Jasmine Garnsworthy, Australian it-girl, former style, and beauty editor turned digital content strategist, and founder of customizable beauty brand, The Buff, is launching a second direct-to-consumer brand called Fairwell. Fairwell is an ethical and sustainable travel cup brand made by artisans for girls everywhere and it drops today, Monday, November 18th. Funds from each cup sale will be donated to help pay for a girl’s schooling. This mission is important to Jasmine because education makes people safer, healthier and more self-sufficient, yet 750 million people are illiterate—and two-thirds are women and girls.
Fairwell cups are available now on TheFairwell.com and retail for $28 USD. The Fairwell Ceramic Cup is available in a gorgeous tan called ‘Bondi’ or ‘Jaipur’, with a lovely pop of pink. Shop both products here.
We interviewed Jasmine, an expert in all things beauty, fashion, digital strategy, direct-to-consumer brand building, and influencer marketing, about her inspiration and vision for Fairwell, and her dream to bring education to women all over the world.
What was the inspiration behind creating Fairwell?
I was interested in the idea of creating a product that people can use every day to signal their support of important social and environmental causes. I knew the product needed to have a purpose, so that it didn’t end up in landfill after a few uses, and it needed to be beautiful and very shareable on social media. For me, ceramic travel cups are also the perfect product. 100 billion single-use cups go to landfill each year, 99 percent of which will never be recycled.
The next step was to begin looking for a talented group of artisans to work with. Craft is the second largest employer of women in developing economies. I narrowed my search to collectives in developing communities with a large contingent of women ceramicists. After consulting experts in the space on how to evaluate which local partners would offer the most ethical and skilled production, we found a fantastic group in India that makes all of our Fairwell cups by hand. Once sold via our website, a portion of the profits from each cup then goes to help educate girls via our nonprofit partner, Room to Read.
Why is education your passion?
Funds from each sale are part of a donation to help pay for a girl’s schooling. Aside from my own personal experience, education has been shown to make people and their communities safer, healthier, and more self-sufficient. However, there are still 750 million people in the world who are illiterate. Two-thirds are women and girls. Personally, I believe education can give a young woman not only the skills that she needs. And also the confidence to exercise agency over her own life. I was fortunate enough to have an amazing school education and then go on to explore my curiosities. I developed my talents through a Bachelor’s Degree and now with a Master’s Degree. Personally, I attribute many of my achievements and much of my self-confidence to that education.
Tell us more about the process of making Fairwell products?
An incredible group of artisans in India makes and individually hand paints each Fairwell cup. After this, we ship to the United States, where I personally inspect each cup for quality. The nature of handmade products is that each cup is very slightly unique in its own way. However, I check to make sure the dimensions are correct, the gloss or matte finish is right, and the cups are clean with no damage. We then assemble the cups with a silicone (not plastic!) lid. Then a sleeve to help buffer against the hot liquid. Each lid has a stopper to make sure your drink does not spill when you’re on the move.
Fairwell is officially live today and you can shop all of its artisan products here. Follow Fairwell on Instagram here.
While you’re here, check out 15 of our favorite high-vibe wellness products that help us reset and refresh.
