Newest Artisan Partner Profile - Recycled Billboard Accessories

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 Process
When 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 Product
All 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

Coming from India - Fair Trade AND Eco-Friendly Jewelry

I was speaking with a friend of mine who is a reporter recently and she mentioned to me how many companies are touting their "green"ness (either they are using recycled materials, repurposing items, etc). What she also realized, however, is that being green isn't just about recycling something...it's about being good to the people as much as it is being good to the Earth.

Yes, most of the items we offer on www.World-Shoppe.com come from overseas. So, while they are fairly traded, they are made by the hands of those living in developing countries like India, South Africa, Indonesia and Ghana. Most are women.

So is being fair trade good for the Earth since most of the items have to travel so far to come to the U.S.? It's a fair question (no pun intended) but here is my answer - a RESOUNDING YES. Maybe the products do have to travel to get here, but by offering employment opportunities to women who may otherwise have none, we are empowering them to make a difference in lives of their families and communities. They can give back and build health clinics and schools. They can practice safe working conditions and teach others why it's important not to work in sweatshop conditions or employ children to make products. They can recycle products to make new items (like this swanky BOTTLE NECK Necklace above handmade using old glass bottles as the pendant - coming next month from India!).

So, yes, fair trade products may come farther away than products made locally but the opportunities are immense. Does the end justify the means? I'm not sure what fair trade means to you, but for me, being able to give a voice to someone can mean the world to them...and that's the kind of world I want to live in.

-Megy Karydes, Founder
www.World-Shoppe.com

www.World-Shoppe.com Featured in FitYoga

So excited to share that our eco-friendly messenger bags made from yoga mat remnants were featured in FitYoga's magazine, February 2009!

For those of you who aren't familiar with this line, Merle O'Brien, a native of Highland Park in Illinois and now living in Colorado, was in a downward dog position when she began thinking of her yoga mat bag, what is was made from and where it ended up. She quickly learned that while yoga might be good for the soul, the mat material wasn't necessarily good for the earth. So she began researching ways she can take those yoga mat remnants (the extra pieces that aren't used and would wind up in landfills) and started making cute bags from the material. The straps were taken from factories who make those rubbery-sport sandals (I won't mention the brand.). Suffice to say that the bags are not only eco-friendly and cute, but diverts landfill-bound materials into functional pieces!

How did Merle and I connect? Well, she also made Jute Fiber (fairly traded) bags that made it to Sundance a couple of year's ago and, naturally, we began talking about ways in which we can help people and the world through our work. Merle is an amazing woman and I'm honored to have met her. Although our world is large in size, it's people like her who remind me how small our world really is.

Our eco-messenger bags come in two colors - red and slate blue and if you use the coupon code Megy08 in the coupon section, we'll make sure to ship one out to you asap without a shipping fee! We also have adorable clutches in the blue slate - perfect for night's out or when you don't need to carry the kitchen sink with you when you leave your house!

Was so excited to share the news - feel free to share it with your friends, too!

Thank you!

-Megy Karydes, Founder

www.World-Shoppe.com

Trashy Totes - eco-friendly handbags from Ghana

A women's co-op in Ghana came up with an ingenious way to re-purpose the plastic bags they use to hold their drinking water - to make another sturdy and lightweight bag!

Our Trashy Totes (available at www.World-Shoppe.com) includes this fun large tote, a medium sized tote (not online yet), a messenger bag (which is online) and a wallet! Each of the bags retails for just $24.50 so you can choose the shape and style that you like best.

What a wonderful way to be enterprising, eco-friendly, fair trade and fashionable?!

-Megy Karydes, Founder

www.World-Shoppe.com