Warning: This is my blatant sales pitch for a hip new shoe company out on the East Coast. While I normally believe in controlling our consumerist tendencies, you really need a pair of these shoes!

If you still lace up a beat-up, worn-down, just-plain-falling-apart pair of classic Chuck Taylor sneakers, then I've got news for you.

Before you hand $50 over to a corporate machine brand like Nike (they bought the financially-ailing Converse in 2003), check out the ultimate ethical alternative from my friend Anne at www.autonomieproject.com...the new Ethletic brand (ethics + athletic = Ethletic!).

These kicks are Fair Trade and eco-friendly so your feet, social conscious and green lifestyle can now all get along!  Made with the same FSC-certified all natural and sustainable rubber that we use in our Fair Trade soccer balls, they are also moving to Fair Trade certified, organic cotton canvas and shoelaces in the coming months.

Ethletic shoes are made by adult workers - not children - in Fair Trade environments, which means the people who made your shoes are being paid a fair wage, have access to health care and micro credit loans. Each pair is stamped with the FSC logo on the sole so you can rest easy that your carbon footprint truly is green! (Sorry, bad joke, could not resist.)

So be ethical.  Buy Ethletic.

Our friends at Fair Indigo just released their Autumn catalog.

They have a recycled, fair trade fleece jacket made from 50% recycled soda bottles by a fair trade cooperative in Costa Rica. How cool is that?!

They are also carrying our children’s Fair Trade soccer balls. Grab one to go with your Fair Indigo fleece jacket this Fall!

“What’s your favorite product you make?”

I hear that question alot. I play alot of soccer, so to date it’s been a toss up between our futsal ball for indoor soccer, our Match ball for outdoor soccer, and our funky one-sleeve tee shirts.

Well, I officially have a new favorite just in time for a hot summer: our new performance tee shirts and tanks. They look cool, and they feel even better. Check them out here.

The Fashion 4 Development group in DC recently featured our “alternate sleeve” tee shirts, ball caps, Fair Trade soccer balls, and Fair Trade rugby balls at their swank DC Fashion Week event. 

Interesting intersections that happen when you are least expecting it are the ones that make me smile the most.

Yesterday I was glancing through my Google Alerts and found a reference to both fairtrade soccer balls and Fair Indigo, the hip new apparel company from Madison, WI.

I popped over to Just Things - a good source for an “applied counter-economics” perspective on the Fair Trade movement - to read through the candid  interview with Fair Indigo’s Bill Bass and Rob Behnke.

Bill was walking journalist Steve Herrick through his design department when they spotted one of our fairly traded children’s soccer balls. An interesting and insightful discussion about the pros/cons of partnerships between fair trade companies ensued.

I’m already a fan of their apparel line. One of my favorite shirts is their logo tee - amazingly soft and lots of folks ask about the tagline “style with a conscience” when I wear it around town.

Position yourself as a true hipster at the local park by snagging your own fairtrade children’s soccer ball *before* the next Fair Indigo catalog comes out. Then you’ll be able to show your kids the catalog and reap their adoration for being on the cutting edge of hipness. At least that’s what I’m planning to do.

:)

Ever wonder what a Fair Trade fashion show might look like? If you live anywhere near DC, you can find out on February 28.

A consortium of organizations* is producing the Fashion 4 Development show in the IFC Auditorium, to be followed by a reception at Pangea Artisan Market & Café.

We are joining a host of other companies supplying the show with fairly traded items, including Ten Thousand Villages, World of Good, Pangea, Be Sweet, American Apparel, Edun, Global Mama’s, Creative Women, Global Handicrafters, and many more.

If you are one of our East Coast readers, I’d encourage you to check it out. Ping Sheela Bykadi for more information.


* including the IFC, World Bank, DC Week for Fashion, Fair Trade Federation, and the Margaret McNamara Memorial Fund.

Should you find yourself already on Amazon.com doing some online shopping, now you can now throw your favorite Fair Trade Sports soccer ball into that magical shopping cart as well.

Same great price. Same great service. Now with the convenience of 1 Click ordering. Add us to your Amazon Wish List today and be sure to check out the Amazon Reviews on our fairly traded sports balls!

Along with Divine Chocolate, Equal Exchange, Fair Trade Sports was recently listed on the ILRF’s Holiday Gift Tips list for ethical holiday shoppers (ILRF is the International Labor Rights Fund).

What an honor to sit next to high-quality organizations such as Nueva Vida Clothing, Odegard Carpets, and more.

See ILRF’s full list for all your holiday shopping needs.

We’ve been asked how we can provide a competitive product to you at the same time as we provide a living wage to the folks hand-stitching these high quality sports balls.

Quite simply, we market direct to consumers, relying primarily on Internet sales for distribution and positive word-of-mouth for advertising. By not paying huge sums of money for advertising, we’re able to give you a great product at a great price, while still paying Fair Trade wages to our stitchers.

Help us spread the word and make a difference with your purchasing power. Buy a ball or tee shirt today, and receive a free set of cards that transform you into an Ambassador of Respect!

Or order the cards by themselves; they are free and there is no charge for shipping. Put a few in your wallet to keep them ready to hand out to people you think might be interested in Fair Trade products.

We just got confirmation that our Fair Trade sports ball inventory is arriving next week, just in time for your holiday shopping!

Please consider giving a present with a purpose this year.