Start small, dream big, change lives— how one woman harnessed the power of fair trade to help women in poverty help themselves Seven years ago, Stacey Edgar had a $2,000 tax return and a deep desire to help provide economic security for women in need. She knew that of the 1.3 billion people living on less than $1 per day, seventy percent are women. What she didn’t have was a business plan. Or a passport. But that didn’t stop her from creating a socially conscious business that has helped poor women in five continents feed their families and send their children to school. Global Girlfriend has since grown into a multi-million dollar enterprise that specializes in handmade, fairly traded, ecoconscious apparel, accessories, and items made by women all over the world. Global Girlfriends is Stacey’s inspiring story of following her convictions, as well as her passionate argument for simple actions we can all take to eliminate extreme poverty. Stacey Edgar refused to be paralyzed by the size of world poverty; she started by taking several small steps, personal responsibility firmly in hand, and never looked back.
A passionate advocate for women and children, Stacey Edgar started Global Girlfriend in 2003 as a way to provide economic security for women in need by creating a sustainable market for their products. She used her 10 years in social work practice with women and children as a springboard to her role as a social entrepreneur.
Stacey has been honored by the Microsoft Corporation as a recipient of the company's Start Something Amazing Awards, by the Denver Business Journal as a "40 Under 40" Business Leader, featured in O, The Oprah Magazine, in Multichannel Merchant magazine as a "Maven of Merchandise," and by Organic Style as one of their 2005 Women with Organic Style. Stacey is a Next Generation Fellow of the American Assembly, a Columbia University project to define a strategy for America's foreign policy future.
Stacey oversees all aspects of Global Girlfriend's success, from building valued lasting relationships with the women artisan cooperatives she promotes and their customers, to marketing this progressive fair trade brand, to designing and hand-selecting fashion forward products in order to grow the Global Girlfriend brand.
Stacey is a sought-after speaker on the topics of women in the global economy, fair trade, market and enterprise development, cause marketing, entrepreneurship and parlaying your passion into your career.
Stacey holds a Master of Social Work Degree from the University of Illinois and a Bachelor of Social Work from Western Illinois University. Stacey is the mother of three: Dakota, Cali Ann, and Ellie and is married to her best friend Brad. They make their home in the beautiful Colorado foothills. Global Girlfriends is her first book.
