Having a socially conscious partner can sometimes make it a little more challenging to find a Valentines Day gift that is ethical and sustainable. As the day of love and flower is fast approaching, here are 7 Valentines Day gift ideas for the socially conscious in your life.

Each gift has a thoughtful story that demonstrates who it helps and how its made. These 7 Valentines Gift Ideas For the Socially Conscious give back to not only your special someone – but every individual involved in the process of designing and crafting the gifts.

 

Alpaca Trow
by Parachute

The Alpaca Throw designed by Parachute is a great gift for the unfussy and natural socially conscious in your life. Parachute offers a range of beautifully manufactured by artisans who have been weaving world class linens for over 80 years.

These premium quality home essentials uphold high standards and are Oeko-Tex certified, meaning they do not use any synthetics or chemicals. In addition, their manufacturer has the Responsible Down Standard certification, which ensures the down is sourced from humanely treated ducks. Parachute also gives back through their partnership with the United Nations Foundation’s Nothing But Nets campaign – a movement providing safe sleep to those in need. Likewise, they are also very involved in the sleep and wellness community, trying to provide valuable tips for those who have sleep problems.

Angular Crew
by Krochet Kids

 

The Angular Crew’ features a modern geometric design made from Peruvian sourced cotton and poly fleece lining. The crew sweatshirt is a great piece for layering on chillier days, making it a must-have for the socially conscious in your life. It is made in Peru, and one of our favourite fun features of the Krochet Kids clothing line is that every piece is hand-signed by the artisan who made it. What is even more important is that you can learn more about the woman who made your Krochet Kids clothing piece and see how you are directly impacting her and family with their platform #KNOWWHOMADEIT.

Krochet Kids is a registered non-profit that connects socially conscious consumers to artisans based in Uganda and Peru. They ensure global change by holistically equipping women living in extreme poverty in Uganda and Peru with the skills, education and resources to better their circumstances forever. They have created a multi-faceted program to help structure their employees and mentor them toward independence.

From ensuring fair and consistent wages, to providing a 3-year education curriculum for women in need to participate in, Krochet Kids will also coordinate and match each beneficiary with a local social worker who is on their staff and serves a mentor. The combination of all these elements empowers a woman to understand how she can build toward an independent future.

Tuscan Sun
by Circle 21 Candles

Circle 21 Candles produces all natural soy candles in a line of memory-themed scents. The candles are hand-poured into recycled wine bottle containers (which are cut and sanded by hand) and topped with “branded” corks to keep the candles smelling fresh. When creating a new smell, they try to invoke old memories in those of us who use their candles. Their clean, fresh scents range from linen closet to tuscan sun, to orchard lane.

Soy wax is an all-natural product that is extracted from the soy bean. It is eco-friendly, carbon neutral, sustainable and entirely renewable. When we brainstorm and search for sustainable companies, we are always delighted to discover small but mighty gems such as Circle 21 Candles based in Texas. Here is a company that is serving as beacon in its community, creating clean natural soy candles without harming the environment.

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Bloom & Give make a stunning line of silk scarves and bags, handmade by local artisans in India (within a women-owned factory), using a traditional block-printing process. Every scarf is handmade in small batches, where master carvers carefully prepare the wooden blocks, which are then dipped in dye and stamped onto the fabric.

We truly admire Bloom & Give, as they donate 50% of their profits to support girls education programs in India. They work with small co-ops that share their relentless pursuit of excellence and quality, and their belief in fair wages. Education is proven to be the most effective way for a girl in India to escape the cycle of childhood marriage, preteen pregnancy and abuse.

The Porbandar Blue Khadi Cotton Scarf is known as one of the most wearable cottons in the world. Combining this ancient fabric with a classic blue and white palette, this makes for a great Valentines Day gift for the socially conscious in your life.

Each scarf comes wrapped in a gorgeous handmade reusable cotton bag with a card that describes how your purchase helps change the girls’ lives.

Until June 1st, 2017, receive a 15% discount off your Bloom and Give purchases with promo code: LAUTRE

 

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Kimono Maxi Wrap Dress 
by Symbology

Feel like a queen in this elegant, curve-hugging number with a super soft touch. Each dress is hand block printed by women in India using traditions that date back centuries. When you offer this to your socially conscious partner, she’ll surely feel amazing–not just because it is one of the most flattering silhouettes around, but because your purchase supports the livelihoods of our artisan partners around the world.

Symbology employs women artisans from India and the West Bank, each bringing beautiful cultural art forms to their collections. They aim not only to produce beautiful clothing but also to preserve traditional art techniques in each garment — from Indian block printing to Palestinian weaving and Native American embroidery.

Rather than paying minimum-wage, Symbology believes in paying livable wages, which allow the artisans to properly provide for their families. By working more closely with the artisans and involving them in the design process, they allow for their expertise to transcribe into the clothes, and for their solutions to be heard. This is at the heart of every legitimate social business, and Symbology certainly has made that clear.

Receive a 15$ discount off your Symbology Clothing purchases with promo code: LautreLove

 

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Petite Layering Necklace

by FashionABLE

The Petite Layering Necklace is a great minimalist jewelry piece that can be worn for various occasions. It is a piece that locally and globally inspires respect towards women. Created by FashionABLE – a social impact brand – this beautiful necklace is part of an important movement that is empowering women across the world.

While living in Ethiopia, Rachel and Barrett Ward saw firsthand how extreme poverty forced so many young girls and women to make awful choices for money. Lacking meaningful resources and a sense of hope, many women resort to prostitution as a means of supporting themselves and their families. Rachel and Barrett wanted to figure out a way to give women another choice – one that would provide an opportunity to earn a living, rather than establish a dependency on charity. For this purpose, FashionABLE was conceived.

FashionABLE works with artisans around the globe and many of their jewelry pieces are handmade by women locally in Nashville, TN who have overcome challenges ranging from prostitution to homelessness to addiction and lack of opportunity. They are our one stop shop for affordable and social impact jewelry and accessories.

 

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Hand-Crafted Fine Chocolates
by ChocoMiró

What made us choose ChocoMiró is their blend of premium quality chocolates coupled with their dedication to sourcing from sustainable and ethical chocolate providers. The chocolate comes from Cacao Barry, and the fruit, sugar, and spice extracts come from respected and sustainable providers around the globe.

Based out of Syracuse, NY, ChocoMiró has been crafting hand-made fine chocolates since 1995. After refining his recipes for over 25 years, the head chocolateer Santiago decided it was time to open up shop and help teach North Americans on the beauty and importance of extra fine chocolates.

If you plan on buying chocolates for Valentine’s Day, then ChocoMiró is an excellent choice as they support the CacaoCollective.

Make Your Own Box 

 

Happy Valentines Day!

This concludes our 7 Socially Conscious Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas of 2017.

There are incredible and mindful companies that value fair trade and sustainable practices. We are smitten by their hard-work and are happy to share their wonderful products and projects. 

In this light, we hope that you choose to show some love with these 2017 Socially Conscious Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas will inspire to give all around the world.

On behalf of the L’Autre Couleur duo, we would like to wish you a joyful and loving Valentine’s Day!

 

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