We are very pleased to have received our first order from our newest stockist Aura Que. Their bags and accessories appeal to both the fashion conscious and the ethically aware consumer.

Through the use of contrasting materials such as luxurious leather and naturally dyed banana yarn and fabrics, Aura Que creates high quality contemporary products.

Following the success of her graduate collection at the prestigious Drapers Awards, Laura Queening established Aura Que in 2008, and decided to take the opportunity to develop Aura Que accessories which are manufactured according to IFAT fair trade guidelines, to promote ethical production and fair trade principles in developing countries.

Aura Que's Laura Queening

Laura decided to focus on fair trade production in Nepal, having lived there in 2003, and the launch of AURA QUE has enabled her to combine her passion for design with ethical principles.  Laura’s connection with Nepal began when she taught English in a rural school in South Nepal for five months. Living with a local family, she soon became totally immersed in the Nepalese community. Nepal was the natural choice for the manufacture of Aura Que.  With the political situation hitting the country hard, stunting most development it was in dire need of support.

All Aura Que materials are sourced in Nepal and created directly in the country with local producers, in conjunction with The Nepal Fair Trade Group. Through this work, Aura Que works with the Nepal Leprosy Trust, an organisation which provides employment and support for people affected by disabilities which may otherwise lead to their segregation from the community.

Through its work with the Nepal Fair Trade Group, Aura Que aims to promote the organisation in the hope of encouraging more trade throughout the country. With regards to design and creativity, Nepal has a great wealth of natural materials and traditional crafts, and the work of the Nepal Fair Trade Group ensures a great base for ethical production.

Aura Que works with various charities within Nepal, and is particularly involved with the Nepal Leprosy Trust (NLT). NLT oversees its own leather production unit, based in Kathmandu, as well as running the Lalguardh Leprosy Hospital in Janakpur, South Nepal. Officially opening in 1996, the hospital has gone from strength to strength and now provides treatment for 30,000 patients every year, with those affected by leprosy receiving all treatment free of charge.

In June 2008, Laura took the seven hour jeep ride to the Terai area of Nepal, to visit the rural hospital and see the NLT in action. The NLT runs several programs through the hospital, including the Social Economic Rehabilitation Programme, which offers support not only for leprosy patients but other marginalised people in the Terai communities. NLT’s Community Development Department provides small business loans for individuals to earn an income for themselves and their family. As the brand becomes more established, Laura believes that Aura Que has the potential to set up production units to provide employment for marginalised people in the area, and strengthen its links with the Lalguardh Leprosy Hospital.

With a passion for ethical fashion, Laura was involved in the LCF Shared Talent Fair Trade Project in South Africa, and had previously worked for Charlott Vasberg, Stori Sac and DKNY; and had won the Drapers Student Accessories Designer of the Year 2007.

Laura has produced an amazing range of accessories, and whose manufacture directly support poor people in Kathmandu and other regions of Nepal.

We love their range.  We hope you do too.  We’d love to hear what you think so do let us know.

Speak to you soon,

Mr M

Hello there!  We haven’t blogged in a while – we haven’t forgotten we’ve just been living life and having fun!  Anyway, better late than never! So, where are we at?  Plum Ethical stocks a wide range of ethically made NV London Calcutta bags, wallets, purses and other fashion accessories, so we felt we should tell you a bit more about them!

Hand painting canvas for NV London Calcutta

NV London Calcutta was set up by Naomi Cornelius-Reid who wanted to combine high fashion with ethical manufacturing. Their range of fashion accessories includes bags, purses and wallets that are designed in Britain but are entirely handmade in Calcutta, West Bengal from locally sourced materials such as the softest buffalo leather or hand printed canvas.

Calcutta is known as the ‘City of Culture’ with the population exceeding 15 million and poverty is a major problem for a great many of its inhabitants. Naomi is trying to raise awareness of the importance of ethical fashion by utilising and promoting a sustainable business model, which creates jobs and empowers those involved in the production of their collection. By producing ethical, but elegant, chic and desirable fashion accessories Naomi aims to change the current perception of ethical goods and make a difference to people’s lives.

By manufacturing in Calcutta, NV London Calcutta support and champion marginalised producer groups to ensure that those who create their products receive both a fair wage and a healthy within a happy working environment. Their manufacturer is a ‘not for profit’ organisation and a founding member of the Fair Trade Forum India and a member of IFAT- the World Fair Trade Organization.

We believe that Naomi has created an amazing fashion collection that means you don’t have to compromise your social or style standards whilst giving the Calcutta co-operative workers and their families an opportunity for a brighter, more secure future.

We like her ethos, we hope you will too.

Speak to you soon!

Mr M.

Actress Sophie Thompson will be showing her support of fairtrade fashion on the red carpet of the Olivier Awards at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on 13^th March.

Sophie is nominated for the best actress award for her roles as Bev, a housewife whose life revolves around her family and community, and Kathy,  a fast-talking property lawyer, in Bruce Norris’s razor-sharp comedy, Clybourne Park.  The play which has received critical acclaim started out at the Royal Court theatre and is now at the West End’s Wyndham’s Theatre.

Sophie recently purchased a sliver coloured bag made by a cooperative of women in Brazil from online retailer, Plum Ethical.  The Frison bag, made by dA-LaTA (Brazilian for ‘from the can’) is handmade in Brazil using recycled aluminium ring pulls knitted together using intricate crochet stitching.  The upcycled bag features 412 ring pulls which were collected by catadores (can-pickers) before being cleaned, flattened and made safe and turned into fashionable handbags and accessories.  All the people involved in the process of producing the handbags are paid fairly with the employment providing sustainable and a decent income.

Ms Thompson said: “Knowing that me buying this bag helps women in Brazil is really inspiring.  I’m thrilled to be supporting fair trade fashion and hope that this prompts others to consider where, and how, their bags are made before buying.”

Simon Moakes, owner of Plum Ethical said: “We were delighted to learn that Sophie had bought a bag from our company and even more pleased when she told us that she bought it to compliment her outfit on the red carpet of the Olivier Awards.  It is particularly reassuring to learn that actors and celebrities like Sophie consider how and where their handbags have been produced and that her purchase is supporting a community of women in Brazil.

“We wish Sophie every success at the awards, we’ll be cheering her on from West Wales and keeping our fingers crossed that she and her ethical handbag prove to be a winning combination.”

The Olivier Awards take place on the last day of Fairtrade Fortnight a two week campaign organised to highlight the aims of fairtrade – better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world.

As we mentioned yesterday, Plum Ethical has recently changed hands and the new bod at the helm is Simon Moakes.  Simon (aka Mr M) is husband of Mrs M, father to Little Miss who all live in west Wales, across the road from a roaring river and not too far from the beach.

Simon spent 10 years being a goat farmer, selling milk and producing goat’s milk smoothies from a small hill farm before going to work as an organic agricultural economist.  Plum Ethical is his (and Mrs M’s) new venture!

Simon is a keen runner, likes good food (hence the running) and is a closet computer geek (we think he’s having an affair with a spreadsheet somewhere).  Just so you get to know him a little better, here are our seven rather random questions to Simon…

1. Where would you like to be right now?

Simon: Ynys Las beach, with my kite and enough wind to fly it, but not too much wind so that it blows me to Ireland!  We’re so lucky to have this National Nature Reserve on our doorstep and I love to escape there at any given opportunity.

2. Up hill or down dale?

S: Up hill, looking down on the valleys below!

3. What’s your guilty pleasure?

S: Cider, lots of cider. Locally made cider on a summer’s day is a particular treat.

4. What’s your favourite cheese?

S: Comté – yum!

5. If you could be a superhero, who would you be?

S: I’m not a fan of superheroes, they make everyone else feel inadequate!

6. What’s your favourite smell?

S: Freshly brewed coffee and Mrs M’s perfume.

7. What are you currently listening to right now?

Laura Marling – I think she’s fabulous.

So there we have it, a little insight into Simon’s life.  I’m sure there’ll be more soon.  If you’d like to let Simon know what you think of Plum Ethical and our collection – get in touch via email or come and have a chat on facebook or twitter!

Speak to you soon!

Mrs M x

Hello there!

How’s things in your neck of the woods?

If you’re  already a fan of Plum Ethical, you may notice some changes to the site.  Plum Ethical has recently changed hands as one Simon (Simon G) has sold the business to another Simon (Simon M).  Before you panic, pack up your bags and head for the hills, this isn’t a takeover by some huge company, it’s one friend based in west Wales, selling his great business to another, also based in west Wales.  All lovely stuff.  If you’re new to Plum Ethical, a big welcome to you.  We hope you find what you’re looking for, if not, please let us know and we’ll look into it.

So, what’s new?  Well we’re busy working on adding some lovely bags, clothes and exciting new lines to the store.  Come back and see the stock soon.

We’re delighted that all this is going on during Fairtrade Fortnight – a fantastic initiative which aims to raise awareness of the importance of ensuring fair trade during each part of the manufacturing process.    As the Fairtrade Foundation explains “Fairtrade is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world. By requiring companies to pay sustainable prices (which must never fall lower than the market price), Fairtrade addresses the injustices of conventional trade, which traditionally discriminates against the poorest, weakest producers. It enables them to improve their position and have more control over their lives.”

Fairtrade is a huge part of what we do here at Plum Ethical – we want everyone to be paid properly for the work they do, that they work in a safe and happy environment and that the people who work to produce our gorgeous bags, jewellery and clothes benefit directly.You won’t find any cheap tat here, just quality items which have been crafted with care.

We’ll be posting more soon – we have some very exciting news to share but will be keeping tight lipped for a while. We’d also like to share a little about who we are with you – important stuff like what’s Simon’s favourite cheese, what we had for breakfast and what our pets’ names are!

Speak soon!

Mrs M x