The holiday season serves as a great time for family and friends to gather and show their love for one another. For most of us, that means gifts, sometimes many, many gifts. And in a season that focuses on giving, sometimes we don't pause to consider where are gifts are coming from. Below are six companies who you can feel good about buying from.
1. Patagonia
Patagonia is a gem. From water bottles to backpacks to t-shirts and their famous fleeces, Patagonia has a huge selection of clothing and accessories for men, women, and children. Patagonia's website states: "Our goal is to reduce the adverse social and environmental impacts of our products and to make sure they are produced under safe, fair, legal and humane working conditions throughout the supply chain." Patagonia builds products that last, and does so in a transparent way. Under each item, you can view the factories it was produced in. I buy a lot of things I need for myself from Patagonia, but have also gotten some great gifts from here, including a fleece pullover for my dad's birthday last year.
Men's Lightweight Synchilla Snap-T Fleece Pullover
2. Pura Vida
Pura Vida bracelets are handcrafted in Puerto Rico, and the story behind the company is pretty amazing (you can read it here). Their bracelets start at just $5, and the possibilities for color combinations are endless. They also do charity bracelets, where a portion of the money made goes to the charity the bracelet represents. Between their cute style packs and accessories, there is something for everyone. I've gotten Pura Vida bracelets as stocking-stuffers for friends, my brother, and my mom, and they've all loved them.
Pacific Daze Bracelet Pack
3. Sseko
Sseko makes handbags, accessories, and the coolest sandals. Based in Uganda, the company employs women who use their profit to attend college. It's a highly successful, dignified system, and it works well. Their ribbon sandals run right around $50. (If you check out their site, make sure to give their ballet flats a look.)
Caramel Leather Stitched Ribbon Sandals
4. Highland Soap Company
Made in the Scottish Highlands in small batches, the Highland Soap Company has some of the best products I've ever used. From their excellent smelling candles to their face masks, lotions, and organic lip balms (10/10 the best lip balm I have ever used), they have something for everyone, in a really reasonable price range. If you don't live in Scotland, don't worry, they'll ship to you! I also love that they list all their ingredients right next to the product, so you know exactly what you're getting. You can see how they make their soap directly on their website, which boasts, "Our soaps are handmade with an emphasis on pure, natural ingredients and herbal therapy. With many of our precious oils, butters and plant ingredients used being grown organically or wild-harvested."
Peppermint & Tea Tree Organic Lip Balm
5. Everlane
Everlane talks a lot about "Radical Transparency," and they live up to their talk. Each item has a chart like this where they give customers complete transparency on how their items are priced.
One of the coolest things I've seen Everlane do was to lower the price of their cashmere sweater this fall when the price of cashmere dropped. You can also virtually tour their clothing factories on their website.
On the integrity of their factories, they have this to say: "We spend months finding the best factories around the world—the very same ones that produce your favorite designer labels. We visit them often, and build strong personal relationships with the owners.This hands-on approach is the most effective way to ensure a factory's integrity. As an added assurance we also require stringent workplace compliancy paperwork."
And if all this wasn't enough, their clothes are really great. They focus on neutral colors and basics, and they do an excellent job for men, women, and kids. They have great gift guides for the holidays, too.
6. Etsy
Etsy is like hitting the jackpot for handmade and vintage gifts. When I bought an off-brand tablet, I went straight to Etsy to get a handmade, custom tablet case. I bought a couple handmade rings for myself that I wear every day. Etsy never fails to amaze me with it's huge selection of wonderfully made items, and with so many sellers, you can search out ones that meet your own standards of ethics and values. There is a huge vegan selection on the site, but in general, buying from Etsy means you're supporting a small business, where more often than not, the products are made by one or two creative and passionate people.
One of these sites is TheWanderingDesigns, a shop made by two St. Louis sisters with a passion for making handmade items. With items ranging from Harry Potter inspired necklaces to beautifully woven tapestries and dream-catchers, this Etsy shop is just one example of why I love shopping on Etsy so much. You can find almost anything, but often with a unique and personal touch to it.
There are so many unique shops out there with great gifts for this holiday season. Local fair trade stores and Christmas Markets are also good places to look. No matter who you're buying for, how many gifts you're wrapping, or what your budget is, try to be mindful this holiday season and find gifts that your friends and family will love, and that may do a little bit of good for the earth or the people you're buying from.
