Holiday Sale offers handcrafted items

IU’s eighth annual Fair Trade Holiday Sale will feature artisan-crafted cultural products from more than 40 countries from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 29 and 30 in the IMU’s Frangipani Room.

Items such as jewelry, holiday ornaments, baskets, woolens, decorative items, textiles, toys and other items will be available for purchase.

The Fair Trade Bloomington project, a nonprofit collaboration between the community and campus, works throughout the year to bring the handcrafted items to IU. The project was created by IU’s Enactus student organization and has been involved on campus since 2005.

The project has sold more than $70,000 in fair trade products on campus “in an effort to increase support and awareness of enterprises that build sustainable businesses in the developing world,” according to a press release issued by IU.

This year, the sale will include items from “The Village Experience,” an Indianapolis-based business that sells fair trade products they acquire from artisan groups during international trips.

According to the release, IU’s Enactus formed Fair Trade Bloomington to “help educate both campus and community alike about contributing to global economic development and poverty relief through promotion of products that adhere to fair trade principles.”

The group is led by Mary Embry and Ashley Hasty, faculty members in the Department of Apparel Merchandising and Interior Design, part of the College of Arts and Sciences.

- Makenzie Holland