Today’s Solutions: July 14, 2025

Ode to Mushmina | Marrakech, Morocco
Kristy Crabtree | September 2011 Issue
After buying a $350 carpet at a MarraKech souk, Heather O’Neill experienced buyer’s -remorse. She learned that the weavers, all women, sold their intricate, handcrafted rugs to a middleman for only $10, not knowing the value of their -products. O’Neill, then a Peace Corps volunteer, saw an -opportunity for a business that would connect -rural women to the modern market and U.S. -consumers to handcrafted products. She started the -operation by scaling back the artisan’s -traditional product from a heavy carpet to a handbag. The business focused on training female artisans in -color theory, establishing cooperatives and finding the real market value for these artisans’ goods. While most other fair trade businesses return a percentage of the profit to the producers, Mushmina does more, empowering artisans to set their own prices based on market needs. Mushmina sells the handcrafted handbags, jewelry and clothing through Etsy, the online marketplace for -handmade goods, and boutiques in New York City, which allows the company to target consumers who appreciate handmade fair trade over commercial mass products. -Mushmina is also pursuing bigger retailers; its jewelry can now be purchased at the -women’s retailer and home product store Anthropologie. In Mushmina, Heather found a sustainable way to invest in development. “It’s a fair price for a well-designed -product, and since there’s a market for it, everyone wins.

Print this article
More of Today's Solutions

A new study could change Alzheimer’s treatment by unlocking the brain’s...

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM A quiet but powerful ally in the brain may be reshaping how we understand and treat neurodegenerative disease. ...

Read More

Before you hit the road: 5 things to unplug before vacation

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Most people remember to lock the doors and turn off the lights before heading out for summer vacation. ...

Read More

How low can you go? The benefits of squatting like a toddler

Squats are a staple of most workout routines (especially on leg days), but what about a deep resting squat? That isn't always a go-to, ...

Read More

Hospitality workers’ wages get unprecedented boost with 30% wage increases

In an unexpected turn of events, the hospitality industry, long associated with some of the lowest-paid occupations, is undergoing a wage revolution. Over the last ...

Read More