Pretty & Philanthropic: Organic, Fair Trade Pillows

Have you ever spent 6 months looking for the perfect pillows? I’m almost ashamed to admit that I have, and I’m really hoping someone else answers yes so I don’t feel like a complete nutjob. Ever since we moved into our apartment in September, I had been looking for two orange accent pillows to go in our living room. It seems sort of ironic that I would find them now, almost a month to the day before we are moving. Again. But still, these pillows from Gianna are everything I wanted and more.

These days, it’s not tough to find housewares that are either organic or Fair Trade. Finding options that are both, however, is a little bit harder. These pillows, in addition to being absolutely gorgeous, are handcrafted by women in India who are fairly compensated for their work. But Gianna goes further than simply telling customers that the pillows are Fair Trade.

The company actually highlights individual artisans so you can read about them and their lives, and even see photos of them at work. The woman shown above, Surekha, is one of those artisans, and according to the Gianna site:

Surekha works outside the doorway leading to her home and finds the rhythmic in-and-out motion of her embroidery needle meditative.

Stories like this are the reason I think it’s so important to be a conscious consumer. It’s not often that we get to see the faces behind the products we buy, and opportunities like this should be embraced. This philosophy is behind all Gianna products, so it is a retailer you can feel god patronizing.

Why It’s Green:

• Handmade of organic cotton
• Fair Trade (from India)
• Colored with natural dyes made from berries and other local plants

Price: $52-68