Many of our products are beautifully handmade with intricate and time-consuming designs by fairtrade groups or individual artisans. Our customers often ask about the crafts people who have created such unique work so we have decided to provide more information about them where possible.
ASHA Handicrafts, India
Asha Handicrafts has been practising Fair Trade since 1975 and the word Asha means "hope" in Sanskrit. They are helping to spread the concepts and benefits of Fair Trading in India. They are a not-for-profit making body and they ensure that the payments and benefits of handicraft production reach the craftspeople themselves.
These suppliers handcraft the beautifully decorated metal jewellery cases that we have recently added to our range. They also produce the only Russian Nesting Doll sets that we sell that are not made in Russia. They are fairtrade sets produced in India.
Aspiration, India
Aspiration are based in Delhi, India. They are dedicated to the welfare of artisans and families all over India including Jaipur and Sarangapur by promoting and developing cottage industries, improving economic and social welfare and proving fair wages. One of Aspiration’s aims is also to revive the old crafts of India and are involved providing financial assistance to artisans to develop overseas markets for cottage industry products.
The intricated decorated wooden secret lock boxes are some of the items produced by Aspiration workers and are consistently best sellers with our customers..
MKS (Madhya Kalikata Shilpangan), India
MKS is a non-profit organisation founded in 1994 to create a market for small artisan groups in India, to offer a fair price for their products and to ensure that the artisans can obtain raw materials at a reasonable price. MKS social commitments include providing medical aid, education, loans and financial aid. They also encourage environmentally friendly technology.
The colourful leather novelty money boxes , coin purses and keyrings are some of the delightful items we stock that are produced by MKS
Sasha Exports, India
Sasha Exports was founded in 1978 and the organisation is committed to fair trade - fair wages, equal opportunity and human rights. It is a non-profit outlet for many small member cooperatives of Craft Producers. The wide range of crafts offered by Sasha draws on tradition, retaining cultural context, yet making products contemporary for present-day living. The producers make many of our beautiful fabric hanging mobiles and other textile work.
Fairtrade Wooden Animals and Ornaments
Our wooden totem poles are handmade by a talented Indonesian family. Their forefathers migrated from North America approximately 70 years ago and settled in Indonesia. The skills and traditions of creating totem poles have been handed down through 3 generations from Father to Son. The totem poles are made from tropical bog wood which is very fast growing and achieves its full size after only 5 years and so easy to replace from its habitat
Elephants and Hippos - These are designed and crafted by individuals in Bali, Indonesia. Elephants hold an important spiritual place in many religions of Indonesia. The work is quite labour intensive as each project starts with a large block of wood that is carved away to create the various art pieces. The work can involve high level of delicacy as only hand tools are used.
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