By Kirsten Hawkins

There are a lot of options in today’s world for parents seeking to purchase baby clothes for the newest members of their families. The trends in baby clothing run from the simplistic and traditional (average, low cost baby clothing purchased second-hand or from discount stores like Kmart and Wal-Mart) to the seemingly extravagant (“designer” baby clothing created by the likes of Christian Dior and Kimora Lee) and the wildly untraditional (“alternative” baby clothing based on the punk rock and heavy metal styles of the 1980s and 1990s). All of these choices save the first can cost considerable amounts of money, more than the average baby outfit may be worth, yet the items sell. Why? Because people love style and they love to dress their children and babies with style.

Global Mamas is a company that is taking that concept of style and shaking it up a bit, turning it around, and offering something new: style with conscience.

Global Mamas sells all manner of children’s apparel, including baby clothes, at prices that are similar to the unique offerings of the “alternative” baby clothes retailers and often considerably less than the “designer” retailers. The items that they market are handmade by African women who benefit directly from the profits. According to the company’s web site (http://www.globalmamas.org) the mission of Global Mamas is to “enhance the international marketplace with unique, high quality, handmade apparel, and at the same time provides sustainable livelihoods for women and girls in Africa.”

Global Mamas is a member of an organization known as the Fair Trade Federation (FTF), a US non-profit organization that works to ensure a “fair trade partnership” between North American marketers and distributors and the African women who create the items marketed by Global Mamas. The FTF works with companies that have similar partnerships with workers in Asia, South America, and Latin America as well.

If you’re in the market for baby clothes with style, you could get the style that you’re seeking and do a bit of good in the world at the same time by taking a look at the different designs in baby clothing that Global Mamas has to offer. Purchasing children’s and babies’ clothing from Global Mamas can present a win/win/win situation. The FTF and Global Mamas both win by getting to continue their work, the African women win by getting the chance to make their lives just a little better, and you win by obtaining the style that you’re seeking… with a conscience.

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