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HOPE Fair Fashion in Action was born after Gina and Greg Hope witnessed the natural spirit of giving and receiving one October day in 2006 in India. Their son, then just 4 years old, smiled broadly and handed his too-small clothing to a street boy in New Delhi.
“The transaction was beyond outward beauty,” Gina recalls. “It was inner purity on both sides, completely lacking judgment. It was the true nature of giving and receiving.”
Gina and Greg Hope with their daughter Devaki and son Kaivalya.
Gina and Greg's idea for HOPE Fair Fashion in Action — a small company based on very big thinking — was crystallized in that instant.
A Fair Trade Federation member company that pays artisans an ethical living wage in the local context, HOPE has taking monumental steps to improve quality of life for craftspeople in Thailand.
"I am now sending my own child to a private preschool," says Suphin, a 24-year-old silver artisan who works for HOPE. Gina took the above photo of Suphin as she was coaxing silver beads into shape. "This is much better than the government school that I went to. Now I am able to plan for my family's future."
Suphin is one of 10 hard-working women from all over Thailand who create HOPE's unique clothing, jewelry and accessories. Each piece celebrates the interconnection of the global community. With partners like Gaiam, HOPE is building markets for fair trade products and creating a safe, comfortable place to earn a living in dignity.
Today, the HOPE tailors and jewelry artisans represent four different indigenous hill tribes from the surrounding areas: Karen, Lawa, Hmong and Akha.
HOPE also gives back in many other ways to the communities where HOPE products are crafted.
"Fair trade is not just about paying a living wage in the local context for products at the time you need them," Gina explains. "It's also about making a commitment to consistent business by establishing a supportive relationship between artisans and end-users."
She says the fair trade umbrella includes paying deposits that offset risk and costs incurred by producers. "Most producers are living hand to mouth and cannot buy the materials to actually make a product, especially a large order. So we help give them the opportunity to get ahead."
Suphin says this lesser-known aspect of fair trade business practices has made a world of difference for her community.
"Many people from our village lost so much when the price of silver dropped,” she recalls. “Now our fair trade partners purchase the silver for us to make the beads, so we don't have to take that big risk anymore."
Gina says it’s all part of the plan. "We want to unite global communities that span every culture and geographic boundary through values based on dignity. Understanding and accepting different ways, people and ideas is the very colorful road to a more respectful, safer, kinder world.”
Shop HOPE jewelry and accessories in the One World by GaiamTM Fair Trade Marketplace.
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