Peru
Brands Giving Back In Peru
Peru is known for its intensely varied landscapes ranging from Amazon rainforests, to the Andes Mountains. It is also home of Inca built Machu Picchu, now one of the most visited tourist attractions in the world. Peru is beloved by its locals as well as travelers for its amazing cuisine, culture, and adventure.
Peru also has a rich textile history and pride in raising and caring for alpacas on the Peruvian highlands. Many of Peru’s resources are exported, like alpaca wool, and these brands aim to restore and enhance the goods produced in Peru while also helping provide livable wages and empowerment for their people. Here are some of our favorite sustainable brands based in Peru—many created with the help of the adorable alpacas.
Raven + Lily
Product Range | Home decor, clothing, jewelry, and bags
Why Peru? | Austin based brand, Raven + Lily’s primary goal is to be able to empower women and offer them a fair wage for their work. In Peru, Raven + Lily is able to use local techniques and materials to make their cozy and alluring designs like this Maritza Tunic. Sustainably made from baby alpaca wool, Raven + Lily’s products honors the traditional craftsmanship of the women of Peru. Peruvian Apparel Artisan, Monica, describes how Raven + Lily has impacted her life, “My dream for my children is that they are able to finish their education and that they would grow up healthy and have good career opportunities. I hope to give them that chance, and my job helps me support them.”
Shop Raven + Lily Online
Ariana Bohling
Product Range | Leather shoes and slippers
Why Peru? | Slippers are the gift that keeps on giving in the cold winters. Founder Ariana, through her brand Ariana Bohling, works to preserve the art of hand crafting in Peru while providing livable wages. All of her shoes are created from leather sourced in Peru and slippers are made from cruelty-free alpaca wool. Ariana Bohling is focused on creating a safe and quality driven environment for the men and women that produce shoes and slippers that they can be proud of, and you can love.
Shop Ariana Bohling Online
Krochet Kids International
Product Range | Men’s, women’s, and children’s apparel and accessories
Why Peru? | Beginning in Uganda and branching into Peru in 2012, Krochet Kids International gives fair wages and empowers the local communities. Krochet Kids International is passionate about connecting their shoppers to the people who make their products and keeping them informed about the whole process. Offering programs of empowerment and education to the local women, Krochet Kids International is truly creating long-lasting impact.
Shop Krochet Kids International Online
Indigenous Clothing
Product Range | Men’s and women’s apparel
Why Peru? | Using organic and hand knit fair trade goods from Peruvian women is Indigenous Clothing’s game, and they’re killing it. Centered on giving back to the local communities that help produce the materials, like alpaca wool, Indigenous Clothing is providing fair wages in hopes of creating a better world for everyone. Social responsibility is key for Indigenous Clothing without slacking on design.
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Callina
Product Range | Sweaters, scarves, and shawls
Why Peru? | Alpaca yarn is a versatile, popular, and prevalent material for Peruvian fair trade fashion. Callina is creating some of the comfiest sweaters in the most elegant designs with integrity. Callina also supports Mirasol Project, which aims to provide boarding schools to children of shepherds in the rural Puna area. Founder Michelle Shepard strives for Callina to be for “women who seek quality, strive for perfection and never settle.”
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WOOLN
Product Range | Knit headwear and scarves
Why Peru? | Fair trade yarn sourced from Peru and made by Grandmothers in NYC—what’s not to love? WOOLN’s alpaca yarn is ethically sourced to help support rural families who make a living from alpaca farming. In their shops in NYC senior women knit their luxurious pieces. Founders Margaux Rousseau and Faustine Badrichani set out to make a social impact and they are doing just that by supporting people both locally and internationally.
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Nisolo
Product Range | Men’s and Women’s shoes and accessories
Why Peru? | Designed in Nashville and made in Peru, Nisolo’s shoes will have you feeling like Carrie Bradshaw in no time. In Peru, Nisolo is able to provide fair wages to over 88 locals to make their hand crafted leather shoes. With factories in Mexico, Peru, and Kenya, Nisolo’s beautiful designs come to life. They value the planet and their workers just as much as the consumer, which leads the fashion industry in a more sustainable direction.