Top Five Accessories for Fair Trade Month

We love these top five accessories from our online boutique five ACCESSORIES.com for Fair Trade Month. Proceeds from each sale go to charity. All items are made with fair trade standards.



1. five ACCESSORIES Wood Bangles- These ultra chic bracelets are made by Fair Trade standards and a percentage from all sales goes back to charity. Made from solid wood. These bangles are on sale for $10 regular $15




2. five ACCESSORIES Shoulder Bag- This ultra hip carrying case fits over your shoulder and protects the iPad while commuting to class or work. Adjustable shoulder straps, inside three pockets including a zippered pocket, outside two pockets make it ideal for a handbag and iPad carrying case. Function meets style and protection in the unisex iPad shoulder bag. Comes in 6 colors. $45



3. five ACCESSORIES Messenger Bag- Commuter bag, laptop bag, work bag, overnight bag, gym bag, bicycle bag, beach bag, diaper bag, knitting bag, you name it Eco bag. Distinctive outer shell is re purposed mosquito netting. Lining is repurposed industrial waterproof tarp, for a bag that is durable and waterproof. Black piping with mesh straps, to be worn cross body or over one shoulder, the bag closes in front with a big, sturdy buckle. Adjustable strap drop, with bag dimensions of 15.5 x 15.5 x 4.5. Interior pockets keeps everything organized. $75.00




4. five ACCESSORIES Fair Trade Wallet with Key Chain- Made from recycled mosquito netting through Smateria, a fair trade company in Cambodia. Handmade and hand stitched using recycled material. This key chain is designed to hold your iPhone, credit card and one tube of lipstick. Outside pocket designed to hold credit cards. Can also be an iPhone carrying case. Zipper closure. Comes in six colors. $15




5. five ACCESSORIES Wood and Pearl Bracelet- Oval-shaped wood sections are united with small beads in between and finished with a circular shaped pearl overlay. Elastic provides stretch. From our Bali Collection. $10

For more information please visit https://www.fiveaccessories.com/

Happy Fair Trade Month to all my Fair Trade friends!

October is Fair Trade Month

It is hard to believe another year has passed and it is Fair Trade Month again! As wonderful as Fair Trade Month is, it just seems like yesterday that I was writing a blog post about it.

Fair Trade is

...a system of exchange that honors producers, communities, consumers, and the environment. It is a model for the global economy rooted in people-to-people connections, justice, and sustainability.

When you make Fair Trade purchases you are supporting a fair price for products, investing in people and communities here in the USA and abroad. You are also supporting environmental sustainability, economic empowerment of small scale producers, direct trade and fair trade practices such as fair labor conditions.

(source: GreenAmerica.org)
Won't you support Fair Trade Month by purchasing from businesses who are Fair Trade Certified? Just look for these logos below shop:

Eden Place Farmers Market at Fuller Park

five ACCESSORIES is proud to support the Eden Place Farmers Market at Fuller Park every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Not only does this farmers market provide a great variety of fresh produce, flowers, arts & crafts, music and more, it also provides a great sense of community and support. On August 28th, we had the opportunity to participate in exciting events at the market.

For starters, the Green Fashion Show was a smashing hit. We saw the best of recycled and refurbished fashions! Youth Choirs also showed of their voices in amazing performances and a wonderful green cooking presentation caught the noses of many! However, probably the most exciting of all were the White House officials in attendance! Imagine being a part of the community, meeting neighbors, learning how to be green, and meeting staff from the White House! Just think, they know Obama, how cool is that?

Also, five ACCESSORIES had a table and just maybe someone from the White House left interested in a bamboo bag? Or maybe the messenger bags? We had a great time at this event and look forward to many more in the future.

Gift Insider on WGNTV.COM

Thanks to Lindsay Roberts of WGN we were almost featured on The Gift Insider but unfortunately the segment got cut short. However, our Off the Street picture frame was still nicely displayed on the table. This picture frame is made of recycled street refuse and handmade by our StreetWise vendors. Also see The Gift Insider blog.

Dressed to Give Feature

Our founder, Christine Hutchison, was recently interviewed by Stephanie Hackman of Dressed to Give at CaseFoundation.org. Stephanie actively seeks to write about businesses that give back. Here is a quote from her:

Dressed to Give readers know I love highlighting businesses that are giving back in style. I've blogged about shoe companies and boutiques that have made giving back a part of their business model, and I've been thrilled to see an upsurge in fashion-focused entrepreneurial ventures lately that have a strong commitment to philanthropy.

We really appreciate her article and her support. In case you would like to read it, we thought we'd post a link to it:

http://www.casefoundation.org/blog/dressed-give-five-accessories

Upcoming Chicago Shopping Events

The following list is a our upcoming Chicago shopping events schedule that five ACCESSORIES will be attending in case any of you are in or near the Chicago area:

Chicago Gift & Market

Friday-Saturday-Sunday-Monday-Tuesday

July 23rd-27th

Merchandise Mart, 8th floor

http://www.shopchicagomarket.com/exhibitorlisting/temporaryexhibitors/

Elmhurst Green Festival
Saturday/Sunday
July 31st and August 1st

8:30 to 3:30

http://www.elmhurstgreenfest.org/web/

Halsted Days

Saturday/Sunday

August 7th and 8th

Chicago, IL

Renegade Craft Fair
Friday/Saturday/Sunday September 10th,11th and 12th

9:30am to 7:00 pm

Division St. between Damen and Paulina

http://www.renegadecraft.com/chicago

Lincoln Park Art Faire

Saturday/Sunday Sept. 11th and 12th

9:30am to 6:30 pm

2045 Lincoln Park West

five ACCESSORIES in the News

Special thanks to TCW Mag (Today's Chicago Woman Magazine) for this recent news feature about five ACCESSORIES and our StreetWise Vendors:

Things You May Have Not Known You Could Recycle

In 2007 Green America had a great article about 21 things you probably did not realize you could recycle. They featured it again in one of their newsletters. Here is a partial list, to read the full list follow the link at the bottom of this post:

1. Appliances: Goodwill accepts working appliances, www.goodwill.org, or you can contact the Steel Recycling Institute to recycle them. 800/YES-1-CAN, www.recycle-steel.org.

2. Batteries: Rechargeables and single-use: Battery Solutions, 734/467-9110, www.batteryrecycling.com.

3. Cardboard boxes: Contact local nonprofits and women’s shelters to see if they can use them. Or, offer up used cardboard boxes at your local Freecycle.org listserv or on Craigslist.org for others who may need them for moving or storage. If your workplace collects at least 100 boxes or more each month, UsedCardboardBoxes.com accepts them for resale.

4. CDs/DVDs/Game Disks: Send scratched music or computer CDs, DVDs, and PlayStation or Nintendo video game disks to AuralTech for refinishing, and they’ll work like new: 888/454-3223, www.auraltech.com.

5. Clothes: Wearable clothes can go to your local Goodwill outlet or shelter. Donate wearable women’s business clothing to Dress for Success, which gives them to low-income women as they search for jobs, 212/532-1922, www.dressforsuccess.org. Offer unwearable clothes and towels to local animal boarding and shelter facilities, which often use them as pet bedding. Consider holding a clothes swap at your office, school, faith congregation or community center. Swap clothes with friends and colleagues, and save money on a new fall wardrobe and back-to-school clothes.

6. Compact fluorescent bulbs: Take them to your local IKEA store for recycling: www.ikea.com.

7. Compostable bio-plastics: You probably won’t be able to compost these in your home compost bin or pile. Find a municipal composter to take them to at www.findacomposter.com.

8. Computers and electronics: Find the most responsible recyclers, local and national, at www.ban.org/pledge/Locations.html.

9. Exercise videos: Swap them with others at www.videofitness.com.

10. Eyeglasses: Your local Lion’s Club or eye care chain may collect these. Lenses are reground and given to people in need.

(To download Green America's entire recycling issue of the Quarterly, visit their archives page.)


Resource Article:

http://www.greenamericatoday.org/pubs/greenamerican/articles/21Things.cfm

What is Fair Trade?

We just sent out the newest addition of our newsletter today, but if you missed it or are not signed up, we mentioned the meaning of Fair Trade.

Perhaps you have heard the term. Fair Trade is a business model centered around providing a living wage for producers, safe and empowering working conditions, and environmentally friendly practices. Fair Trade companies help individuals in Third World Countries or Developing Areas to lift themselves out of poverty, invest in their communities, protect the environment, and develop skills necessary to compete in a global environment.

If you would like to learn more about Fair Trade please visit the Fair Trade Federation or Chicago Fair Trade.Or if you would like to stay informed about our upcoming events, current promotions and receive special discount offers, please consider signing up for our newsletter at www.fiveACCESSORIES.com

Nadya - Our Newly Sponsored Child

Kichen, our Balinese Business Partner, just emailed us a photo and a bit of info about our newly sponsored child, Nadya:

I am sending you the latest picture of Nadya, the girl we are sponsoring. The picture was taken in front of her new school. She got into one of the most favorite senior high schools in Denpasar after going thru severe tests. Today I handed $240 to her to pay for her school fees for the period of July-December 2010. She is so grateful to you for the great help and attention.

This is what five's mission statement is all about!

Our mission is to create income generating programs for individuals, donate a large portion of our sales to worthy charitable causes and foster the use of sustainable material in fashion.

For more information about how we give back to charity, please visit our Giving Back page of our website.