Shopping the World

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In 1906, Harry Selfridge arrived in London from Chicago with his dream to open his very own department store. He started his store by shopping the world to find the very best merchandise from all over and to sell it to the public with the experience in mind. His legacy still stands today with Selfridges being one of the best department stores in the world.* Around the same time, in 1887 a young John Nordstrom decided to leave his home in Sweden for New York City. With only $5 in his pocket and not a word of English, he embarked on an adventure that would change his life forever. In 1901, with friend Carl Wallin, the shoe store Wallin and Nordstrom opened in downtown Seattle. Many years later it became what we know and love now as Nordstrom.**

During this time in the world's history the retail market was in transition from what was- the local corner store, that carried an arrangement of general items for everybody- to these now massive department stores carrying the latest fashion trends from around the world. What does this have to do with shopping the world you may ask? Well, everything. We are now in an era where everything is about instant gratification. Gone are the days where we knew the owners of the stores personally and knew where the items we were buying came from.

Shopping the World: Where it all began

Growing up my dad would constantly look at where the clothing he bought was made. It became an almost annoying game whenever we went to buy a new pair of shoes or a shirt. Soon though, I realized at a very young age that almost everything was made in another country.

I never thought much of it until I learned in college about the sweatshops that these clothes were made in. One fateful day my classmates and I were given an assignment to wander around the garment district in downtown L.A. Our objective was to find a sweatshop and interview the people who worked there. Not to our surprise we were booted out of many a sweatshop, but finally let in to one. I remember it being dark, dusty and over crowded. When we walked in we saw rows upon rows of people sewing clothes. There were no needle guards on the sewing machines and no masks being worn or provided from what we could see.

That day I met a woman. Her name was Sylvia. She was a Latina garment worker, who had been working with this particular sweatshop for eight years. Her hourly pay was well below minimum wage at the time, receiving no benefits, paid holidays, or medical insurance. She lived with 10 other family members in a one bedroom apartment- herself being one of the sole providers for her family.

From that day I have always had this burning question on my mind--in all of this injustice can the fashion industry become fairer to all? If buying clothes was at the cost of other peoples livelihoods then I wasn't sure I wanted to be part of it. It made me think about shopping and what its place in the world truly meant.

Shopping the World: Where fashion is now

There is a disconnect between the different levels of the fashion industry. Especially from the people who make the items to those who consume the merchandise. There is little knowledge given to consumers on where that latest trend is being manufactured. We are given a country, but no one knows who or in what conditions that fabulous new jacket is being produced.

Having traveled for over 15 years, fashion has been the purchase of choice for me to remember my trips and time in those countries. Shopping the world while traveling has always brought me joy. Especially when it is connected to the person who actually made the item.

Shopping the world

I will never forget how it all started. I was on a family road trip and I was wearing my canga (also known as sarong). It was a winter road trip so I was wearing it as my scarf. We stopped at a little roadside gas station and the woman behind the counter said- "Oh, I just love your scarf! Where did you get it?" Excitedly I replied, "Thank you! I got it when I was in Brazil!" She then had a mixture of disappointment and awe on her face, and said, "Oh, I really was hoping it would be somewhere I could purchase it!" For some reason I felt the need to apologize and said "I know- that would be so amazing wouldn't it!"

I am sure you can guess what happened next...a light bulb went off and I started to dream of how I could possibly make the world's fashion available to everyone. How I could make shopping the world accessible to all. Thus began my journey of opening Mariposa Skies. That was almost 3 years ago!

In order to make shopping the world possible, I set out on a journey to travel the world looking for fashion in all the world's local markets. While shopping the markets, I seek out and find local artisans who hand make fashion. I learn about their stories, their culture, and I invest in their businesses- bringing back that fashion to share with you all! To check out some of my finds, click here.

Shopping the World: Bringing back the connection to fashion

My dream, to put it simply, is to connect worlds together through fashion. If you are like me, you care where your fashion is being made and who is making it, but probably don't have the time or money to go on a shopping spree around the world. Well that is where Mariposa Skies comes in. I am your personal shopper and guide into shopping the world and its fashion.

The why of Mariposa Skies is to celebrate peoples' cultures through the fashion they wear. And I want everyone to participate in being able to add styles from around the world to their everyday look. You will not only be able to purchase clothing and accessories from other countries, but more importantly you will know where they came from and who made them. I tell the stories of the artisans for a reason; that reason is to encourage learning about one another's differences.

Shopping the World: The people

Bringing back the people (the makers) who are behind the fashion is the most important part to this vision. Mariposa Skies is my answer to this disconnection and that burning question that now has become a burning desire. Can the fashion industry become a fairer and more humanity based entity? I believe it can.

I told the beginnings of Nordstrom and Selfridges to show you how two men's dream became a large reality. Dreams that created a turning point in the fashion industry and how things were bought. Now you can help make this woman's dream a worldwide phenomenon. Let's come together and start a new worldwide fashion revolution. Let's start shopping the world the right way, where we say yes to buying fashion with a background.

Conveying the importance of shopping the world while bringing back the connection is very important to me. If you don't quite understand why fashion is important, I encourage you to read my post on answering this question, Is Fashion Important?

*Source: Our Heritage | Selfridges

**Source: Nordstrom History

Now that you know how shopping the world can be done the right way, do you feel it's important to know where your fashion comes from? Leave a comment below!

If you would like to purchase clothing and accessories from other countries and know where they came from and who made them, SHOP NOW with Mariposa Skies!

To learn more about the culture and people behind the looks of Mariposa Skies' fashion, checkout some of the artisans:

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