The Conscious Consumer was born from a burning desire to build a new vision of trade; and to offer a real alternative to mass produced products.
The seed was sown when I was studying a MA in Gender Studies Research at Leeds University, where my understanding of the systematic discrimination against women throughout different societies conflicted with the fundamental dependence on women to provide the skills and knowledge to bring up the next generation within these very societies. Roots where then formed when I worked for Oxfam, discovering the values of fair trade that were then underpinned with the Make Poverty History Campaign. With the concept that to empower women we need to increase their status and self-esteem in a sustainable way, the Conscious Consumer was born. It is part of the business (which is consequently my) ethos to assist women to achieve economic independence and alleviate poverty at grass roots level.
