Our newest artisan partner is a design and manufacturing studio in the heart of Johannesburg, South Africa. The non-profit group recycles obsolete vinyl billboards and use this durable, weatherproof material to create trendy and unique lifestyle products. Also just as exciting, the group creates job opportunities and helps the environment by creating one-of-a-kind accessories since each of the components are literally taken from parts of a billboard!
The ProcessWhen used billboards (which vary in weight from 50 – 180kg) arrive at the workshop, the artisans follow a meticulous and time-tested process to ensure absolute quality and consistency in all of its products:
• On arrival, all billboards are opened, mopped, dried and folded neatly for storage.
• When a billboard is selected to be a bag, file folder or other product, it is unrolled and the relevant piece/portion is cut. These pieces can vary from 2 – 10m.
• The large pieces are then cut into the relevant pattern pieces needed to make the chosen product, by our highly skilled and talented cutter/designer.
• All the individual pattern pieces are then washed again by hand, and dried.
• All the pattern pieces are ironed, and finally…
• They are sewn into the end product by our team of seamstresses, to be enjoyed by you!
Final ProductAll of the groups products are 100% handmade, eco-friendly and proudly South African.
Our latest order is about ready to ship from South Africa and we're making the final plans to get them to the United States this week! We can't wait to get them in. I've been trekking around in the Tote and using my Padfolio and love both of them. I've received so many compliments on the tote already and one woman offered to buy it from me while I was grocery shopping (I gave her my card and told her they will be in shortly - I couldn't bare to part with my bag!).
If you're interested in placing an order, check out our Facebook page to see the full line of products: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Chicago-IL/wwwWorld-Shoppecom-Fair-Trade-Gifts/103796615105. The page has dimensions, pricing, etc. (which aren't on our Web site yet since the items aren't in stock yet). You can call or email me and I'll make sure to set aside whatever you'd like. We ordered very limited quantities because we wanted to get customer reaction before we placed larger orders with the group...but they are ready, excited and willing to ship many more samples to the United States and I'd love to help increase their employment opportunities while offering fashionable and eco-friendly accessories to our U.S. retailers and customers!
I'm at 312-560-2715 or megy at World-Shoppe dot com. Looking forward to hearing from you soon!
-Megy Karydes
Founder
www.World-Shoppe.com
We just conducted our pre-clearance exercise with our shipper so hopefully that means our shipment of fair trade and handmade copper and brass jewelry from South Africa is well on its way to the U.S. Let's hope our package doesn't get held up in U.S. Customs!
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