We have been involved in the Fair Trade movement since it picked up steam back in the 1990s, first with the NGO World Share, then with Fair Trade Quilts & Crafts in 2000, and now with Illuminate Fair Trade. Simply stated, Fair Trade means working directly with artisan cooperatives, instead of exploitive middlemen, wholesalers, and brokers. We let the artisans set the prices so that they receive a fair return and assist them with product design and marketing. We have been work

Zacualpa is a small town in the Guatemalan department [state] of El Quiché that has become known for its fine backstrap woven textiles including huipiles [blouses], bedspreads [see above], and table coverings [see below]. Zacualpa is home to thousands of Indigenous K’iché Mayan families who make a living farming and weaving much as they have done for hundreds of years. This region of Guatemala is quite poor and the people here suffered horrendous abuses at the hands of milit

We are now offering traditional handmade wool bedspreads from Momostenango [Momo], Guatemala in the Illuminate Fair Trade store. The wool blankets from this village were recently designated as part of the "National Cultural Heritage" of Guatemala. The artisans of "Momo" have been making them for centuries. Momostenango, in the department [state] of Totonicapan, has been the center of wool textile production in Guatemala since the late 1700s. Sheep, which were introduced by th

We spend a lot of time looking for unique, ethically sourced, handmade gifts & we've shared some of our best finds below. Full disclosure; two of them come from our Fair Trade collection, but I think you will be pleased that we did. Enjoy! 1. Mango and Main's Fair Trade Baskets: Their baskets are unique and very attractive. And reasonably priced too! "Handmade by artisans in Rwanda, these baskets are crafted from sustainable sisal fibers that are hand-dyed and then woven into

As many of you know, Illuminate supports artisan cooperatives in Guatemala. We are a "social business" that adheres to "Fair Trade" principles. We were established in November 2000 to support craft and weaving cooperatives in the Guatemala. Every product we sell was created by artisans in a "Sweatshop Free" environment. We strive to preserve traditional methods of hand weaving while providing a steady & fair income to the artisans. As Fair Traders, we pay artisans at least 5

Illuminate Fair Trade has been working with the same cooperative of Guatemalan artisans since 1999. Their patchwork quilts and other textiles are absolutely breathtaking and not available anywhere else in the United States. Each product we offer is unique, authentic, and individually handcrafted. Illuminate Fair Trade is a "social business" and we adhere to "Ethical Trading" principles established to support artisans in the developing world. Every product we sell was created