FairTrade Designers is a design group that was formed in 2007 by the furniture and product designers Pil Bredahl, Liselotte Risell and Henriette Melchiorsen. All three graduated from The Danish Design School, furniture studies, in 1994, 1995 and 1996, respectively. The group was formed with a vision of creating a sort of alternative third-world aid, where Western over-consumption can benefit the most at-risk people in the world. Thus, FairTrade Designers collaborate with craftspeople in the third world and seek to merge their craft with Danish design, and as a result, FairTrade Designers’ products are a mix of Nordic simplicity and ethnic tradition and techniques.

One of their goals is to renew traditional craft with a view to achieving economic sustainability for the individual designer. The design group finds inspiration for its works in the contact with the people they meet through this collaboration and their individual artistic abilities. FairTrade Designers spark dialogue and draw attention to the third world with room for simplicity, surprises and humour. FairTrade Designers have exhibited in the Asian Pavilion at the Frankfurt exposition, at Sustainable Fashion and Design in Shanghai in 2008, at the Design Biennale in 2009, at Trapholt and at Fabric for Thought – Sustainable Fashion at Koldinghus. They also received support from Danish Crafts in 2007 for their pilot project “Homemade in China” and in 2008 for their Shanghai exhibition.