Designers
DESIGNERS
Aspiga
London, UK
"After a trip to Kenya, Lucy Macnamara falls in love with the country, it’s people and in 2006 she decides to create her brand, Aspiga. Amazed by the originality, colours and quality of the Kenyan’s handmade products, she has decided to make Kenian culture and expertise the essence of her brand. Then she designed her models in the UK but has them made in Africa and India such as, leather beaded sandals, belts, baskets, flip flops and jewellery. Aspiga’s collection is full of exciting and fresh range of colourful accessories done by hand in the tradition of both countries. Producted in small communities in adherence to strict ethical work policies, Aspiga is permanently creating much-needed jobs for the locals and revenue for their communitie. By acquiring one of Aspiga’s accessories, customers are not just getting an original and beautifull product, they also help fighting poverty through trade by giving jobs and fair wages in good working conditions.
Beach Candy
London, UK
A lifestyle brand worn by glamorous globetrotters from sundrenched shores to urban summer events, Beach Candy creates poolside-to-party kaftans, dresses and accessories that scrunch up into a suitcase and magically emerge crease free. All items are high quality and hand made. Beach Candy’s products are created by rural Indian artisans who are ensured good treatment in fair-trade approved working conditions as well as a fair wage. Additionally, Beach Candy also uses profi ts from sales to work with local NGOs to raise funds for schools and clinics in the local community. Ethical Collection brings to the UK market Beach Candy’s stunning, brightly coloured kaftans, bandeaus worn by jet-setters and top fashion icons like Poppy Delevingne, and featured in top global publications such as Vogue, Vanity Fair, Grazia, Harpers & Queen and Condé Nast Traveller.
Bohemia
Edinburgh, Scotland
Bohemia’s beautiful collection of fashion and home accessories comes from Edinburgh, Scotland. Since 2006 the company has collaborated with artisans and craftsman around the globe focusing on fair and ethical trading. Dedicated to a ‘Life in Colour’ they work with artisans around the globe to design and create unique and beautiful collections of fashion and home accessories. With a philosophy rooted in fair and ethical trading, Bohemia’s focus is on working with highly skilled craftsmen and women using age old, traditional techniques to produce a range of contemporary goods which are relevant to a discerning and socially aware consumer. Ethical Collection offers its customers Bohemia’s famous scarves, necklaces, bracelets and its Seville pompom baskets hand-woven in Morocco.
Bohten
Montreal, Canada
Bôhten is an innovative brand that makes eye-wear from reclaimed material sourced from Africa. Their frames celebrate simplicity, elegance and heritage, and champion social change with sustainability and style. Bôhten began its journey in the mountainous region of Kwahu, the highest habitable place in Ghana. Nana Boateng Osei, Founder of Bôhten, was inspired to use reclaimed material to manufacture an eco-luxury eyewear line. He draws inspiration from his Ghanaian roots, from his love of nature but mostly from his late grandfather Andrew Hanson Osei, who was Ghana’s fi rst land surveyor in the 60s. Bôhten’s mission is to develop a compost management initiative that reuses environmental reclaimed material (barley wheat, straw, stone) to design their contemporary eyeglasses. The lightweight eyeglasses are designed in Canada and handcrafted in a zero- waste facility in Africa.
Cuero & Mor
Los Angeles, US
Cuero&Mør is a multidisciplinary design studio from Los Angeles focusing on design, creativity, and completely handcrafted minimalist luxury accessories with the use of vegi tanning,. The benefit of vegetable tanning is that it is environmentally friendly; meaning any leather products that have been vegetable tanned can be recycled. Vegetable tanning is an age old tradition, so most tanneries have very skilled craftsmen producing and dyeing the leather. They focus on creating quality pieces that will last a lifetime and age with the user. The brand Cuero&Mør comes from Cuero, the Spanish word for leather and Mør, the Danish word for well done, which defi nes the care and importance that they put into designing and creating their products. Cuero & Mør’s all natural, untreated leather is of the highest quality, and is made available to the UK market through Ethical Collection.
CLAIRE FOUCHÉ
Africa
The contemporary statement jewellery handmade by artisans in Africa, Fouché draws inspiration from local African culture and design to showcase bold statement jewellery made by the best of local craft. When buying Fouché’s beautiful collection, not only can you own a unique and beautiful piece, you can also positively impact local communities in Kenya by providing fair trade work opportunities to artisans, it is then hand fi nished in the Uk. In 2012, Claire co-founded the Maisha Foundation to support young talent from Kibera in skills training programmes. Fouché jewellery is coveted by inspirational women around the world and has featured in British and French Vogue. Ethical Collection is selling the stunning Irga collection cuff and earrings as well as the Maia Maasai necklace.
IX Water for Children
Guatemala
The brainchild of siblings Francesca and John Kennedy, Ix Style was founded after several trips to Guatemala where the pair witnessed an alarming need for clean drinking water. Ix Style was named after a Mayan calendar day meaning water. The product? The perfect summer sandal, the huarache. All are hand made in fair-trade conditions by women in Guatemala that form part of a non-profit organisation of artisans. These stunning sandals are vibrant in colour and capture the heart and soul of the artisans who make them. By purchasing a pair of these woven sandals, a portion of the proceeds will go to ‘charity : water’ to aid in their quest of providing clean drinking water to those in need by way of water filtration systems, rain collection units and wells. Most importantly, this project aims to free up time for young children to be educated, where such time is otherwise used to walk miles a day to collect water for their families.
O My Bag
Rudheath, UK
O My Bag is a classic fashion brand that creates fairly made leather bags and accessories. Produced in Kolkata, India, their bags are made from a unique kind of eco-leather, supplied from local Indian cows, and tanned without harmful chemicals. This amounts to a cleaner, safer tanning process and reduces carbon footprint. By acquiring one of O My Bag’s creations, the customer will ensure a safe and positive fair trade environment for the local communities where fair wages and benefi ts are paid, women are empowered and training and education is offered. Ethical Collection sells beautiful tote bags, handbags and purses.
Paper thinks
London, UK
Paper Thinks infuses colour and “green“ credentials into its colourful and fun bags and accessories. Their concept ‘think green’ resonates with our care for the environment and the surroundings we live in, and there lies the reason behind our use of 100% recycled leather. Paper Thinks recycled leather is made from the off cuts, trimmings and shavings from the wastage of other leather manufacturing processes which not only reduces the wastage going to landfill sites but also saves animals. Paper Thinks colour treatment doesn’t involve those harmful chemicals that pollute the water table and can be harmful to the consumers and the environment. Instead Paper Thinks use a laminate technique, providing you with high quality recycled leather in an array of beautiful colours.
Fine Cell Work
London, UK
Social enterprise that trains prisoner across the UK in paid. skilled and creative needlework. The aim of Fine Cell is to become more embedded in the prison system and to guide prisoners towards formal work training and qualifications and to match them up with organisations that can provide support or employment on release.
A Peace Treaty
New York, US
A PEACE TREATY based in New York, is the trademark of luxe adventures they venture to fascinating countries seeking out the most beautiful handmade techniques and their makers. Their belief is that things made by human hands, imbued with the story of their maker, are the most beautiful and luxurious in the world. APT has worked with artisans across ten countries, including working with a collective of widowed women in Kabul who are working to rebuild their dignity and independence, gain literacy skills, and garner viable incomes. Using their cultural knowledge and traditions, the women hand embroider exquisite one-of-a kind shawls. The Aymara and Quechua people of the Altiplano and Andes regions of Bolivia and Peru depend upon Alpaca farming and products for their livelihood. APT works with an all-women’s knitting cooperative that employs artisans from these indigenous groups to create beautiful scarves.
Mercado Global
Guatemala
Mercado Global based in Guatemala empowers rural indigenous Mayan women to break the cycle of poverty by connecting them to international markets, fostering sustainable livelihoods for their families, and pioneering a socially responsible business model within the fashion industry.
Study-NY
New York, US
Conceptual design & sustainability define this women's RTW brand. Study cuts & sews collections in NYC’s garment district using both ethical fabrics and production methods. Many elements from the collections collaborate with artisans around the world; for example, locally sourced Peruvian alpaca is used in much of the knitwear. Designer Tara St James focuses on educating the next generation of designers on the importance of sustainability in design. She has extensive lecturing and teaching experience in NYC. Tara wants to be judged the same way all designers are judged, ostensibly for her design.
Uzma Bozai
London, UK
Modern contemporary design, Uzma Bozai’s relaxed, tailored collections are for the sartorially creative woman—one who is assertive in her aspirations, nomadic in her lifestyle, and tasteful in her ever-exceptional styling.
Esencia
Denmark
This brand based in Denmark was set up by two mothers, utilising the craftsmanship of local indigenous artisans from the Andes region.All fair-trade pieces including, hats, pants and jumpers are made from the finest alpaca and llama fibres. Esencia is a combination of best of two cultures. Bolivia and Peru’s long tradition of high quality textiles, along with Japanese integrity of design, resulting in a unique brand intended to inspire modern people aware of natural and simple living. Esencia is a socially responsible organization working together with suppliers who adopt the Fair Trade principles.
Eight Hour Studio
London, UK
Eight Hour Studio Satin finish 100% organic cotton pyjamas.. Our fabrics are hand wood block printed, supporting a craft which is otherwise dying out as printers cannot compete with factories. To colour our fabrics we use AZO free dyes. Artisans Traditional Indian woodblock printing .The art of block printing is very unique and labor intensive process, as it makes every piece of cloth one of a kind and different from others, which cannot be achieved with modern printing techniques using automated machinery. What makes this technique exquisite is the fact that the design has to be first carved onto the wooden block by hand, and then executed on the fabric. “Block Printing is one of the numerous arts and crafts that are slowly dyeing and need to be renewed and brought back to life.
Kowtow
New Zealand
Designed in New Zealand hand made in Kolkata. Certified fair trade organic clothing that is ethically and sustainably made from seed to garment.
Bernice Angelique
South Africa
Sustainability, Empowerment and a desire to help local trade, in the heart of South Africa, Cape Town. Affordable luxury collection of Ostrich Leather Bags in Architectural Shapes.. Unlike other exotic animals which are purely slaughtered for their skins, all parts of the ostrich is used including, feathers, eggs, meat and skin therefore reducing any waste, and creating full use out of this beautiful animal which is reared under extremely strict EU standards. Bernice works with a team on 9 women based in Cape Town. Most of the ladies come from impoverished backgrounds and have had to endure some serious hardships. Bernice describes these women as having beautiful strength and warm hearts Ethical Collection are the only stockists in UK to stock these beautiful bags, which have been designed with practicality in mind. Including a bespoke Orange and pink Siren bag specially made for Ethical Collection.
Sidai Designs
Africa
Sidai collaborates with Maasai women to produce and market unique, hand-made, high-end beaded jewelry using traditional techniques though in a contemporary style. Using recycled materials as the backbone for many of the products while also incorporating high quality components to create exclusive pieces of jewelry.
Indego Africa
New York, US
An innovative nonprofit social enterprise & lifestyle brand that supports women in Rwanda through economic empowerment and education. Partnering with a cooperative of female artisans, selling their beautiful handcrafted products practical, hands-on training in quality control, design, and product management. 100% of profits are used to fund job skills training programs for artisans.
Accha London
London, UK
'Living, Wearing and Giving' , those are the three words Maritzina Slater swears by. Indeed, for the creator of Accha, to be surrounded by beautifull things automatically creates a feeling of well-being. That’s why, with no surprise, she choose to name her brand Accha , which is derived from the Hindi world for 'good'. Thereby Maritzina chose to conceived her brand from a holistic point of vue, and developped her collection around three main themes : Living , Wearing and Giving. By creating Accha, Maritzina didn’t just desire to share originals and colourfull products of quality but also truely wanted to get to know the people who actually make her range in small cottage industries. Directly dealing with her craftspeople and artisans, she is now more then commited to fare trade and sustaining small industries over mass production. As a true lover of India, she is deeply moved by the mogul patterns, textiles, colours and Indo-Islamic architecture that are typical from Northen India and wants to reflect these motifs in her designs. Now working exclusively with manufacturers in Delhi and Rajasthan, Accha’s collection seeks to reconcile the rich and sumptuous influences in India with a more contemporary Western style by combining natural materials with crisp and flattering cuts.
Cloe Cassandro
Bali, Indonesia
A love affair with Bali is the inspiration behind Cloe Cassandro’s brand of ethical luxury beachwear. All pieces are hand made, hand dyed and hand printed by local Balinese artisans. The Balinese traditional batik arts and famously warm-spirited people are evident in the design and execution of the collection. The philosophy is simple: timeless design and the most beautiful silk chiffon fabrics– are combined to create simple, classic pieces and are produced ethically and to the highest standard.
Ruda Rings
Minas Gera, Brazil
Rudá rings brings together beauty and sustainability At the small studio of her flat in Belo Horizonte, capital of Minas Gera is state, Brazil, almost every day the designer Janice Perez starts to produce a new ring. It is an artisan process from the skecthbook to the ring, maybe it will take one day or two, maybe even one entire week to be completed. The result though pays back all the time and effort consumed: contemporary jewelry made of brazilian hardwood - its sources are pieces of old fu rniture and demolished houses - and raw stones from all around the world. "The ring needs to fascinate, says Janice Perez. At the same time it needs to be sustainable. The designer will achieve that enhancing his creativity. Not only creativity, one might rectify, but also hardwork: Janice handles every production step, from buying the raw stones and the wood to delivery. After decades as a designer for brazilian shoes brands, Janice decided to set up her own fashion business. She was looking for something aestheticly original which, as a first rule, should be organic and environment friendly. In 2007, while working as a fashion adviser she made the first prototipe of a ring. She had chosen to use hardwood because of its beauty and endurance. That settled her first challenge: how to work with something so hard like Brazilwood (Pau Brasil), Black Brauna, Brazilian Rosewood (Jacarandá) or Amber wood (Peroba Rosa)? Janice would have to carve one small ring from a solid piece of wood, so she studied other craftworks and began to try new techniques and tools. "I had adapted the tools I use from diferent handcrafts", she says. With years of experience the designer learned to whittle diferentt shapes of rings, according to the characteristics of both the wood and the raw stone. That means every design is going to be unmatched if compared with previous. Her work is like carving a small sculpture that you could put in your finger and show it around.The craft fashion The woods are obtained from demolished buildings or noble discarded furniture. Comes from desks, cabinets and old benches or from beams and roof lines. The small blocks of wood are cut and treated in a way to respect its history. The effect of time on the wood fibers is part of the sculpting process, which contributes for each ring to be unique. Another element that differentiates each piece is the gem that is inlaid before the ring is carved. There is no stoning, which enhances the natural colors and shapes of the gems, those gems coming from 35 countries. Hematite with Rutile, Prite, Vanadinite, Uvite and Lapis Lazuli are some of the gems used by Janice Perez in Rudá's rings.
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