Our May Conscious Product Feature is Malia Designs
Featured giveaway…the Purple Petal Travel Wallet!
Why we love Malia Designs!
This month we are featuring Malia Designs. At the end of the month we’ll be giving one of our newsletter subscribers this beautiful Purple Petal Travel Wallet.
Malia Designs has a small, but mighty US based team. This company was formed to increase economic opportunity for women in Cambodia and to support organizations that fight human trafficking in Southeast Asia. Their fair trade fashion products are made by cooperatives that employ disadvantaged people in Cambodia. Through these partnerships they connect artisans to Western markets, expanding their access to sustainable income and safe and dignified working conditions.
Malia Designs also strives to assist victims of human trafficking by donating to organizations working to fight trafficking in Cambodia and the US. This is so important and impactful because human trafficking is a multi-billion dollar illegal industry affecting millions of people every year. They believe that one way to counteract this global issue is to increase access to economic opportunity in the most affected areas.
Much like my own story, this company was inspired by the travel experiences the founder of Malia Designs, Lia Valerio. She traveled through Southeast Asia after serving in the Peace Corps, where she fell in love with Cambodia. During her initial trip to the region in 2000, Lia purchased many textiles and was introduced to several fair trade organizations working with marginalized populations. She also witnessed human trafficking for the first time. Upon returning to the States, Lia and her best friend Maria discussed importing artisan-made products from the region to support these organizations and the good work they were doing. Although, it was another 5 years before the idea became a reality, the seed had been sewn and in 2005, Malia Designs was born.
Supporting organizations like Malia Designs has been a passion of mine since I first learned of businesses with social missions, and businesses who focus on fair trade practices and the impact they can make. I also have a strong connection to supporting organizations which promote awareness of sex trafficking and work to support women who have been victims of trafficking.
When I first learned about human trafficking in college I was without words, and really have never found them. Reading countless stories from these women about how they were tricked into, or sold into trafficking by their families, or women who were kidnapped and sold, it is heartbreaking. It is a very difficult subject, but I urge you to learn about what you can to support women and men who have been victims of trafficking and how you can work to stop trafficking, not only globally, where it is over a $100 billion dollar industry (reports vary from $100-150 billion in 2018), but also in the US where it is reportedly a $9.8 billion dollar industry that continues to grow each year.
These statistics can be overwhelming and seem unmanageable, but hearing the stories of the women who have overcome these tragic circumstances gives me great hope…they are not only surviving, but they are determined to do what they can to empower other victims eradicate this industry. I am grateful to be aligned with a business like Malia Designs, that is working hard to create economic opportunity for women in high risk and support organizations fighting this fight.
To learn more about Malia Designs, or to purchase their products and support their incredible artisans please visit their website here.
Christine Winebrenner Irick
Founder, Lotus Sojourns
Enter Our Giveaway!
Signup to receive our monthly newsletter and be entered to win our month Conscious Partner Giveaway! This month we’re giving away a travel wallet from Malia Designs. Check it out here.