Flair Magazine Rafeya (Egypt)
It is hard to find women’s clothes that are both trendy and good quality. With Rafeya it is easy to find a custom ordered piece that you can truly feel good about. Curated by Noura Galal, Egyptian fashion brand Rafeya employs women from low-income neighborhoods to help empower them through fashion. This ethically focused brand empowers both the consumer and the producer by giving the seamstresses a partnership in the company allowing them to share in the profits of each piece they produce. Buying from Rafeya not only helps to support an Egyptian small business and female entrepreneur but gives a creative voice to those in some of Egypt’s poorest communities.
Brave Soles (Dominican Republic)
Brave Soles is a lifestyle brand recently started by Canadian expatriate Christal Earle in the Dominican Republic. Known for both its beautiful beaches and extreme poverty Christal wanted to start a company that took care of the planet and the people of the island. These sandals are not only hip and trendy but made out of recycled tires; the money from each pair of sandals sold goes back into the community and helps provide basic needs for families and individuals. Brave Soles are keeping international fashionistas on-trend, but also giving support to those that need it most, choosing Brave Soles is a clear win-win.
Palestyle (Palestine)
Palestyle is a Middle Eastern luxury handbag company that makes fashionable embroidered bags but the company’s mission goes a lot farther than fashion. Adorned with intricate embroidery and gold-pated Arabic calligraphy this brand is ethically focused. In 2009 entrepreneur and founder of Palestyle Zeina Abou Chaaban visited refugee camps in Lebanon and her world was changed. From then the brand has had a simple social mission, to empower refugee women with jobs so they can help themselves and their families flourish. This brand is both fashion-forward and ethical and they have a ton of international awards to prove it!
Fortress of Inca (Peru)
Peru is a small country with a long history of creating beautiful hand-crafted goods. Shoes are probably not the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about this quaint South American country but shoes are what entrepreneur Evan Streusand fell in love with while backpacking in 2004. By 2010, Evan opened Fortress of Inca working with family-owned and operated factories to create Peruvian inspired shoes that are timeless. More than just chic shoes, Fortress of Inca focuses on ensuring fair wages, gender equality, and good working conditions for all of their shoemakers. The classic silhouettes will inspire your wardrobe but the craftsmanship is what will have you hooked!
31 Bits (Uganda)
Purchasing with a purpose is what the 31 Bits team is all about. They started off with a simple idea, “To give artisans dignified job opportunities by making products that women would buy” and in a short time have become an international success, endorsed by celebrities like Sophia Bush, Candace Cameron Bure, and Jessica Alba. The journey started after a life-changing experience in Uganda. Knowing that so many women were without jobs and opportunities to support themselves and their families a group of college students decided to create a business to find a market for their handcrafted goods. Today, 31 Bits believes that business should be conscious of the creator and consumer and are creating beautiful jewelry, bags, and accessories that give back to the women that create them.
Amy N. Pugsley
