I had the opportunity to meet two inspiring women at a recent women’s travel festival that I attended called Wanderfest. While there, I met Angela Melfi, the co-founder and CEO of Threads Worldwide and Andrea Jones, Regional Fair Trade Leader. In this post, learn about what Threads Worldwide is, why it started, and how it makes an impact in women’s lives around the globe.

What is Threads Worldwide?

Threads Worldwide is a social enterprise that puts income and resources into the hands of impact-driven women through the fair trade of artisan-made jewelry and goods.

About Angela Melfi and Andrea Jones

Angela Melfi, Co-Founder & CEO of Threads Worldwide

Angela Melfi is co-founder and CEO of Threads Worldwide, a social enterprise that puts income and resources into the hands of impact-driven women in 9 countries including the United States. She oversees operations, marketing, and the sales field at Threads Worldwide.

Angela has 10 years in the digital marketing and technology sales space and holds a B.S. in Biology & Psychology from Tufts University in Boston. Angela is the proud mama of two amazing kiddos (5 and 2) and proud to have visited 54 countries!

Andrea Jones, Regional Fair Trade Leader at Threads Worldwide

Andrea Jones is a Regional Fair Trade Leader at Threads Worldwide. She leads an organization of impact-driven women to create life-changing work around the world through the fair trade of artisan jewelry.

Andrea has 10 years experience in corporate training, sales and customer service and has an MA in Human Resources Development, BA in Speech Communications and a minor in Psychology from Truman State. Andrea has been in Denver, CO for 22 years now (she is calling herself a native :), is married, and has a teenage boy and girl who “teach” her something new every day!

Jet Set Life Interview with Threads Worldwide

TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR BACKGROUND.

[Andrea Jones - AJ] “I'm a Regional Fair Trade Leader with Threads, which just means I lead an organization as part of our Socialpreneur community. I've been with Threads for almost four years. With Threads, I’ve traveled to Bali; we're going to Guatemala this month; and then we're earning a trip to Bolivia next year.

I was invited to a Threads gathering by a friend. At the time, I was looking for what was next in my career, and really, in my life in general. Prior to this time, I'd worked in a big corporate job for about 10 years. And then I stayed at home with my kids while dabbling in a few contract jobs on the side. At this point, I had two teens, and they were very slowly growing independent of me. And my desire was growing to do something more. I knew I wanted to earn an income - do something that used my gifts and skills. I wanted to give back in some way - do something that made me feel like I was making a difference. What I didn't realize is that I could find a job that combined all of these things.

So when I was introduced to Threads. I love the jewelry and the stories of our partners and the difference this work makes in their lives. I walked away feeling like this is something I really wanted to be a part of.”

[Angela Melfi - AM] “I live in Denver, Colorado with my husband and my two kids. They're five and almost three. I started Threads 10 years ago, with my two besties - one best friend from high school and one best friend from college. The three of us traveled around the world together - I've been to 54 countries. Travel is my number one priority behind raising my kids. I just absolutely love it. Before starting Threads, I asked for at least two sabbaticals and I left one job to go travel for multiple months.

On a lot of these travels, Id be with Kara and Lindsay, the two co-founders at Threads Worldwide. We would always find ourselves in coffee shops and at dinner talking about how we could start working together. We had so many ideas, but luckily none of them worked out until Threads did 10 years ago.

We didn’t know what we were doing at the time - we had no background, in business, fashion, or community building. My major was in Biology and Psychology. But it just goes to show that if you’re passionate, you can make it work.”

WHAT'S THE STORY BEHIND THREADS WORLDWIDE?

[AM] “September of 2009 was when I first learned about sex trafficking. I could not believe that this kind of thing existed. I really went down this internet research rabbit hole. I would stay up; I couldn’t sleep at night thinking about it. So I started to research what causes it and what people can do about it.

I found a class at a local university called Global Social Entrepreneurship. I decided to audit it, and that’s where I learned about social impact businesses.

One day, I was in my room and saw my skirt laying on the floor. It was from Congo, and it was bright with beautiful colors. All of a sudden, it hit me, and I knew what we were going to do.

I wanted to bring in goods to the United States made by women around the world. And I wanted those goods to be sold through a community of women. When we can connect women, it solves all the world’s problems.”

WHAT IS A SHOPPING EXPERIENCE LIKE WITH THREADS WORLDWIDE?

[AM] “We have two really strong sales channels. Pre-COVID, 90% of our shopping happened in person. Someone would host a gathering and one of our Socialpreneurs would bring all the beautiful pieces over and tell share the Artisan's’ stories.

The arrival of COVID made us much stronger online. Now, it’s easy for someone to just click on our link and shop all of our handmade products. On our website you can see Artisans and their stories; you can also review all products and learn where they’re made from.

Another way that we get the word out is through Threads Showcases. You can gather your friends online for 30 minutes of fair trade fashion and inspiring conversation. There are also text thread gatherings to share style tips and inspiring stories within the text chain.

We now have jewelry, handbags, accessories, and home goods.”

WHO ARE YOUR ARTISAN PARTNERS AND WHERE DO THEY LIVE?

[AJ] “We have 10 groups of Artisan Partners in 9 countries - India, Bolivia, Guatemala, Thailand, Uganda, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Ecuador, and Vietnam.

One thing that I find really interesting is, there's a reason we're not in more countries. Our mission is to form tight connections with these groups of women and really move the needle on issues that they're facing.

For example, we've done multiple partnerships with Guatemala. We are seeing the difference that this work makes in the lives of the communities in which these women live.

We deliberately narrowed to expand. We wanted to make sure that we were sending enough work to each of these individual countries, so that we were moving the needle versus a bracelet here and a pair of earrings there - you just wouldn't see the outcome in the same way.

I've talked multiple times as a Socialpreneur with some of the women who lead these Co-Ops as well as with Artisan Partners directly through video call. And I think that relationship is so important to what we're trying to achieve. I love that we're in a small group of countries versus being spread thinner across more countries.”

HOW DO YOU SELECT YOUR ARTISAN PARTNERS?

[AM] “We haven't brought on new Artisan Partners for a while because our real mission now is to grow the community in the United States. The more women that we have in the United States who want to connect their communities and represent the Artisan Partners, the more work that we can send to our Partners. So that's where we're focusing right now.

The last time we brought on a new Artisan Partner was about five years ago. The conversations that we had were about:

How deep is your product line?
Can you scale with us?
What's your lead time?
Who's employed?
Questions around all of the Fair Trade principles

Specifically, for us to be able to work with them, we wanted to make sure that we could create a long-term partnership with them. It was important that their items sell.

Another important evaluation was how well an Artisan Partner could move with the trends. We don't want somebody buying something one time, because they thought that they should, and then never return. We want to have repeat customers. And that's what we see. We see repeat customers, when we roll out new pieces because of the style. So those are some of the elements that we look for beyond the regular Fair Trade principles that have to be in place.”

WHAT DOES FAIR TRADE MEAN AND WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT TO THREADS WORLDWIDE?

[AM] “Threads Worldwide born out of the question of what can we really do about sex trafficking. We saw that if women could earn an income, they’d be less susceptible to being traffic.

Through research, we found that people in different countries are paid very low standards, to make items that we use in the United States. We knew that we didn't want to just sell junk from places where we weren’t certain of their labor practices. Fair Trade was important from the very beginning; it is a part of every single thing that we do. We don't sell any products where we don't know who made it, how they were paid, when they were paid, what they were paid, and what the working conditions were.

If you want to learn more, Fair Trade Federation is a good place to start. There are nine tenants to fair trade - three of which I’ll mention. The first is being paid fairly and on time. We pay a living wage, and we don't negotiate on the price. Our Artisan Partners set their own price. We pay 50% up front and 50% upon delivery. So it's not based on if we sell it or not; they get paid for their work, then it turns over to us, and it's our job to go and sell these products. So that's really important.

Another important aspect is healthy working conditions. I remember reading that this one organization was so excited one day because they finally got fire extinguishers. And I just thought, ‘Wow, if that's something to be celebrated, what kind of working conditions are they tolerating, or are they having to work in?’

The third one is no child labor. We make sure that the kids are in school for the families that we partner with. 90% of the children from our partners in Guatemala go to school, whereas in general, Guatemala has the highest illiteracy rate in Central America. So we are really able to see the difference being made within the group of women that we work with.”

[AJ] “I learned so much about Fair Trade when I was in Bali and talking with our Artisan Partners like Mrs. Karyawati, who leads a Fair Trade Co-Op there. The women said that they loved working in the Fair Trade Co-Op because they had two indoor flushable toilets, as opposed to the factory down the street that had a hole in the back for 40 people.

Mrs. Karyawati shared with me that this kind of work is so important to the indigenous people so that they could continue their skill or trade. A lot of the young people are going into the tourist industry, because that's where they can make a fair, dependable wage. But creating this Fair Trade Co-Op work within the community is allowing them to preserve their skills.

Mrs. Karyawati makes our sterling silver pieces. The Co-Op allows her and her neighbors to continue to do this skilled work that reflects their culture and the skill of their people.

Another important part of the Fair Trade Co-Op is that it helps keep them continuously employed. If something like sterling silver became unpopular, the Co-Op would teach her how to blow glass. Because she's a good worker and she's a part of the Co-Op, she’s able to have great income security. Mrs. Karyawati was able to adopt her second daughter, who I got to meet when I was there, and she put her first daughter through nursing school, which is not typical.”

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO SOMEONE WHO WANTS TO SHOP FAIR TRADE?

[AM] “Oh, I love this question. Because this is really part of our mission. This is the kind of question that we get when we gather women together. Women commonly say, ‘Oh, I've never really thought about this before. How can I do that?’

First of all, follow Threads - bookmark us, that's the first thing to do.

Second is there are so many great bloggers out there. On Instagram, follow Fairtrade Federation (@FTFederation), and follow the hashtag #FairTrade.

When you go to stores, even like Target, look for good brands that indicate Fair Trade. We are so powerful as consumers. Start really looking and paying attention for those labels.

Even shopping at ThredUp or a local consignment store helps. It is not considered Fair Trade, but it is secondhand. Buying secondhand is another really great alternative because there is not yet a wide variety of Fair Trade products out there yet.”

[AJ] “Can you just say a little bit more about how buying secondhand supports Fair Trade? Because people may not even make that connection.”

[AM] “Yes - it's voting with your dollar in that you're saying ‘no’ to the fast fashion companies. It's saying to them, ‘I'm not going to buy this product, wear it for two months and throw it out. I actually am going to either buy secondhand or invest in products that I’ll wear for a long period of time.’

I'm not an expert; I won't get into all the stats but there is so much waste in the production of clothing. It's quite sad, and even staggering. The more that we channel our dollars into secondhand or Fair Trade wherever we can, the greater impact we can make.”

[Andrea Jones sent an article that discusses this topic more titled, “Fashion, Sustainability, and the New York Fashion Act.”]

WHAT IS THE THREADS SOCIALPRENEUR PROGRAM?

[AJ] “Our Socialpreneur program is for people like me who want to be a part of expanding this marketplace in the United States. There are multiple ways to get involved and sell our Artisan products - whether it be online, in person, or through social media of some sort.

Our team is made up of people who do this as a side gig; people like me who do it as my main gig; and people who are on track to do this as a replacement gig. All opportunities are available with us. And we have a 60-day jumpstart program where we fully support whatever your goals are, as a part of our community.”

[AM] “We built the company with this in mind; it was a very intentional way that we wanted to grow the business. We could have sold Fair Trade goods online through an e-commerce model, or we could have opened a store and done a retail model. But we wanted to develop the Socialpreneur program so that women just like Andrea, could get involved with something like this.

Some people want to get involved by shopping, and that's where they want to vote with their dollars. Some women want to get involved by expanding a global marketplace. And that's what you can do with the Socialpreneur program.

Like Andrea highlighted perfectly, there's all different levels of investment and commitment that you can put into it. It's something you can easily plug into whatever it is that you're already doing.”

WHAT IS MOST REWARDING ABOUT YOUR ROLE AT THREADS WORLDWIDE?

[AM] “For me, it originally was all about the Artisan Partners. When we started, that was where my focus was; I wanted to know everything that was going on. I'm still so very passionate about this side of the business.

But I think the most rewarding thing for me to see is when women in the United States get to create something and surprise themselves. I think what stops a lot of women are thoughts like, ‘I don't really know if I can do this,’ or ‘I don't know if I'll be good at it.’ And it comes out of their mouth sounding like ‘I don't have time.’ We're all busy - I don't know anybody who's not busy. But I think what's really there too, are thoughts like, ‘I don’t have the time to be good at it.’ or, ‘Even if I have the skills, am I going to be good at this thing?’

One of the most rewarding things is is to see women overcome those thoughts. If you try it, we promise you'll be good at it. We promise that we have your back.

For example, it has been so rewarding to see women like Jeanette, who's based outside Chicago, grow more comfortable speaking in front of groups - something that used to terrify her. Or seeing Laurie create something that works for her desired lifestyle. All four of Laurie’s daughters went back to school, so she was considering getting some nine-to-five job, she really still wanted to be there when they got home from school. So she decided to make Threads Worldwide work within the schedule she wanted to have so she could spend more time with her kids.

Those are the kinds of things that are just so so rewarding. And then there’s the travel - we get to go and travel. We're going to be with our Partners in two weeks in Guatemala for the first time in two years, and that’s where my heart really sings. And so that's definitely another rewarding part of this.”

[AJ] “For me, it's the community that I didn't know I needed and also the opportunity for me to shine.

This question would probably be answered differently by all of the women on my team. But for me, I feel like I have grown so much and have been such a part of this opportunity from the ground floor in such a way that I never want to leave. Every day there's something new that I'm learning about myself, about my partnership with my team, and even about Fair Trade. Every day I'm learning something new, and I have new opportunities in this work.”

WHAT'S NEXT FOR THREADS WORLDWIDE?

[AM] “I don't know when this will be published yet, but right now we're in our pre-order program for home goods.

We are really aware of our Partners’ supply chain challenges. We want to be the best partner that we can right now, so the pre-order program allows us to make sure that what we order will actually sell. If we buy products, and our Partners go through the effort of finding raw materials to produce it, and then it sits on our shelves, that slows down our ability to reorder with them. So we have the pre-order program to determine the appropriate number to place with our Partners in Guatemala.

Then we'll officially launch our expanded home goods collection in early June. It will include things like wall hangings and decorative items for around the home.

We're also introducing our Crowded Table Collection. Imagine being back together with all your people around a crowded table, and you look down and there's a beautiful glass or table runner from Guatemala. That's the kind of experience we want to give people. So home good is definitely a big thing that we're focusing on.

We're trying to expand both what the Partners can work on and what there's demand for here in the United States.”

WHERE CAN WE LEARN MORE ABOUT THREADS WORLDWIDE?

[AM] “ThreadsWorldwide.com. You can follow us at @ThreadsWorldwide on Facebook and on Instagram. If you're shopping, visit Andrea’s site at threadsworldwide.com/ajones. As part of the Socialpreneur program, we send as much business as we possibly can to the women who represent and sell our products. So please support Andrea's small business.”

[AJ] “Before we wrap this up, I want people to know that I'm growing an organization of impact-driven women. My goal is to double that impact at a minimum this year. So I'm looking for leaders, and I'm looking for people who just want to do this as a side gig. So please let me know if that might be something you want to fit into your life. Come join us!”