I never watched “The Hills,” and my fashion style includes the following two criteria: is it comfortable, or, is it really pretty? But I do have one fashion/beauty icon: Lauren Conrad. She has blonde hair and green eyes, just like me, and her taste in clothes is so feminine and so beautiful. My sister and I used to obsessively shop at Kohls just so we could get the latest LC tops or dresses. I even used to screenshot her picture to take to my hair gal so she could balayage my color to be just like hers! Because of this celebrity girl crush I had, I fell into following another endeavor of hers, The Little Market. Seeing this company grow has transformed someone I once saw as a fashion/beauty icon, into someone I have immense admiration and respect for.
The Little Market was started by Lauren Conrad and Hannah Skvarla with a mission to empower female artisans around the world. These women create beautiful products, but they do not have a local market prosperous enough to support them. It is unbelievable that women with such an incredible, unique talent truly live below the poverty line, and often cannot support their families. This is where The Little Market steps in. They use fair trade principles to help sell these products, and generate meaningful income, purpose, and dignity for the women who create them. I cannot imagine having a family that I love more than anything, and not have a means to support them with basic necessities. Additionally, I believe that most people have a strong desire to have a life of purpose. The ability to provide for your family and contribute to society can give someone a tremendous sense of purpose. Fair trade principles allow The Little Market to open up doors of opportunity for these women that they otherwise would not have.
Their values are as follows: empowering women, paying fairly and promptly, prioritizing marginalized individuals and communities, promoting a safe and dignified workplace, ensuring cultural maintenance, cultivating environmental consciousness, and advocating for human rights and social justice. Read about how they implement these aforementioned values here.
The ripple effect goes on.
The artisans that are empowered through their work are then able to turn around and provide opportunities within their own communities. These artisans have provided literacy workshops, business training and health programs for their communities. Often, they are able to work from home so that they can continue to care for their families. Their extra income has helped them send their children to school, resulting in many of their children being first-generation high school graduates!
But there is more!
They have an entire page dedicated to special charity collaborations. These products, which are made by women domestically and internationally, support specific charities. 50% (!!!) of the proceeds go back to the given charity. Just to name a few:
–CARE humanitarian organization to end poverty
–HOMEBOY & HOMEGIRL industries
Click on any of these charities to be linked to the page where you can make purchases (as low as $16) to support them!
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I could spend hours on their webpage. There are countless pages that talk about the impact they have already made, charities they support, their mission and values, a blog, fair trade information, how to donate, and more! For you shoppers, they have hundreds of products, range from bags, accessories, candles, home decor, dining, kids items, gift boxes and more! You can even customize your candles or build your own gift box sets.
You need to look no further than Lauren Conrad and The Little Market if you want to see a woman using her platform for good. It is amazing to fill my instagram feed with the most inspiring people and companies. They make me strive to be the change I want to see in the world, as cheesy as it may sound. Next time you are looking for a beautiful, well, nearly anything (but seriously, they have just about everything!), take a look at their products that are impacting, changing and even saving lives and communities around the world. You can be a part of it!
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Have an incredible start to your week, friends. As a side note, hug those you love tight and never stop fighting the good fight. <3
XoXo Lindsey Sholtis
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All information on The Little Market found at https://www.thelittlemarket.com/
Image credits:
(1) https://people.com/home/watch-lauren-conrad-and-hannah-skvarla-give-a-tour-of-their-first-the-little-market-store/
(2) https://www.thelittlemarket.com/collections/new/products/short-diamond-woven-box-blush
(3) https://www.thelittlemarket.com/collections/charity-totes/products/purposefull-tote-homegirl?variant=14833118576675
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