mint and red

Red tassel necklace - Red Earth Trading Company

Sheer chiffon blouse - American Apparel

Cutoff denim shorts - Abercrombie (from my high school days, old jeans cut short)

Nude wedges - Kork Ease via UO

The great people at Red Earth Trading Co are releasing their spring 2012 accessories next week and I had a chance to try some pieces out before they hit the store. A statement piece that caught my eye immediately was this red tassel necklace with mint-colored beads.. worn here with a simple white blouse and denim shorts. Statement pieces are a new concept to me, but this one was too lovely not to try out - just the contrast of pastel glass beads with bright red fringe was enough to get me interested.

For those who have missed my previous posts on the store, Red Earth is a Nashville-based company that deals in 100% direct trade, bridging the gap between artisans in several African countries and their customers all over the world. Red Earth gives a face and name to the goods they sell - literally. Purchases from Red Earth come with a tag that includes a photo of the artist, their name, and usually an online bio (for instance, the lady who made this tassel necklace is JaneRose from Nairobi, bio here). In an age when it seems as though the world shrinking equals the dilution of so many unique cultures, it's good to know there are organizations out there willing to prove that idea wrong - companies intent on preserving a society's personal art and history but still successfully creating fair business and artist-consumer bonds between countries and continents.

More photos here.

If you're in the Nashville area, stop by Hillsboro Village next Wednesday, April 5th and visit Red Earth's new pop-up shop! Info here. For those not nearby, Red Earth will be launching their spring 2012 line online as well, so no worries. I plan on posting the spring lookbook when it's released, so you can catch it here next week if you're interested.