Focus: Global Girlfriend was founded in 2003 to help women worldwide gain economic security while providing you unique products and a simple way to help women in need. Our fair trade brand offers a line of trend-setting, women-made, fair trade products including stylish apparel, accessories and gifts with one purpose - helping women in need help themselves. We believe passionately that economic opportunity for women holds the promise for real change in the world; because when women have an income, they reinvest in themselves and in their children’s health, education and nutrition, building stronger families and communities over time. Many women try desperately to make a living selling their artisan-quality goods but find that they have little access to market opportunities. Through fair trade practices, Global Girlfriend brings the work of these disadvantaged groups directly to you.

Global Girlfriend believes in forming long-term partnerships that provide women a fair living wage with equal employment opportunities, healthy and safe working conditions,technical assistance and development strategies to foster prosperity and reduce poverty. Between our wholesale and retail channels, we work with over 100 women’s artisan organizations in over 30 countries. We specialize in sourcing beautiful handmade products that make a life changing difference for the women who make them. Our products are mid market, value priced and sold on our on-line store, on our sister sites at GreaterGood.com, and in over 1,000 wholesale partner stores across the US.

Social Impact: Our primary social impact is providing fair trade employment by purchasing from women artisans globally. In addition at Global Girlfriend we believe passionately that education for girls, coupled with economic opportunities for women, are the keys to ending poverty for women worldwide. The majority of illiterate people in the world are women. In many countries, it is difficult for a girl to get an education. In many developing countries, families must pay for their child's schooling. Given the choice, many families send their sons to school, keeping their daughters at home to help with household chores. We have partnered with GROW (Girls’ Right to Opportunity Worldwide), a signature program of GreaterGood.org, to donate a portion of every purchase made by our retail and wholesale customers to send girls to school and to provide them with school uniforms, a known barrier to girls’ education in developing countries. GROW’s mission is to help girls, especially adolescent girls, remove the barriers to education. Research has shown a direct relationship between increased levels of education and increased levels of health, empowerment, and prosperity. By identifying barriers to education for girls and supporting organizations that effectively address these barriers, GROW is improving the lives of girls around the world.

Product Focus for 2017/2018: Global Girlfriend's line is comprised primarily of women's accessories, apparel, bath & body and gifts. Apparel, scarves, jewelry, bags, soaps, and holiday ornaments are our top selling categories followed by paper, kitchen, candles, and baskets. We love seeing new product ideas.

Trade Shows Visiting in 2017

Countries Currently Sourcing From: Kenya, Uganda, Swaziland, South Africa, Lesotho, Zambia, Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, Tanzania, Rwanda & Ethiopia as well as multiple countries in Asia, Central America & South America

Terms & Conditions: Global Girlfriend pays in a fair trade model, paying a 50% deposit upon vendor acceptance of our formal Purchase Order. No order is official until a Purchase Order is sent. Final payment is sent upon arrival and inspection of the order at our warehouse. FOB shipping is arranged and paid for by our company. Vendor must work with our shipping director to arrange all exports. We comply with US customs regulations and require proper labeling of all products for export. All imported products must include labels for country of origin and material content. In addition we comply with all local and US national consumer safety laws. 

1. We will not buy hazardous products and will return any item which does not pass all state, federal, or Global Girlfriend standards for toxic materials. Standards and sample testing will be provided prior to issuing a formal Purchase Order. 

We will test samples from all incoming jewelry and children's products for toxic metals using an x-ray fluoroscope, and reject and return any item or shipment that does not pass all State and Federal standards for toxic material content at the vendors expense.

2. Any item which carries a Global Girlfriend brand, trademark, name, or URL may not be sold or provided to another company under any circumstances. Selling exclusive Global Girlfriend designs to others requires approval.

3. We do not buy any counterfeit or grey market products, and will not accept any trademarked closure accessories (like YKK zippers) or fabrics (like GORE-TEX) unless specified in the PO and accompanied by proof of authenticity.

4. All kitchen, serving ware, and items that come in contact with human or pet food must pass US FDA and California Proposition 65 lead and cadmium requirements before they can be shipped. Please always provide lead/cadmium test reports or certificates prior to shipment. 

5. We comply with all regulations regarding flammability as developed by the US Government. Suppliers must supply test results showing the burn time for any rug or mat; or any apparel item made of a material other than wool, acrylic, polyester, nylon, olefin, or mod acrylic (or any combination) which weighs less than 2.6 ounces per square yard (88.16 grams / square meter). We will reject any apparel product tested with a burn time of less than 3.5 seconds for plain fabric or 4 seconds for raised fabrics. Official testing procedures will be provided to suppliers working with non-exempt fabrics who do not have access to approved labs.

6. Global Girlfriend's business principles prevent us from purchasing products made by child labor, or produced in unsafe or coercive work environments. We will not purchase products where the persons involved in the production were not paid a fair market wage. We will not buy products that harm people or animals in their use or manufacture. We will not buy products tested on animals, or sourced from wild or endangered animals, or where animals were treated inhumanely during manufacture. We will not purchase jewelry or other items with hazardous toxic material content, and will test all incoming orders for lead so we can completely comply with all regulations. We will not purchase imitations of copyrighted designs where the copyright holder has not been paid a royalty. We reserve the right to test for these standards; and if necessary, reject and return orders or items because a product doesn't conform to our business principles

.Other Accreditations: Organic Trade Association, Alliance for Artisan Enterprise