Fair Trade Cambodian Scarves
Written by Urban Sherp on May 17th, 2010
Who: Lotus Jayne – Montclair, NJ
What: Red Checked Kroma Scarf
Where: Lotus Jayne – $9 for small in red & $12 for blue (Update: Lotus Jayne just received a new shipment of scarves, so the red one is back!.)
Why We Love Them: We are totally smitten with spring and summer scarves. Not only is it the answer to surviving over A/C-ed buildings, but it’s also the female equivalent to the tie and a great way to spice up an outfit by adding color, texture and pattern. This red-checked scarf brought to us from Cambodia by Jill Kimball of Lotus Jayne is absolutely one of our favorites.
It is incredibly versatile and is the perfect compliment to any outfit. We’ve worn ours with dresses, jeans, skirts, stripes, prints, blues, whites, jackets, tanks, vests, the whole gamut and it works with just about everything. And best yet, the purchase of this scarf supports artisans in regions of the world like Cambodia, where this 100% cotton scarf is hand-woven by fair trade collectives supporting these struggling communities. And by wearing this scarf you can share the story of the Kroma Scarf:
During the Khmer Rouge regime of the 1970′s, brutal dictator Pol Pot made the checked kroma the national scarf for the tyranny that led to deaths of over a million Cambodian people. Today, however, the cotton kroma has been defiantly reborn as an optimistic symbol of a bright future for the Cambodian people. In Cambodia today, you will see the krama worn by everyone and used in every conceivable way, not only as a stylish accessory but also as a grocery-sling, doll, cart pull — the krama’s uses are endless.
Read more at Leisure Cambodia.
