Ten Thousand Villages will host a fair trade rug event at three South Bay locations. The event will happen March 10 to 12 at Crafted in San Pedro, March 17 to 19 at American Martyrs Church in Manhattan Beach and March 23 to April 1 at Ten Thousand Villages’ Redondo Beach store. The event will feature more than 300 hand-knotted rugs, from intricate florals to hand-spun wool natural dye tribals, in sizes from 2’x3’ to 10’x14’.
Ten Thousand Villages partners with Bunyaad, a fair-trade rug company that works with more than 850 families throughout roughly 100 villages in Pakistan. By working with artisans in their homes, increasing employment opportunities for women and paying a living wage, Bunyaad is creating life changes for many families across Pakistan.
“These rugs are much more than just amazing pieces of art for your floors. They represent lives changed through fair trade because every Bunyaad rug artisan earns a living wage,” said Yousaf Chaman, Bunyaad director “We know that with every rug we sell, we are empowering women, fueling artisan’s creativity and preserving their cultural heritage.”
Bunyaad rugs are available in a variety of styles.
Bokhara rugs have fine traditional geometric patterns on a solid background of colors, generally in jewel tones. They tend to have velvety, plush piles and are very pliant in texture. Many of Bunyaad’s Tribal rugs are made with hand-spun wool dyed with all hand-gathered natural dyes such as indigo, cochineal, walnut shells and marigold flowers.
Ten Thousand Villages’ maker-to-market fair trade stores seek to break the cycle of generational poverty and ignite social change. The non-profit stores sell items hand-crafted by artisans in developing countries who would otherwise struggle to earn a living. Ten Thousand Villages San Pedro is located inside Crafted at the Port of Los Angeles: 112 E 22nd St #173, www.villlagescrafted.com. Ten Thousand Villages Redondo Beach is located in the Riviera Village at 1907 S Catalina Ave, 310-465-1600, www.villagesredondo.com.
Details: www.bunyaad.com