2005
Oxfam hires Nancy Jones to create the first grassroots fair trade organization in the US with the hopes of sparking a movement.
2006
CFT becomes an independent 501(c)3 non-profit organization with 24 founding members.
2007
The first World Fair Trade Day is held in Daley Plaza. CFT publishes its first newsletter and hosts Cecelia Appianim from Ghana.
2008
CFT launches the Chicago Fair Trade City Campaign and gives its first ChangeMaker award at GlobalFest.
2009
CFT City resolution is introduced in the City Council.
2010
City Council passed Fair Trade resolution. By year’s end, CFT has 70 members.
2011
Chicago is declared a fair trade city! CFT hosts a fair trade Valentine Chocolate bake-off.
2012
CFT is keynote speaker national fair trade college and towns conference.
2013
Amirul Haque Amin visits in the wake of the Rana Plaza building collapse in Bangladesh that cost the lives of 1,134 apparel workers. DePaul becomes a fair trade designated university.
2014
Chicago passes an Anti-Sweatshop ordinance spearheaded by CFT. In January 2015, the ordinance goes into effect. CFT organizes the country’s first month-long fair trade holiday pop-up shop.
2015
Cook County passes an Anti-Sweatshop ordinance spearheaded by CFT that goes into effect in May. CFT hosts Chicago Student Summit for Fair Trade and Sweatfree.
2016
CFT’s World Fair Trade Day celebration in Chicago has the largest market to date, with 31 business members participating.
2017
CFT organizes Fashion Revolution Chicago, a week of activities and actions, including presentations by Kelsey Timmerman, best-selling author of Where am I Wearing? CFT meets Nasreen Sheikh who presents at Globalfest
2018
CFT organizes 10th annual World Fair Trade Day event: A Magnificent Mile of Fair Trade.
2019
Chicago hosts Fair Trade Campaigns national conference. CFT organizes first Fair Trade Pop-Up home and a Fair Trade Pop-Up bake shop at World Fair Trade Day event. Whitney Young is declared Chicago’s first Fair Trade School. CFT hosts Elizabeth Cline’s Conscious Closet book tour and forms a Conscious Closet Club.
2020
CFT hosts a virtual World Fair Trade Day event. CFT’s 7th annual Holiday Pop-Up Shop adds a virtual market. CFT’s Conscious Closet Club hosts 12 virtual events.
2021
CFT partners with After School Matters and leads a Build Your Brand program on ethical entrepreneurship to teens throughout Chicago. We establish a permanent fair trade presence at the Andersonville Galleria, providing fair trade staples throughout the year. Student interns launch a podcast, Rethink Ethical. We host our 8th annual holiday pop-up shop, the most successful to date, generating great media coverage.
2022
In April, Chicago Fair Trade spearheads and co-sponsors a Fair Trade Fashion Forum with Fair Trade Los Angeles and New York City Fair Trade.
In May, with the ongoing COVID pandemic, CFT gets creative and hosts Open House Chicago Fair Trade: A World Fair Trade Day Celebration. On May 14, Chicago Fair Trade helped members and allies organize over two dozen events throughout the Chicagoland area, opening their doors, inviting the community in to learn more about fair trade, participate in fair trade sales and activities, and showcase the depth and strength of the fair trade community throughout Chicagoland.
In the summer of 2022, CFT focuses on garment workers, organizing actions to pressure Levis to sign the International Accord to protect garment workers’ health & safety.
CFT champions the Fabric Act, groundbreaking legislation that stands to protect nearly 100,000 American garment workers while revitalizing the garment industry in the United States. CFT is the Illinois coordinator in building support and helps secure co-sponsorship by Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth.
In September, Chicago Fair Trade hires a second full-time staff member, Nancy Demuth.
2023
In February of 2023, Chicago Fair Trade opens the world’s first fair trade museum. This Pop-Up Museum hosts various events, including aa Fair Trade Nowruz celebration, an epic clothing swap and a plant swap, a Fair Trade Fest, and a World Refugee Day celebration. st Fair Trade Museum. From February through May, the Museum hosts 10 field trips. In just six months, over 2,000 people visit the CFT Museum. Originally planned as a pop-up, CFT Museum is so successful that CFT decides to look for a permanent space and plans to reopen the museum in 2024.
2024
Owing the success of the pop-up museum, Chicago Fair Trade finds a permanent space and opens the Chicago Fair Trade in Uptown. City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events contracts CFT to help produce biannual clothing swaps. CFT’s fall clothing swap is part of the newly revived Chicago Fashion Week. That summer, CFT launches a Youth Advisory Board. In November, Chicago Fair Trade’s opens the pop-up shop on Michigan Avenue.
2025
CFT’s Conscious Closet Club begins hosting virtual monthly meet-ups the first Monday of every month. In May, CFT partners with Fair Trade LA to host the world’s biggest fair trade dinner party.