Lady LUX

As a way to honor those that we believe are true living role models, we feel inspired to share a story of one woman’s vision for change that translates into a successful business model.

Willa Shalit, a social entrepreneur and artist, founded the Fairwinds Trading company with the vision to address the growing poverty population from a place of empowerment. Her approach drastically differs from previous approaches. Shalit believes the only way to combat poverty is to support those struggling by creating lasting job opportunities and to create sustainable communities. This is the philosophy that Fairwinds Trading Company is founded upon as a socially conscious business.

With millions of dollars a year in aide being given to address the problem, there’s still a lack of real progress towards a long term solution reducing the numbers of those struggling to simply feed their families. Fairwinds Trading Company was designed to do things a bit different by focusing on actually ‘raising the standard of living for women’ in these poverty stricken communities.

Fairwinds Trading is an American business built on enduring partnerships that bring together people and products across global divides. –fairwindstrading.com

One of the collaborative partners includes, Gahaya Links, which helps Rwanda women utilize their standard cultural traditions of handmade baskets and hand-beaded bracelets and sell them in the U.S. market. Providing a win-win strategic relationship that serves dual purposes and empowers women at the same time. Originally only using 50 weavers, Fairwinds Trading has expanded to include up to 3,000 weavers in the Rwandan community.

An example of one of these eye-catching designs is shown in the picture above; a melanite garnet cuff handcrafted by the Rwanda craftswomen. Check out some of the designs and hear the stories of the Rwanda people by clicking HERE.

“The initial design concept comes directly from the women in Rwanda. Women from all over the countryside travel to our center in Kigali for two weeks of training, then go back to their respective villages to teach others and produce the baskets at home. This way, rural communities remain intact.” –according to Willa Shalit.

Fairwinds Trading has also extended into the Indonesia market by partnering with CraftNetwork to bring high quality and unique wooden goods and ceramics to the U.S. market.

The success of Fairwinds Trading isn’t solely dependent on the international representatives and communities, but also on U.S. companies that help offer widespread exposure and distribution channels. Here are a few companies that have played powerful roles in marketing and supporting the mission to alleviate poverty: Macy’s, macys.com, O, The Oprah Magazine, Citi Financial and Starbucks.

This isn’t the first endeavor made by Shalit, she’s also the co-producer of the known series Vagina Monologues. In general, she’s a woman entrepreneur that stands for empowerment and providing women with the tools to be happy and healthy. Her company is a great socially conscious company that paves the way for innovation and collaboration in a whole new direction.

LUXies, if you’d like to see more of the Fairwinds Trading baskets and other crafts, visit Fairwinds Trading online or macy’s.com.

What do you think LUX Nation? Does this company’s philosophy and mission inspire you to take on a more socially conscious approach to your life? Does Willa Shalit’s approach to business and empowerment make her a powerful role model for future female generations?

Tagged in: fairwinds trading, socially conscious business, gahaya links, willa shalit,