Working primarily in India and Indonesia,
Bowers partners with artisans to develop and produce handcrafted
items within the framework of fair trade. “As a fair trade
buyer, I have the privilege of regularly witnessing the
positive impact of my work in a very concrete way. Year
after year, I can see how the orders I place with these
artisans have benefited them and improved their lives.
I don’t think that there are many jobs that provide an
outcome this positive, and so personally satisfying,”
says Bowers.
“As a fair trade retailer, it’s our goal
to help create long-term sustainable incomes for artisans
in developing countries,” explains Bowers. “We do this
by forming long-term relationships with artisans around
the world, and selling their handicrafts through our network
of stores with the Ten Thousand Villages name.”
In UD’s program, Bowers’ focus has been
on labor practices. “We’re dealing with all sorts of issues
that are relevant to fair trade. What is a fair wage?
How do you really research whether your supplier is treating
its workers fairly?” The program’s coursework is grounded
on principles of the United
Nations (UN) Global Compact, a voluntary international
initiative bringing together companies, labor and civil
society groups, and various UN agencies in support of
human rights, labor and the environment.
"Obviously, the initial primary economic
impact of a fairly traded income is that many of the artisans
are able to improve their ability to simply feed, clothe
and educate their families," says Bowers. "But there
are so many instances where the impact goes far beyond
that. One of our partner artisan groups in India is particularly
inspiring because not only are they focused on earning
a wage, but the members also focus on empowering each
other economically and politically. Thirty of these women
now hold local government offices in their villages and
rural governments, which for southern India is an extraordinary
example." This particular group, the Self
Help Association for Rural Education and Employment (SHARE),
is just one of more than 130 producer organizations that
Ten Thousand Villages partners with in 38 countries around
the world.
“Being in this program has provided a good
opportunity to learn from others in the industry,” explains
Bowers. “There are several graduate certificate students
who are currently working, or have worked, in the apparel
industry, so we often compare notes about the ways certain
problems are approached at different companies. The professors
have also done a great job of inviting guest speakers
to participate in online discussions. This helps to give
a solid real-world perspective to the theories that we
discuss in class.”
UD’s program is offered completely online,
and was jointly developed by professors from the University
of Delaware, Cornell University and Colorado State University.
Marsha Dickson, chairperson of UD’s Department
of Fashion and Apparel Studies, serves as program
director.
“The online format has been hugely helpful,”
adds Bowers. “I travel, and I also have a full time job,
a long commute, and a family. While I still make the same
time commitment that I would in a classroom, the online
format lets me schedule this time around all of the other
things I have to do. I’ve noticed that my fellow students
will post thoughts or discussion items at all times of
the day or night, which is a good indicator that we all
take advantage of this flexibility and access opportunity!
I think it is fair to say that many of us, particularly
those of us that are currently working outside of academia,
would not be able to be in the program if it weren’t for
the online format.”
“The passion that these certificate students
bring to the classes is amazing,” comments Marsha Dickson,
director of the program. “Their analysis of what is working
and not working in the industry, and their creativity
in developing new solutions, assures me that our graduates
will make an impact on workers around the world. In Renee’s
case, while she is considering how the apparel industry
could adopt fair trade practices to improve the situation
for women in factories around the world, she is also exploring
the best practices of leading brands such as Adidas and
Nike, and how the fair trade community might learn from
them as well.”
Earlier this year, Bowers was a contributing
panelist in a UD podcast discussion on fair trade in the
global apparel industry produced by the Fashion
International Business Education Response (FIBER) project,
which is led by the UD Department of Fashion and Apparel
Studies.
Bowers has been a senior research fellow
with the American Institute of Indian Studies, and has
lived and worked in Latin America, where she conducted
workshops on the use of low-cost, locally available arts
materials.
