Chicago

North Avenue Collective, Humboldt Park

Enjoy gorgeous garments and accessories curated by Hopscotch + Soda merchandised amongst the curated vintage homewares and furniture of Strangelovely. Essentially the authentic shop that Anthropologie mimicked and mass-produced, North Avenue Collective is as cozy as it is fabulous. Shoppers can find everything from beaded hand bags and slinky slips to gilded mirrors and period furniture. Read the full store review here!

Chicago Western Suburbs:

The Little Traveler, Geneva, Illinois 

Tucked in one of the 36 rooms of a converted house is an assortment of fair trade goods from around the state and around the world. This shop within a shop features artisanal accessories including jewelry, shoes, scarves, toys and housewares. This shop is also a favorite as it supported its workers during A Day Without Immigrants.

Jane Pabon Boutique, Geneva, Illinois 

This luxury consignment shop, nestled in the north wing of the Charles B. Wells house, is everything a good consignment shop should be. Luxury consignment shops like this one are the destination for high-end, high-quality, gently-used (and sometimes never-used) designer garments and accessories.Read the full store review here.

Online:

Everlane 

Everlane focuses on quality, timeless staples made in ethical factories. This business breaks the mold and shows the cost structure for each item it sells. Want to know how your purchase price breaks down? Scroll down to the bottom of the item page and view the cost and profit breakdown. Everlane also provides customers information regarding each factory is uses, normally propriety information for most companies. Everlane supports several social causes beyond its normal business operation. They recently partnered with the ACLU to create the 100% Human Collection, with some proceeds benefiting the non-profit.

We recommend the $100 Cashmere Crew and The Cotton Box-Cut Pocket Tee, $16. The silhouettes are timeless and the fabric is extra soft and high quality. Take care of these garments and they will soon be a favorite part of your wardrobe.

 

The Little Market

This shop features hand-crafted home and beauty supplies as well as a variety of
accessories. It is the perfect site to find gifts for anyone on your list. Certified member of
the  Fair Trade Federation and the Alliance for Artisan Enterprise, The Little Market supports many artisans(mostly women) around the world. The Little Market also works with cooperatives and social enterprises to support various social programs in the artisans’ communities.

We recommend the Leather Key Fob ($24) made by Haiti Design Co-op. This keychain means business and is easy to find in the depths of a handbag.

ABLE (A.K.A. FASHIONABLE)

ABLE founders aim to end generational poverty through employing women in Ethiopia, Mexico, Peru and Nashville, Tennessee. This brand promotes equality, fair wages and safety through its social impact platform, accountABLE.

Supporting ABLE not only means supporting the female artisans creating the products, but the supply chain within the larger community. Industries from farming to textile manufacturing to accounting to logistics are positively impacted by your purchase.

We recommend the Meles Leather Carryall ($218) as a chic and hardworking bag, perfect for the office or a morning of errands. You know you have a quality product when, as you unwrap it, you can smell the gorgeous leather before you can see it! Someone cast an undetectable extension charm (Muggles, click the link to find out what that means), because you can actually fit three hand bags’ worth of goodies into this one carryall. We’re also eyeing the leather conditioner and matching burgundy tote tassel…