(Courtesy of PeopleTree.co.uk)

Emma Watson strikes us as the type of intelligent, thoughtful actress who really considers the impact her fashion choices can have on her young fans. So we are pleased to see this open letter on fair-trade brand People Tree’s website posted by the Harry Potter star, following a summer trip to Bangladesh with People Tree founder Safia Minney:

The contrast between the slums in Dhaka (the capital of Bangladesh) where the people who work in the garment factories live and Swallows (the Fair Trade community supported by People Tree) was all too apparent. …

I cannot imagine how I would have the mental ability and strength to go into the garment factories in the slums everyday and have my children living six hundred miles away.

We interviewed a woman in the slum in Dhaka. She was very candid about the fact that there just wasn’t any hope for her. There is no hope for anyone living in those conditions and being paid that kind of wage. Coming to Swallows I see that there is an alternative.

The living conditions are modest but it’s clean and there is a real sense of community, their families are together and they seem to love and be proud of what they are doing – many things that we in the West take for granted.

Swallows is special and I need to believe for my own peace of mind that there will be more places like this in the developing countries in the world.

The whole interview is worth reading for its candid look at the benefits fair-trade manufacturing offers workers, and it concludes with a video of Ms. Watson touring Bangladesh and modeling People Tree’s fall collection.

(Courtesy of the Andean Collection)

Anthropologie is known for gleaning its inspiration from handmade and artisan-made goods found in bazaars and flea markets around the world, but most of the time the products the retailer sells are replicas. Until now, when E.S. favorite the Andean Collection scored a big gig producing its fair-trade tagua bib necklace for Anthropologie shoppers.

The Andean Collection hires artisans in Ecuador to produce its line of jewelry, enabling them to earn a decent living without having to leave their families behind to find better job opportunities in the U.S. Most of the line’s jewelry incorporate nuts and seeds native to South America. Tagua, also known as “vegetable ivory,” was once the most commonly used material for buttons until plastic went mainstream in the 1920s.

For more about the Andean Collection’s mission, check out this essay written for us by the line’s founder and designer, Amanda Judge, and browse more fair-trade pieces in the company’s collection here.

“Perfect Skippers” Necklace, $68 at Anthropologie.com.

Having spent my formative years sopping up midday forehead grease with blotting papers, I’ve always been a bit skeptical of the new skin-care oils that purport to do amazing things for my complexion. However, I’m so glad I’ve given them a shot — they feel amazing and my face is so much the better for it.

Here are our top picks for your skin type:

• For normal skin: Josie Maran’s Argan Oil ($48) is a miracle worker for all skin types, sinking in instantly and eliminating those dry flakes you might get from acne or anti-aging creams. It’s also fair trade and grown by a women’s collaborative in Morocco.
• For dry skin: We have a lot of love for Kiehl’s products (just check our medicine cabinet), and the Midnight Recovery Concentrate ($42) is no exception. A blend of evening primrose, lavender, and squalene oil derived from olives, this paraben-free natural oil comes packaged in recyclable glass.
• For oily and acne-prone skin: There’s a lot to love about Desert Essence Tea Tree Oil ($8.99). Tea tree oil is a natural antiseptic and it makes a great toner applied to a cotton pad and swiped over affected areas — not to mention its price is exceedingly reasonable.
• For anti-aging: Marie Veronique Organics makes a wonderful Anti-Aging Oil ($70) that is totally vegan and free of nut oils for allergic folks. It is a blend of grapeseed, tamanu, and borage oils with a healthy dose of Vitamin E to keep your skin looking its youthful best.

The deliciousness of a three-day weekend looms just within reach, and the writers at E.S. wish you all a happy Independence Day.

On that note, want more inspirational stories on free-thinking designers showing serious moxie? We’ve got you covered for reading material:

• Indie rocker Morrissey offers his candid reasons for why he makes allowances for leather shoes, even though he’s a vegan.
• These small businesses are sticking to their ideals and succeeding at every turn.
• Help silk weavers in Thailand achieve financial independence by buying one of these fair-trade silk shirts and scarves by Kohtrad. Part of the proceeds support microfinance programs overseas through Kiva.org.
• Want to know what you’re really getting when you buy organic? Independent third-party certification is the way to go.
• Maggie Gyllenhaal, our favorite independent movie star, also shows serious commitment to eco-ideals in fashion.

Enjoy the break, and we’ll be back at you on Tuesday.

Everybody, at some point, figures out that all clothes are not created equal, despite the fact I made my first pair of shorts at the ripe of age of seven, it wasn’t until I was 18 at an outlet mall that I realized not all clothes are created equal. We all may begin to think about ethical style in different ways and at different times, but I’m just happy when another person discovers their own personal fashion ethics. Here are a few stories of other people’s discovery. –Kara Cook

A few years ago, I became fascinated with the concept of barefoot running and the materials and technology that go into make “barefoot” shoes. The New Yorker had an article on them and I remember scouring it and then looking for other resources and information on the barefoot phenomenon and shoes which replicated barefoot movement or the sensation of running in bare feet, like Nike Free, Vibram Five Fingers, Vivo Bare, etc. I loved the fashion sense of the Vivo Bare, all while feeling like I was doing something good for my feet with a company that was unique. Now, I want to get more of them.
–Katherine from Connecticut

When we discover the origin of where most of our modern-day clothing comes from and who is behind sewing the hem of your pants or the seams of your blouse — sweatshops in 3rd world countries with abominable working standards grossly under U.S. standards — it is rather unsettling. But what are the options to avoid supporting such a depraved system? When I was in 7th grade my mother would take me to a consignment store where I found most of my wardrobe. Fortunately for me, my classmates appreciated my vibrant wardrobe. As a young person I shopped at consignment shops to save money, but as an adult I shop at consignment shops to find vintage styles and avoid supporting the giant sweatshop machine, which is behind nearly every commercial fashion label…I save money too!
–Jenny from Texas

I was standing in a crowded, smoke filled bar… well, maybe it wasn’t quite that bad. I was at my favorite country bar when I happened to notice that most of the people on the dance floor were dancing in beautiful cowboy boots. There were a few flip-flops here and there, but most of the “true” devotees wore leather cowboy boots. In that moment I knew that I wanted to buy myself — in all my California glory — a pair of genuine cowboy boots. When I returned to California for a visit I convinced my mom to go shopping. We walked into the one western store in California and that’s when I saw them: the perfect leather boots for my line dancing ways. I knew that they were going to be an investment, but that the trade-off would be the wear I would get from them because of durable exterior and solidly constructed interior. Those boots have been dancing (or walking), ever since.
–Angelena from California

Even though I don’t think about it too much, most of my eclectic bracelets and necklaces are recycled. One of my favorite memories growing up was sitting at my grandma’s kitchen table while she poured out pile after pile of her old jewelry, telling me I could pick out whatever I wanted! Hence my jewelry box is overflowing with everything from genuine stone necklaces, to lightning bolt earrings, big bangle bracelets, and rings from the 1920′s. Those small treasures mean more to me now than ever before. My sweet grandma recently had to move into an assisted living home and her health is rapidly declining. Each time I put on a piece of her jewelry — no matter how funky or out of style — it reminds me of her and makes me thankful for family.
–Sarah from Alabama

My first encounter with ethical style wasn’t something I was looking for – or to be honest – had ever really given much thought to. I was studying in Morocco and made the obligatory trip to Fes (or Fez for you westerners). Fes is home to the famous Moroccan tanneries, a smelly and involved process to dye and craft genuine leather goods. Now Morocco wasn’t my first encounter with local artisans or even my first time seeing a craft produced from beginning to end, but the tanneries of Fes were my first view into the old world process of producing leather goods that made you feel good about the quality of leather you were purchasing and the value of buying a bag (or shoes, or jacket, or ottoman, or all of the above) that would last a lifetime. I may have bought more than one leather bag in Morocco – but they’re still getting lots of use – and will continue to carry my books, and car keys, and wallet for years to come.
–Ally from Louisiana

Ethics and shopping is something that hit close to home with me the first time I ever left the continent. It was to Ghana, West Africa for two weeks the summer after I graduated high school. I’d never been to somewhere so poor. On a trip we got an opportunity to go to the local market to shop for gifts for friends, family and supporters. The translators took us to the “tourist” market with their colorful clothing, cool and funky jewelry, beautiful batiks and many, many other things all handmade with the makers standing there selling them. Even though we knew that the prices were “jacked up” because they like to haggle and tourists don’t know the local value of things, I always felt bad in the midst of the price banter because all I could think was, “Am I really haggling over the difference between 5 and 10 dollars for this?”

Turns out, the exchange is quite fun when you realize that haggling is the people’s social time and that they would never go below what’s necessary to sustain their family. Anyway, even though I learned to haggle, I still have a tendency to overpay for things and let them think they swindled me because in the end, it could feed a whole family where they wouldn’t have been able to eat before. All this to say, I really pay attention now that I’m back in the U.S. to which stores sell fair-trade products. I have never had buyer’s remorse from single fair trade item I’ve purchased. And how often can you say that?
–Chelsea from California

The modern age teaches us rather impatience.  We are encouraged toward fast food to satiate quick-forming appetites, soundbites to cut to the chase, cheap “disposable” clothing to suit every passing whim.  Gone is a life of contemplation, appreciation for the craft of the things with which we surround ourselves.  These days, it’s practically vogue to do what I’m doing — disparaging mass production.  And really, Walmart and China may be praised today for making more things available to more people.  But “more” — more emails per minute, more food on your plate, more plastic cups per dollar — isn’t always better.  I worry about the volume our modern culture has enabled us to have has supplanted a deeper appreciation for higher things, things made, written, and crafted with thought. --world traveler and blogger Ms. Glasses

Emma Watson, the cherubic star of the Harry Potter movies, can add a new credit to her résumé: love interest in her musician boyfriend’s music video, “Say You Don’t Want It.”

In it, the fair-trade–loving starlet wears a short fur jacket that boasts a vintage vibe as they traipse through New York.

Ms. Watson has been outspoken in her support for People Tree, even collaborating on a fair-trade fashion collection for teens with the British label. So we find it interesting that she’s also showing love for vintage in this music video, presumably over which she had some creative control in the wardrobe department.

Keep on rockin’ in the free world, Emma.

What do you get the proud new mama for her adorable offspring? Why not an eco-fashionable onesie? Options abound in the age of online shopping, from fair trade to organic to handmade. And many come with cutesy graphic prints as well. Which tickles your heart strings?

Click on any image to launch the slideshow.

London Jewellery Week just wrapped up on Sunday, and to commemorate the fabulous flash of this glittering event, the Guardian published its guide to buying feel-good baubles.

Among the newspaper’s picks for the event’s best designers, many of whom were new to us:

First up, April Doubleday. She gets her inspiration from the coastline of Devon, where she is based, and FS particularly likes her glass collection(pendants from £75). Avasarah, a rather fabulous online ethical jewellery shop, has its own range too, with some excellent prices. This sweet hummingbird disc is made from 100% recycled silver, and is manually produced (no heat or chemicals involved). You can add on charms, but we think it’s nice just as it is, and for a bargain £29 too. More natural inspiration – but with a rather fabulous twist – can be found at Leblas, where this recycled silver and spearmint enamel pendant (£160) is a great combination of wearable yet distinctive. Note: the spearmint is not edible. Alas.

Over at CRED (the host for the ethical section of the show, no less), we’re in love with this gorgeous pendant by Annabel Panes. Inspired by Nepali designs, it’s handmade from 100% recycled silver by the Harigni Cooperative in Nepal (£85 for silver, also comes in gold).

Call us squirrels, but we’re suckers for pretty, shiny things — especially when they come with an ethical stamp of approval.

URTH Ethical Spearmint & Silver Pendant, £175 at Leblas.com.

Microfinance is the hottest thing in philanthropy at the moment. Charitable organizations support entrepreneurship in developing countries by giving small grants or loans to people with great business ideas but no capital to make it happen. Women in particular benefit greatly from these programs.

As an example of one such successful endeavor, the Kohtrad Silk Project is making magic happen for silk weavers in the Isaan region of northeast Thailand. Farquhar Simpkin, Kohtrad’s founder, emailed us about the project this morning:

There are many independent silk weavers scattered around the Isaan area.  Many can not speak English and do not know how to market their products online.  So the aim of the project is to bring the silk weavers together and give them an online platform to sell their products to the world.

The silk weavers receive good fair trade pay for their talented work, and the income generated from the project will help many of the weavers to pay school fees for their children, build a business, stay in the area, enjoy their everyday work and keep their silk weaving skills and traditions alive.

For every silk men’s shirt sold, Kohtrad is reinvesting 10 percent of the profits in Kiva.org‘s microfinance program, so that other small business owners around the world can get their own foot in the door. And 50 percent of the profits from the sale of Kohtrad’s silk scarves and shawls has been pledged to building an internet hub for the use of the residents of Isaan.

Did we mention the scarves are absolutely beautiful? And ideal for anyone still looking for a Father’s Day gift…

Kohtrad Silk Project Black and Gold Silk Scarf, $22.10 at SilkScarfShawls.com.

New online boutique Fashion And Earth has a lot to offer the ethical shopper: a shop-by-outfit feature (we particularly like the casual coziness of this beach shrug set), free shipping and returns, and for a limited time, 10 percent off your first purchase.

Here is where you will find a huge selection of organic and fair trade apparel at an appealing price point. And feel good while you shop, because 5 percent of profits has been pledged to World Vision and the World Wildlife Fund, two very deserving charities.

The online shop is owned by Adrian Desbarats, whom you may remember as the author of our Getting Around Greenwashing guide, published this week.

So check it out — you can rest assured that what you’re getting is the real deal (as well as a great bargain).