FIDM Alumae Lauren Conrad and Hannah Skvarla Featured in Town and Country
Lauren Conrad and Hannah Skvarla met at FIDM and went on to found The Little Market, a nonprofit that works with artisan groups from Guatemala to Thailand to sell handmade goods that will allow women to generate a sustainable income.
Town & Country features the FIDM Alumnae and tells the inspiring story of how The Little Market came to be.
Hannah, who had regularly traveled the world with Human Rights Watch and worked with various grassroots nonprofit organizations, would share stories from her trips, which caught Lauren's attention.
"It was something I was looking to get more involved in so she was kind enough to educate me and then take me along on a trip to Africa," Lauren told the magazine.
During that visit, the two women visited orphanages and met with different groups that focus their efforts on women and children.
"We wanted to figure out a way to help women be able to support themselves, have economic independence, and break the cycle of poverty," Skvarla told Town & Country. The brainstormed different projects they could get involved with to help women in need.
The Little Market was born and the nonprofit is now celebrating its fifth year in business. They work with 70 vetted artisan groups around the globe to sell fair trade handmade goods that allow women to generate a sustainable income.
"Fair wages are a big part of our commitment to fair trade," Hannah said. "We'll work with the artisans to set the prices and also teach them to consider things like transportation costs, childcare costs, the number of hours put into their work, and the cost of materials." The Little Market puts down a deposit or pays for orders in full so the cost of materials isn't a burden.
Their online site has been so successful that the women recently opened their first Little Market retail store in Los Angeles' Palisades Village, and additional locations may be on the way in the future.
"To be able to see all of our items in person is so powerful," Lauren said. "You can really appreciate the value that way. There's only so much you can get across in a photograph, no matter how much effort went into styling."
Categories: Fashion Design
