Oct 16, 2019
Studies show that 98% of domestic
violence victims also experience financial abuse and stay in
abusive relationships due to financial insecurity. Today’s guest is
Joy McBrien and her ethical jewelry brand Fair Anita creates
financial opportunities for women around the world. Their artisans
partners carefully design and create every product by hand, and
Fair Anita also gives them the resources for economic
self-sufficiency. Along with that, Fair Anita also maintains strong
ethical standards in the production chain, working conditions,
living wages, and full transparency of business practices. Join me
as I speak with Joy about the journey of Fair Anita, and the
life-changing mission to help women feel safe, valued, and
respected, no matter where they live.
3:58 - The Joy 101
- Joy started Fair Anita when she
was just 24-years-old to help combat the issues with sexual
violence that she’d experienced in her own life. After a lot of
research, it became clear to her that financial insecurity is the
main reason women stay in abusive partnerships.
- She also knew early on that she
wanted her organization to help tackle the problems that can be
found in consumerism and the exploitation of women in consumer
supply chains.
- Starting her first jewelry company
at age 15 gave Joy a knowledge of jewelry design that helped her
connect to artisans and the ways they incorporate their own culture
into designs.
- While living in Peru, Joy
witnessed horrible factory conditions and became passionate about
knowing where her purchases came from and the working conditions of
the people making those products.
- Joy knew there were already many
big names in the fair trade world but realized an opportunity to
make fair trade products that were more personalized, accessible,
and affordable.
8:55 - Developing Fair
Anita
- As she traveled the world, Joy
built a network of women doing incredible work and reached back out
to them when she started Fair Anita. They worked together to
incorporate artisan’s traditional skills into updated designs for
US markets.
- Joy was very intentional to make
sure Fair Anita offered fair trade goods with accessible price
points. She believes ethical fashion is only truly ethical if it is
affordable and accessible to more than one subset of
people.
- Fair Anita artisans are still paid
two to three times the living wage where they’re located. Volume of
sales rather than higher-priced items makes this
possible.
- The demand is being driven by
Millennials and recent a Forbes article shows that 73% of
Millennials are likely to purchase a mission-based product if
they’re given a comparable alternative in price and
design.
- Brands will have to adapt to this
demand and start focusing more of their supply chains on ethical
practices. This helps create a fair trade market that is accessible
to average consumers as well.
- Smaller brands also get a chance
to shine and push the market to meet higher fair trade
standards.
17:20 - Sustainable Options and
Ethical Storytelling
- Moving forward, Fair Anita wants
to continue helping larger organizations improve by creating
sustainable options for their customers.
- Joy will also be turning her focus
to international women’s rights and bringing suppliers back into
direct conversations about supply chains.
- One of the biggest parts of Fair
Anita’s mission is making sure artisans give consent for their
stories to be shared. Artisans should be the ones deciding whether
or not to share about their lives, which also means managing
consumer’s expectations to hear them.
- When people do decide to share
their story, it’s important to create safe spaces where they can
share rather than have other people repeating their
stories.
32:37 - Getting To Know Our
Guest
- Find out who Joy would most like
to sit next to on a 10-hour flight, her guilty pleasure, what books
she’s reading, and of course, what it means to run a business with
purpose.
ABOUT JOY
Joy McBrien is a global learner who
is passionate about creating opportunities for women and girls. She
is the Founder and CEO of Fair Anita, a social enterprise that
strives to build a more inclusive economy for women by providing
economic opportunity and dignified jobs through beautiful fair
trade jewelry and accessories. She has worked with thousands of
women around the world, using her empathetic nature to understand
circumstances and develop creative solutions, including having
built a battered women’s shelter in Peru and working at a
girl-focused middle school in St. Paul. Joy has been recognized for
her leadership in this space, giving a TEDx talk and receiving
awards including: Top Ten Outstanding Young Minnesotans 2015, Open
Hands Initiative Fellow 2016, Minnesota Business Magazine’s 35
Entrepreneurs Under 35, CauseArtist's 35 Entrepreneurs to Watch,
and the Real Power 50 Award. Joy is a member of the Global Shapers
Community, and has spoken on women's issues at various events with
the World Economic Forum, including the Annual Meeting of New
Champions (aka Summer Davos) and the Sustainable Development Impact
Summit. Beyond acting on her passions for women's rights and
ethical supply chains, Joy spends much of her time traveling,
working with young people, and performing as a professional
dancer.
Connect with Joy: