This weekend I spotted crochet in a toy shop that I was in. I looked it up to find out it’s a fair trade label I hadn’t heard of yet. I am always super interested in all fair trade crochet so I had to learn more!
The Store
The store that I was in was Paxton Gate: Curiosities for Kids, which is on Valencia in the Mission District of San Francisco. The original Paxton Gate is this weird curiosity shop filled with plants, taxidermy animals and other oddness. A couple of years ago they opened up the kids’ shop which is filled with smart, non-tech, eco-friendly, organic creative toys. Although it’s intended for kids, I find it at least as magical as the adult version of the store and always pop in if I’m in the area.
The Crochet Toys
These were the crochet toys that I spotted in the shop:
They’re crochet rattles. Adorable! Checking them out online I can see that the toadstool rattles (bottom photo just above this text) are made from organic bamboo yarn. No wonder they were so soft! This yarn is a common feature of many of the items the brand sells.
The Label
The brand that makes this is called Yellow Label. The label was started by a mother who was inspired by her son to find “an alternative to mass-produced, commercial toys and clothing”. She works with artisans in different countries, mostly mothers also, to offer them fair trade wages for handcrafted items that parents can buy with a clear conscience.
The brand’s mission, as described on the site:
“At Yellow Label Kids, we believe that products can be equally fun, stylish and functional, while still being ethically crafted and environmentally responsible. The artisans who make our products are paid fair living wages in accordance with Fair Trade standards.”
I love Fair Trade Crochet!
[...] I recently mentioned on my crochet blog that I’d gone to a toy store here (where I spotted some fair trade crochet). [...]