If you are looking for socially conscious accessories to give as gifts this holiday season, the LOVE necklace from Bird & Stone is an elegant choice that directly helps women in developing communities. A portion of the net profits (15%) will go towards microloans and financial education for widows in Kenya. This entrepreneurial effort to empower women near Kitale, Kenya is part of the social enterprise's partnership with the SiSi Fund.
Similar jewelry lines exist, often employing female community members and offering them an alternative source of income. However, Bird & Stone's socially conscious accessories do an incredible job of toeing the line between pieces that benefit the villages and their culture while also having an esthetic that will appeal to a wide variety of customers in the western world.
What Makes This Trend Stand Out
- Socially Conscious Jewelry
- Opportunities for other jewelry brands to invest in social projects that empower communities, support microloans, or donate percentages of profits to communities they source materials from.
- Community Empowerment Accessories
- Opportunities for designers to collaborate with underprivileged communities in creating empowering product lines that help finance social initiatives.
- Sustainable Sourcing
- Opportunities for brands to ensure ethical sourcing and fair trade practices through transparency and responsible manufacturing processes.
Sectors Adopting This
- Jewelry
- The jewelry industry could explore similar ideas of sustainable sourcing and socially conscious production, which can appeal to ethically-minded consumers.
- Fashion
- Fashion houses can tap into the socially conscious space by collaborating with underprivileged communities or sourcing materials locally, keeping in mind fair trade practices.
- Community Development and Microfinancing
- Opportunities for innovative solutions to empower underprivileged communities, especially women, through education, entrepreneurship, and access to finance.
