Senior Sailor Says...
I just discovered two fair trade companies helping men and women in third-world countries make a living making beautiful objects including travel accessories perfect for your next cruise.
I personally have several of these items and enjoy their practicality as well as their beauty.
From SERRV INTERNATIONAL
Kantha Travel Organizer
Handcrafted in Bangladesh
Made from recycled saris and hand-stitched with kantha embroidery, this unique, eco-friendly travel accessory will help you keep all your important documents and other travel essentials in one handy spot. Spacious travel organizer features a removable wrist loop. Ample pockets include a single exterior zip pocket, interior coin pocket, cash and card holders, pen holder, window pocket, and passport pocket. Colors and patterns will vary; let us choose for you! Spot clean. Dimensions: 5" high x 9" wide x 2" deep.
Isha Sari Toiletry Bag
Handcrafted in India
Colorful upcycled embellished cotton sari patchwork is paired with sturdy black canvas to create this one-of-a-kind toiletry bag. It features black fabric lining, antique brass hardware, and zip-top closure. Two interior pockets, one slip, and one zip closure. Sari colors and patterns will vary; let us choose for you. Shop the rest of the Isha Collection for your other travel essentials! Spot clean. 6 1/2" high x 10" wide x 4 1/2" deep.
Upcycled Sari Packing Cubes - Set of 3
Handcrafted in India
Bring color and order to your travel! Two layers of recycled cotton saris are stitched together to create these one-of-a-kind packing cubes with zipper closures. No two are alike! Patterns and colors of the sari will vary; let us choose for you. Set of 3. Dimensions: Small: 6 1/2" high x 9" wide x 3 1/2" deep; Medium: 8" high x 11" wide x 3" deep; Large: 12" high x 18" wide x 4" deep.
Sari Shoe Bags - Set of 3
Handcrafted in India
Travel in style with these colorful, patterned bags made from recycled sari fabric. They're a perfect fit for a pair of shoes or other valuables. The drawstring closure keeps the bag closed. Colors and patterns will vary. Spot clean. 17" long x 13" wide each.
About SERRV
SERRV International has partnered with artisans in East India since 1990, providing a long-term trading partnership and interest-free advance payment for our orders. Through sales of their products, artisans from more than 70 craft groups (many are women), receive improved working conditions, stable incomes, and benefits from health campaigns. In addition, artisans receive help finding needed export outlets for their handicrafts.
Artisans in East India use several techniques to create a variety of beautiful handcrafts, including embroidery, ikat, leatherwork, batik, hand painting, and metalwork.
Shanti Striped Leather Eyeglass Case
Handcrafted in India
If your host has their summer booked with travel escapades, surprise them with the Shanti Striped Zip Leather Eyeglass Case. The eyeglass case ensures their sunglasses stay safe and scratch-free throughout their journey.
Rosemerra Handwoven Basket Tote
Handcrafted by artisans with OTICART in Kenya
This oversized tote bag will take you everywhere you need to go! Woven with reeds and finished with attractive and durable leather accents and straps, the Rosemerra Handwoven Basket Tote has enough room for all of your essentials for a day at the beach, pool, park, and beyond. Exact size and shape will vary.
Travel Blessings Necklace
Handcrafted by makers, Faire Collection in Ecuador
Wear this tagua charm of the North Star as a reminder to keep on your path, as you see it. Gift this to yourself or someone you care about as a lovely mantra, a little prayer, an intention to remember that it's what we learn and integrate along our many journeys that shapes who we are. Made from "vegetable ivory," a plant-based alternative for elephant ivory, this sustainably harvested nut is also used as an eco-friendly substitute for plastics.
About Ten Thousand Villages
As a global maker-to-market movement, Ten Thousand Villages U.S. connects artisans in under-resourced communities with shoppers in the U.S. offering beautiful, purposeful, and ethically sourced handcrafted gifts, homewares and fashion accessories. Through doing so, Ten Thousand Villages is reimagining retail and redefining how trade can be done. Every product and donation generates sustainable income — and impact — for 20,000 makers in 20+ countries who earn a fair, living wage in safe working conditions.
That means families are able to build homes and save for the future, their children stay healthy and go to school and their communities develop and thrive. Partnering with artisan enterprises and people who are often excluded from the marketplace, particularly women, Ten Thousand Villages shares the craft, culture, and stories of makers through a network of more than 50 branded stores, 1,000-plus retail partners and online. As the founders of fair trade, Ten Thousand Villages does business differently, putting people and the planet first — since 1946.
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