Two bright ladies from separate ends of the religious and occupational spectrum—Farah Malik (right) is a Pakistani Muslim who had been working in human rights, and Dana Arib is a Libyan Jew with a background in textile design—met, and like Team Captain Planet, they combined their talents to better the world. Their weapon of choice: accessories.

“When Dana and I first met, we both found that while working for other people, we were coming up against certain types of barriers that weren’t allowing us to do what we wanted to do. We brainstormed, and decided to start a company,” said Farah. A Peace Treaty’s fundamental mission is supporting the work of craftsmen the world over, whose work and centuries-old traditions have otherwise lost market value. As Farah explains, “It’s about getting the maximum amount of profit to the artisan. The majority of what we do is about

ensuring income generation and above-fair-trade rates for the people we work with.” This lofty, ahem, treatise, originally began humbly, as more of “a side hobby, or an experimental venture,” as Farah puts it, with handmade scarves. But by 2010, the duo was itching to use their newly honed international-sourcing prowess to create a jewelry collection. “There’s a lot of jewelry out there, but we knew we had such a different voice and perspective. We didn’t think people would respond in such a huge way, but they really have,” Farah notes. “Now we’re in seven countries, with projects encompassing everything from metalsmithing to textiles.” Next up: Uruguay for Fall 2012. And with their many farflung aspirations, we’re psyched to see where these designers without borders go next. —lauren benet stephenson

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