Me to We Toronto Store; socially responsible shopping

The Me to We Toronto store is found in Cabbagetown on the Carleton streetcar line just steps from the Free the Children headquarters.

It is a showcase for Me to We Style clothing, the Me to We Artisans and a meeting place for Me to We volunteers; current and future.

When you walk into the Me to We Toronto store your eye wanders from organic cotton statement tees to beaded jewellery and inspirational reading from Me to We and Free the Children founding members.

My eye is instantly drawn to the suede clutch featuring a large beaded round.

This is one of co-founder Roxanne's Artisan pieces and it is gorgeous. Lined with traditional Maasai fabrics and beaded by Maasai women this clutch epitomizes what Me to We is all about; socially responsible fashion.

The Artisans, currently Maasai artisans, are supported by Me to We in that they are provided with superior materials to produce their traditional art. The items are produced locally (ie in Africa) with as much local supply as possible.

The end result is traditional and traditionally inspired items that are easily worn by fashionable Torontonians.

Me to We Artisans

At the higher end of the Me to We Artisans is Roxanne's Bazzar. It features antique beads once used as currency in Europe, cuff links and Lamu earrings.

The Lamu earrings come from an African artisan who has 4 stamps passed down from generation to generation in his family and Me to We is fortunate to have 2 of these 4 stamps as part of their collection.

What I quickly learn is that everything has a story, a history, has meaning making it even more special. It means you buy a conversation piece not just a pair of earrings.

me to we t shirts

Even the statement tees are more than just ironic sayings. In fact instead of irony Me to We style is promotion inspiration.

Collections like the Shameless Idealist tees or the Be the Change tees are perfectly aligned with what Me to We is trying to be apart from the fashion itself.

Other tees are inspired by Craig & Mark Keilburger's travels, whether it be a hotel or a chartered flight, you get to have a piece of Free the Children and Me to We history.

Me to We Be the Change

As you wander to the back of the store you can see that this Me to We flagship is more than just a retail outlet.

The Be the Change bar is lined with ipads filled with inspirational videos of youth volunteer trips. Meant to help teens and twenty somethings decide whether to be the change locally or overseas, its also a meeting place to share past travels.

Further back of the store are meeting rooms meant to finalize travel plans or for parents to chat with Me to We representatives to better understand what it would be like for their child to travel to Africa or another Me to We volunteer site.

There are many reasons you might shop at the Me to We Toronto store. Whether you just thing the beaded round belt show above is super cool, or you want another spot to find organic and socially responsible clothing or you are looking to be inspired by the Me to We movement. It doesn't really matter what brings you to the store. Just know that you are supporting an amazing cause by shopping there.

Not only are programs like Me to We Artisans supporting Maasai craftsmen at a grassroots level, but 50% of Me to We's net profits after tax supports the Free the Children projects.