The potential of migrants and ethical fashion

Simone Cipriani, Head and founder of the International Trade Center’s Ethical Fashion Initiative recently shared his thoughts and experiences about the potential of migrants working in Ethical Fashion in an article on Huffington Post. Through his vast experience working in the sector to create market frameworks for micro producers in Africa, Cipriani provides great insight […]

Notes from the field: reflections on working with big retail

by guest blogger Sarah Sternberg For many producer groups and artisans, getting an order from one of the big retailers is the dream. We wanted to learn more about what it takes to achieve that goal and reached out to our friends at Songa Designs to learn more from founder Sarah Sternberg. Three years ago […]

Eco Fashion Prediction

  With ethical fashion and “conscious consumerism” on the rise, there is a desire to learn more about global business practices and an hunger for transparency in these transactions. Ecouterre recently published a great article on the Eco Fashion Predictions for 2016. Learn more about what some of the leaders in this burgeoning field are […]

The start of many beautiful conversations

by guest blogger Mary Louise Marino Artesan Gateway friend and supporter Mary Louise Marino has recently embarked on a three month journey in Asia, in part to enable the launch of Indigo Lion Artisan Boutique. We are delighted to share her reflections at the start of this journey. In these past two weeks, still at […]

Pantone Colour for 2016

For those who haven’t already heard, Pantone has chosen two colours to represent their colour of the year for 2016: Serenity and Rose Quartz. Design Milk provides us with a bit of background behind what these blend of colours evoke and provide some great examples of these colour combinations  in action.   With Spring already […]

Home Decor Trends for 2016

As we know, with home decor, it’s all about adding accents and personalized touches to make a space feel unique or special. A big part of this is visualizing the space and getting a sense of what consumers might like to fill their homes with. These home decor trends as listed on the Apartment Therapy, […]

Artesan Profile: Prokritee, Bangladesh

Late last year, we featured Swapan Das (Executive Director at Prokritee and Chairperson of ECOTA) as he shared his thoughts on Fair Trade. We caught up with Swapan recently to learn more about Prokritee, a fair trade company in Bangladesh that supports over 1,500 artisans in rural areas. Founded in 2001 as a an auxiliary […]

Artesan Profile: Amarella, Mexico

We recently caught up with Lina Moreno Velez, founder of Amarella to learn more about how she was inspired to set up an organization that supports and preserves Mexican artisans and their culture. Originally from Colombia, we were intrigued by her story and vision and wanted to share this with you. The idea to set […]

National Association for Indian Crafts

Jaya Jaitly, founder of  Dastkari Haat Samiti, a national association for Indian crafts, has spent her career working with Indian craftsmen throughout the subcontinent, empowering the disenfranchised to develop a sustainable livelihood through crafts. In a recent interview on Yourstory.com, Jaya talks about the path that led her to the career that has, in many […]

Indigenous African Design

With a continent as diverse and vast as Africa, it’s terrific to see African designers using traditional designs and embracing the new to create unique, indigenous designs. To get a sense of what’s happening on the continent check out this terrific article: A New Generation Of African Artists Have A Bold Vision For The Future. Look […]