#GONEGREEN2016 198 / 365
There are many issues with the speed at which the current fashion system spins, moving too quickly to consider much of anything beyond the bottom end. When you slow down long enough to think about the time and energy put into creating anything, it is sometimes astounding how little we pay and how often we go out to spend.
There are stories behind your products, some you’re told and some you’ll never know, bad and good and everything in between and those stories belong to the people who give precious hours of their lives to make objects most of us call ‘things’. What gives things meaning is stories: who made it, who gave it to you, how it came to be yours, and so on. This is something you give up when you purchase willy-nilly for the sake of having more, you end up surrounded by things, rather than objects you adore which ignite an interesting or empowering tale.
Threads Worldwide help weave empowering tales, collecting them consciously from over 50 countries around the world. They empower artisans to bring their gifts and stories to markets beyond their borders, enabling them to earn incomes and the opportunity to become entrepreneurs.
The women who created the bracelets pictured are from opposite sides of the world, each with their own history and each with their own goals. Megala, who made the Taal Bracelet pictured (the one with the stunning stone), grew up in deep poverty in Bangladesh and was almost sold into the sex trafficking trade at the tender age of 12. Authorities thankfully intervened, saving her from perilous prospectives and offering her safety and freedom instead. Making jewellery allows her to earn income while she attends school, with the goal of becoming a social worker so she can continue the circle of care she received and help change the life of another girl.
Both of these stories bring meaning which would have otherwise been unknown, to objects which are now filled with meaning, due to two empowered and inspiring women whose stories I would have otherwise never known.
The simple truth is, each and every purchase we make either empowers or exploits, affecting the lives and opportunities of humans out there in the world. Whether it is a ‘cute’ shirt or the apple you bought for lunch, the ripple effect of our purchases can change a life of another for better or for worse, but with enough positive purchases, we can eventually change the world.
So next time you’re gearing up to get yourself something, or before you start your holiday shopping, consider supporting Megala and Asanta or other artisans like them. You’ll find the Ipala Bracelet and Taal Bracelet alongside some other beautiful pieces by other souls, sharing tales as they use their skills to create, driven by a sense of hope.
[SPONSORED POST] Please note, the bracelets pictured were gifted to me by the lovelies at Threads Worldwide. I don’t receive any editorial direction from brands I work with, opinions and words are genuinely all my own. I only work with brands who align with my ethos and are working towards the same world I wish to see.
[FOLLOW MY FRIENDS!] Some of my blogger buddies have written about this beauty of a brand too, if you’d like to read more head over to: Saiint Sisters, My Kind Closet, Ecologique Fashion, Terumah
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