What an incredible fall it has been here on the West Coast of Canada. It looks like September and October are the new May and June! We have lots to catch you up on, and we will continue to share more about our trip to the incredibly artistic town of Oaxaca, Mexico.

For those of you who are new here, welcome! Our concept at Marigold Collective is to work directly with women's fair trade cooperatives with the aim of providing Canadian market access for their high quality products. We purchase their goods, collaborate on design, and bring their products to Canada to sell to you.

Our retail store in Vancouver showcases our Marigold-branded products. Leading up to the holiday gifting season, we add lots of unique, quality goods made by women in Canada. By the end of October, we will have a full selection of our Thermohair mohair socks in again for men and women, Pollen Toques from Lund, BC, Standing Spruce soaps, beeswax candles from Hives for Humanity and more to come. 

As the holiday season approaches, you will hear more from us with updates about new products at our retail studio!

Our most exciting news is the official launch of our newest partnership and collection: Cambodian Bombshell Brass Jewelry Collection! 

This is a very special project we have been working on for many months and are ready to unveil! These pieces are now available on our website as well as in store. As you will see, this beautifully designed jewelry is made from repurposed brass, originally used as bomb casings, and made into wearable symbols of peace and hope. We are so pleased to be the first company to bring these artisans' work to Canada!

Decades of war in Cambodia have left fields littered with brass from bullet and bomb casings. Our Cambodian producer group partnership purchases salvages brass bomb and bullet shells.  The brass is then melted down and then forged into beautiful and unique pieces of jewelry.

This cooperative was started by an Italian goldsmith and his wife to help homeless children on the streets of Cambodia. They opened a school to teach the trade and skill of jewelry making. Some students come from the slum area in Phnom Phenn and others from villages outside of the city. This project has been very successful in training many young people and giving them a chance to change their lives. This group is a member of the AAC (Artisan Association of Cambodia) which is certified as a Fair-Trade Association. 

We really appreciate and enjoy Pam and her awesome sense of humour, volunteering with us at Marigold Collective.  Pam lives in the neighbourhood as our studio, and retired for a number of years now, and she loves participating in the community.  Pam has great fashion style and has thoughtful advice for those looking for a bit of help choosing scarf colours from our big selection.  She keeps us well organized and the shop always looks tip-top when Pam has been in. 

Come by our studio and see her on Monday mornings!

A few words from Pam...

"During an educational journey to India, I had the privilege to spend time visiting various collectives where techniques such as fabric dying, block printing, embroidery and leather work were demonstrated. I quickly developed an interest in the co-operative and artisan producer industry.

Years later, I was thrilled to discover Marigold Collective right here, in my own neighbourhood. I learned that they sold products that used some of these creative techniques and more.  In this little retail studio are beautiful products from a number of countries that have been created with heritage craft tradition in mind. I quickly applied for an opportunity to volunteer and was pleased to be able to jump on board.  I am the Monday morning gal!  The atmosphere is very inviting and cheerful, the customers are very enjoyable and engaging and it feels great to be useful."

Walking is the thing to do in Oaxaca.  It is safe to do so, at least during the daylight hours and if you get a bit lost, you can always find your way home at least in a taxi.  I love walking period but especially when I travel.  I find walking around a city or a town or a village, you have the time to really see the life going on there.  You can stop and look at the trees closely, have a delish coffee in that cool little cafe or peek into a sweet shop.  I walked for hours every day when I visited Oaxaca this past spring.

The wall murals are street art in Oaxaca and they are more than decorative and are often political.  They tell stories of Mexico, its residents and their struggles - indigenous rights, folklore stories etc - you can learn a lot through the street art here.  It is such an easy thing to do and it is such a cool thing to view.  Wall murals seem to be on every corner and on every street.

Indigenous rights are a big issue in Mexico and there are some very dramatic murals communicating the issues and advocating for better rights and representation through this art form.  Street art is a way for people to speak out.

We invite you to share this newsletter with your friends and family and anyone you think may enjoy our work. 

The bigger our reach, the more we can share the story of all the women artisans we work with.