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Where fashion doesn't cost the earth...
Published:  13 August, 2008

Anew ethical fashion accessories brand called Where launched exclusively at Topshop's Oxford Circus store this summer.

The six styles of beautiful handmade sandals are a unique example of leading designer know-how being used by fair trade communities across the globe to create fashion with a conscience. The first range of shoes has attracted a great deal of interest from several major retailers.

Everyone who works with Where receives a fair wage and is treated with respect. The main supplier is a member of IFAT (the International Federation of Alternative Traders - an approved affiliate of the

Fairtrade Foundation) which adheres to strict fair trade principles. Where aims to use environmentally-friendly, sustainable materials whenever possible for its products and packaging. For example, its shoe boxes and carrier bags have been created from recycled paper and printed by the Sahara community in Delhi. They also print the traditional organza cotton fabric bags that the shoes come in. The swing tickets are printed by another community in India.

Where also respects each community's beliefs and way of life - they all become part of the products. In India, where cows are sacred, the villagers wait for a cow to die before tanning its hide with natural extracts from tree bark, rather than chemicals, and then drying it in the sun. The company also prides itself on getting each community to use local materials.  Communities in Vietnam use locally made silk and cottons as well as mother of pearl collected from the nearby coast, while in Nepal, villagers make beautifully soft slippers from local felt. 







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