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Valentine's Day is a special day to many. It aims to celebrate love and affection. Many exchange gifts on this day. The most common gifts are a box of chocolate, flowers and teddy bears. Some try to make it more personalized by getting their loved one something that they admire. While we are all suckers when it comes to love and gifts, it is important to note that our earth’s health is important. That is why we must choose sustainable yet luxurious gifts for each other. It is both a gift to mother earth and to your loved one as you are helping save the planet they live on. So, what makes a gift sustainable? Check out this Valentines Gift Guide for ideas.

Steal Their Heart with These Sustainable Valentines Gift Guide 💕

When choosing sustainable Valentine's Day gifts, we consider eco-friendly and elegant items.

1. Eco-Friendly Materials: 

We focus on products made from earth friendly resources, such as recycled metals, organic fabrics, or biodegradable parts. These materials help  reduce  carbon emissions, and preserve our planet's natural resources.

2. Fair and Ethical Production:

We believe in honoring  the makers over here. The items we sell are made by well-paid and well-treated artisans. This is important as it helps support local communities. Each piece is made with love, care and respect for human dignity. 

3. Holistic Sustainability: 

When talking about sustainability, we consider the whole brand.  Companies that value eco-friendly practices are our go-to. In order to protect our planet, we must use this holistic approach in our doings.

4. Practicality and Longevity:

Gifts that are long lasting are the most loved and remembered. Timelessness and practicality are important aspects in our selection process. Durable products reduce waste production and promote a sustainable lifestyle.

In reference to these principles, here are three elegant, stunning and sustainable gifts for women that are under $300 for Valentine's day.

Gift Idea #1: 14K gold initial necklaces by Shiree Odiz

from $290

Personalization and long lasting Elegance

A personalized letter initial necklace is unique and pretty. It's made of 14k gold and can be bought in yellow gold and white gold.

They can express a loved one's first name, initial or a relative’s name.  They are very meaningful and perfect for celebrating milestones like anniversaries and birthdays.

Versatile and Meaningful

Perfect for showcasing a loved one's first name, initials, or even the names of children or grandchildren, these necklaces are a beautiful way to celebrate personal connections. They also make thoughtful gifts for commemorating significant events, like anniversaries or graduations, or as a way to carry a meaningful word or a short, personal mantra.

Adjustable

Each necklace comes with a 16-inch chain that can be adjusted up to 18 inches. They also have an easy-to-use fish-lock fastening that is designed for daily wear.

Made to Last

In addition to beauty, these necklaces are timeless. They are crafted using recycled gold, use ethically mined diamonds or lab diamonds. This makes them sustainable and long lasting.

Sustainable and Personal

The use of an initial and ethically sourced material is a major win for both the recipient and the earth.

This Valentine's Day, give a gift that combines the luxury of fine jewelry with the warmth of personalization and the assurance of sustainability.

Gift Idea #2: bobobark Convertible Backpack by LaFlore Paris

from $299

The Epitome of Parisian Elegance and Sustainability

This Valentine's Day, surprise the special woman in your life with the exquisite bobobark convertible backpack by LaFlore Paris. It blends Parisian chic and sustainable and practical designs making it environmentally friendly.

Stylish and Adaptable

The bobobark convertible backpack is extremely adaptable. It's duality allows it to transform from a shoulder bag to a backpack and even a briefcase. What could be more stylish than that?

Sustainability and durability.

It is a durable, water resistant vegan bag made from eco-friendly cork. The bobobark is the perfect gift when talking about sustainability.

A fashionable classic bag

The bobobark backpack purse is a modern fashion staple. It is functionable and gives a shout out to its vintage Parisian charm. It allows the wearer to embody the required style with just a few clicks. Not to be dramatic but we just know that this bag is here to stay.

Durability

LaFlore's cork care and protection products ensure that this bag achieves longevity. This is all while being beautiful and functional.

It is thoughtful and Caring

It is a product that aligns with sustainable practices while being stylish.

Gift Idea #3: The Rejuvenation Box by Here I Am Box

$79

It is the perfect valentine's gift for expressing love and encouraging relaxation and self care. The Rejuvenation Box from Here I Am also offers sustainability thus protecting nature

The relaxation manual

It contains various luxury items such as:

A weighted Aromatherapy Eye Pillow containing soothing scents.

A Wildcrafted French Lavender Coconut Wax Candle for serenity.

A Rose Blossom Hand and Body Lotion to moisturize.

A Pure Premium Saffron that adds a luxurious touch to your cooking and contains various health benefits.

Community

It contains products made by artisans using eco-friendly materials. The box can also be picked for home use or recycled. Part of the proceeds goes to the support of artisans with cancer at the Atrium Foundation. This shows Here I Am's dedication to sustainability and community.

A Gift for the mind and body

The Rejuvenation Box is an experience of self care. It is the perfect way to show that you care for your loved one’s well being. 

To conclude, for a gift that reflects your care and respect for the planet while also showing great love for the recipient, the bobobark convertible backpack, the personalized letter initial necklace, or the soothing Rejuvenation Box  are your best bets.

Let's start with the exact opposite of what is slow fashion... what is fast fashion. 

Low production costs due to mass quantity production and cheap labor have made it easier than ever for modern countries to afford clothing, shoes and accessories. Combined with monthly cycles offering ever-changing collections of designs and an endless abundance of social media and marketing material consumed, and you've got a recipe for over-consumption. And waste. Lots of waste.

What Is Slow Fashion? How It Challenges the Wasteful Nature of Fast Fashion

What Is Fast Fashion?

Fast fashion is one of the main causes of pollution both on the production side and the disposal side of its journey. Low cost labor and manufacturing have their own toll on working conditions and the ethics of that, as well as toxic air pollution if not from the processes themselves, but from the shear quantities involved.

By consuming 'affordable' fast fashion, you'll naturally expect to dispose of your clothing as they quickly lose shape and quality, and slide out of fashion as collections are refreshed and a new trend is marketed to the masses. Our temporary fashion sense creates the need for massive land fills, usually in poor countries, polluting their environment and water especially.

Sustainable Slow Fashion

Slow fashion takes the opposite approach. Timeless design, higher quality items made to last, and crafted with finer materials by skilled workers mean that you (need to) make fewer purchases, create less demand for large quantities to be manufactured, and finally less waste. Combined with ethically sourced, eco-friendly materials and you'll have a truly sustainable fashion product.

Let's take the jewelry industry for example, as that's what we know best...

Fine Materials

Jewelry comes in many shapes and forms, however there are two distinctly different categories: fashion jewelry and fine jewelry. Fine jewelry is generally considered solid gold and platinum jewelry, with or without diamonds and precious gemstones. Fashion jewelry would be all other metals, with sterling silver and gold plated jewelry being the higher end of the fashion jewelry scale.

Made To Last

For the sake of our topic, the key difference is that fine jewelry lasts. Fashion jewelry often doesn't. Silver jewelry would be borderline on both, however it does have the issue of tarnishing as the silver reacts with the oxygen in the air around us. Gold plating also does well, but eventually that will fade away and the metal underneath may cause allergic reactions, generally look bad and other undesirables.

Diamonds are forever, while gold and platinum are hypoallergenic and as solid metals will not fade or tarnish.

Timeless Design

By combining materials that are forever with timeless design, you have jewelry that never needs replacing. Yes, there maybe minor maintenance over the years, but we won't be contributing to the demand for endless production and waste of fast fashion options.

Timeless design means that it'll never go out of style, and can ideally be worn with any outfit, any day and any time of the day.

Skilled Workers

Mass produced jewelry, even when it's fine jewelry, will absolutely make it more affordable, but then we're back to the issues of working conditions and buying a piece that truly lasts and doesn't need replacing.

With the higher price tag of fine jewelry, and especially made-to-order jewelry, more time and effort can be invested in creating a quality piece that will last. Not just because of the materials, but also the design and craftsmanship. Skilled workers will care about their art, will refine their skills, have more time on each piece and will be duly compensated.

Ethically Sourced

None of this will matter if the raw materials we use are themselves made or sourced in a way that damages the environment or has detrimental human impact. Where possible, look for eco-friendly, sustainable materials, recycled and/or with a minimum carbon footprint.