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If you have ever visited our shop in Newcastle Emlyn, or come across us at a festival or craft fair, you will probably have heard us say “we specialise in Fairtrade – we source our products from BAFTS accredited suppliers.” But have you ever wondered what that means? What is BAFTS and what does it mean that our suppliers are BAFTS accredited? As this week is BAFTS week 2016, its a perfect time to look at this in more detail! BAFTS stands for The British Association for Fair Trade Shops & Suppliers. BAFTS was formed in 1995 by Aileen Garden...

We are very excited about the return of Liz Beasley of Ananuca to Fair and Fabulous who will be running a Mapuche Weaving Workshop in our upstairs room on Wednesday 18th May. This was a highly successful workshop when Liz ran it last year and all the participants thoroughly enjoyed their day. I first met Liz a number of years ago when we were trading at the Wales Fair Trade Fair, organised by Love Zimbawe directors, Martha and Dave Holman. It’s a celebration of all things Fair Trade which happens every year at the beginning of October. I was immediately struck with the beautiful Chilean textiles that...

On Saturday 14th May we will be celebrating World Fair Trade Day at Fair and Fabulous. World Fair Trade Day was started in 2001 by WFTO (World Fair Trade Organisation) members and is an initiative of WFTO that falls on the second Saturday of May each year. It is an inclusive worldwide festival of events celebrating Fair Trade as a tangible contribution to the fight against poverty and exploitation, climate change and the economic crises that has the greatest impact on the worlds most vulnerable populations. WFTO are asking us all to be an ‘Agent for Change’ and on Saturday 14th May...

Lenshina and I became friends as members of the local transition network and have a shared interest in the environment, Fairtrade and social justice. I had established BagAge in 2005, selling reusable shopping bags, many of them Fair Trade, as a response to the prolific use of plastic bags. I opened my first shop in Newcastle Emlyn in 2010 and the Fair Trade product range grew. My passion for Fairtrade led me to establish Newcastle Emlyn Fairtrade Group and we became a Fairtrade Town in 2014. Lenshina had lived in Cardiff for many years working as an engineer for a...

This Sunday, 24th April 2016, will mark the three year anniversary of the building collapse in Rana Plaza, Bangladesh that killed 1,134 garment workers and injured over 2,500 others.These were workers who were making the clothes that we buy on our highstreets. But as we pause in remembrance of this tragedy, we can also celebrate the positives that have come from it. Rana Plaza building #whomademyclothes Fashion Revolution was started as a response to the events at Rana Plaza. It is a global movement that runs all year, celebrating fashion as a positive influence, raising awareness of the fashion industry’s most pressing issues, showing...