Fair trade is more than a business model — it’s a movement that recognizes the dignity, creativity, and strength of artisans around the world. At its core, fair trade provides women with opportunities to earn sustainable incomes, preserve cultural traditions, and make choices that strengthen their families and communities. This approach stands in stark contrast to the fast fashion industry, where women often work in unsafe conditions for poverty wages, producing disposable goods that exploit their labor, harm their environment and communities, and erase their stories. Fair trade is the antithesis of that system — it places value on both the maker and the craft, ensuring that women are not invisible, but empowered.
Guillerma's Story
One powerful story comes from Ayacucho, Peru, shared here with the permission of our artisan partner Guillerma, and translated from her own words:
Guillerma Yauri was born in the small village of Choccllacc, where she grew up tending sheep and goats with her parents and grandparents. Education was scarce, and like many in her community, she never had the chance to attend school. As an adult, she married, raised four children, and carried a quiet determination that her children would have more opportunities than she did.
To give them that chance, she and her husband moved to the city of Ayacucho. Life in the town was difficult. They lived in a single rented room, surviving on meager wages. As financial pressures grew, Guillerma also faced the painful reality of domestic violence. Still, she refused to give up. She sold candies on the streets, carrying her children with her and holding on to the hope of a better future.
Everything changed when she met Susana Meneses, a woman working with a fair trade embroidery collective. Susana invited Guillerma to join, and with that step, Guillerma discovered that embroidery reconnected her with skills she had learned in childhood. Surrounded by other women who shared her struggles and dreams, she began to build stability and confidence through her craft.
The income from embroidery allowed Guillerma to send her children to school and eventually buy a family home. More importantly, it gave her independence and dignity. Even when her husband’s resistance made things difficult, the support of the women at the collective reminded her that her work mattered — for herself, for her family, and for those who looked to her as a role model.
Today, Guillerma is not only a talented artisan but also a leader. She guides a group of 30 women, encouraging them to earn their own incomes and strengthen their families. Through her example, she shows how resilience and community can turn hardship into opportunity.
The Bigger Picture
Stories like Guillerma’s illustrate why fair trade matters. Around the world, women face systemic barriers to education, employment, and safety. Fair trade partnerships create pathways to economic stability, leadership, and empowerment. They allow women to stay rooted in their communities while gaining access to global markets that value their artistry and labor.
When women are empowered, entire communities benefit. Children attend school, traditions are preserved, and cycles of poverty begin to shift. Fair trade makes this possible by ensuring that artisans receive fair pay, safe working conditions, and respect for their craft.
Why It Matters
At Jenny Krauss, we believe that every product carries a story — of the hands that made it, the traditions it carries, and the futures it helps shape. Supporting fair trade means creating opportunities for women like Guillerma, whose courage and perseverance ripple outward to change lives. In a world where fast fashion continues to exploit women — underpaying them for grueling labor, trapping them in cycles of poverty, and treating their work as disposable — fair trade offers a different path. It recognizes the humanity behind each piece, investing in women rather than exploiting them, and honoring craft rather than consuming it.
Fair trade is proof that dignity and opportunity can go hand in hand. And when women thrive, the world does too.
Explore the extraordinary artistry here.
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