Helping Rwanda, One Fashion Pick at a Time

Every year the cold sneaks up on me. Sure it’s been December for days now, but that doesn’t mean I’m not entirely in denial that it’s time to take the gloves out of the back of the closet and start looking for a great new scarf for the season.
I flipped over this luxurious mohair ruffle scarf at Lucina, and not just because the luscious pomegranate color is a more stylish option than the season’s ubiquitous red.
It turns out that all the gorgeous items at mom Shauna Alexander Mohr’s boutique come from collaborations between independent American designers, and fair trade workshops employing artisans in developing countries, and the scarves are no exception. They’re handloomed in Rwanda by a group of local knitters with the support of a Vermont based nonprofit that provides the women–most of them war survivors–with sewing machines, yarn, and creative guidance. And the result is just gorgeous.How many scarves give you a good warm feeling inside, too? –Liz