How appropriate, then, that Fibres of Life all came about by chance – or so it seems – when I, working in community development and conservation, popped out of a public transport vehicle in Kathmandu, Nepal, on my way to an information interview, and landed straight in front of The Association for Craft Producers – the first fair trade association we began work with 6 years ago, and who we now share a deep partnership with. While I watched others come and go from breathtaking mountain treks, I had begun to question my insanity of buzzing around the busy and sometimes polluted streets days at a time to meet with people in the country working on thought provoking social and environmental projects. Should I have sent my trusty hiking boots home in that hockey bag? What was I doing? But I do believe that the story isn’t over until it is over – and that was the day Fibres of Life, as it became, began – as I walked excitedly into ACP and felt the first sense of possibility and reality in months of travel and seeking. Over the next few days, before I knew it, to buy product, I had withdrawn $3000 from the bank machine in multiple small withdrawls, and realized I had no idea how to export and ship the goods. Never one to be shy, a coffee and talking with others in the area pointed me in the right direction and so it landed on Canadian soil.

While I watched others come and go from breathtaking mountain treks, I had begun to question my insanity of buzzing around the busy and sometimes polluted streets days at a time to meet with people in the country working on thought provoking social and environmental projects. Should I have sent my trusty hiking boots home in that hockey bag?

What was I doing? But I do believe that the story isn’t over until it is over – and that was the day Fibres of Life, as it became, began – as I walked excitedly into ACP and felt the first sense of possibility and reality in months of travel and seeking. Over the next few days, before I knew it, to buy product, I had withdrawn $3000 from the bank machine in multiple small withdrawls, and realized I had no idea how to export and ship the goods. Never one to be shy, a coffee and talking with others in the area pointed me in the right direction and so it landed on Canadian soil.

While my main motivation and passion with Fibres of Life has been to be a part of an international collaboration to support social and environmental development, this project has called on myself, and those who I work with, in unexpected, and often, deliciously surprising ways. Discovery #1 to 10 – No fair trade project or artisan can succeed economically or otherwise without gorgeous, unique products that inspire. Early on, with no ‘design’ background, I quickly had to learn how to observe the creative capacities existing in the fair trade groups we work with, and locate my own skills to design and develop products that would demonstrate the unquestionable value of handmade, ethically produced, quality products. Products that would draw people in from their originality and progressive style, and inspire people who may not have cared about fair trade or socially responsible consumerism to think about it, support it, and spread the word. I believe we need to create products that are not bought charitably. No beige, no ‘do good’, no ordinary. We strive for color, whimsy and intelligent design that people will WANT and will be moved to think about intentionality and to care – to think about where it came from, and their role as an ethical shopper.