Fair Trade Fortnight - Day 14 am

Not entirely fair trade today as I cannot vouch for the provenance of their fabrics, but my shirt is made by Sizanani, a sewing training project in Pinetown, Durban, South Africa which equips people with the pattern-cutting, designing and sewing skills for sustainable employment. This features appliqué in local traditional designs and  is worn with a Traidcraft linen skirt and my wonderful new Terra Plana boots.

Stylised guinea fowl and Ndebele patterns on the back of my shirt

One advantage of doing the internet research to write these blogs has been finding pairs of shoes; so both Sundays have been the first outing for a new pair! It is not easy finding shoes in Size 2, I generally hate shoe-shopping, and rely on the very helpful cobbler in Luton market to keep mine going. So to find pairs at sale prices in my size is remarkable ... and I am enjoying it!

Fair Trade Fortnight - Day 12

A lovely sunny day today which made me get out the fun People Tree tunic t-shirt designed for the Olympics but with wider messages.

















This is worn with Monkee Genes and Conker bar sandals, but wasn't suitable for work in the evening.

Home after work!

The lovely Terra Plana shoes just had to feature somewhere this fortnight so I chose to wear them with a 'little black dress' from People Tree with a Nomads cardigan, and a 'statement' pendant of fused glass, wire and beads made by Sarah Campbell and available from the gallery at Art Van Go.

Fair Trade Fortnight - Day 8

Teaching today so required to be smart. Another Skunkfunk skirt with lovely asymmetric stitched panel, worn with a People Tree polo-neck jumper and Terra Plana shoes. I can't remember where the necklace came from but the ear-rings are hand made using Tibetan beads, purchased from a craft stall while visiting friends in Australia in January.

Skirt detail, stitched pattern

Fair Trade Fortnight - Day 3

Today's outfit comprises a lovely jersey tunic dress from Nomads. A version in a different colourway is still available in the sale! This is worn with a blue Nomads drape cardigan and cream Terra Plana Shoes. Jewellery items are local crafts.
The shoes state inside: "This shoe is made from natural and recycled materials". Terra Plana do not seem to have a website of their own any more, though I believe there is a shop in London. I have found various items for sale on the internet - but often from sites I wouldn't use! A dilemma - does one buy ethical items from an unethical source?
My friend Barb bought me the dress for Christmas - she knows my taste well! I had seen this and wondered, but wasn't sure I could justify it! While I love fashion, and buying clothes, I am aware we need to consume less for the good of the planet and its people. However, on the other hand. our purchasing does keep people employed. Somehow we need to work out an optimum balance of buying the right things at the right frequency - and there are so many factors to consider. Fair Trade Fortnight is a time to become more aware of the issues and take stock of what we can do to enable decent employment, a fair share of the earth's resources for everyone and the survival of the planet.