Vivienne Westwood Ethical Africa line. IMAGE: ASOS

Vivienne Westwood has revealed a new line of ethical bags made on the continent from recycled materials.

Fashion has been experiencing a boom in all things African, from the recent Guinness adverts starring Congolese “sapeurs” (a subculture of stylish, brightly dressed men) to Diesel and Edun's African denim-based capsule collection manufactured entirely in Africa with the finest Ugandan CCI cotton.

Now, Vivienne Westwood, never one to miss out on either a trend or an opportunity to help push forward ethical fashion, has designed a new range of recycled bags which have been handmade in the Kenyan capital Nairobi.

Vivienne Westwood Ethical Africa line. IMAGES: ASOS

Available in a range of styles from unisex rucksacks to totes and zipped clutches, the bags are manufactured from recycled canvas, reused roadside banners, and leather off-cuts and were carefully constructed by communities of women affected by extreme poverty.

Available on ASOS with prices starting at a rather reasonable £58 (approximately S$123), they're an affordable, and ethical way to shop the Africa-inspired trend. -- AFP RELAXNEWS

Shop the collection on ASOS, which was launched on January 24, 2014.

Made was started in 2005 with 5 employees and now employs over 100 full time employees in their very own Made workshop, located in Nairobi, Kenya, that is continually expanding to accommodate their growing team. We recently featured Made here on AFG and again mention them as Made are delighted to announce the launch of their inaugural leather collection that will be available on the Made website and in-store with House of Fraser from mid March 2012.

All purses and bags are handmade in Made’s Kenya workshop using 100% genuine leather sourced in Africa and feature an eclectic mix of unique finishes ranging from chain straps and bag charms to whipstitch and kanga lining. The collection comes in chocolate or tan coloured leather with inside bag pockets and credit card purse pockets incorporated throughout. The beautiful oil pull leather softens with age allowing the bags and purses to grow in beauty the more they are used. Effortlessly versatile, these chic designs can be worn with luxury daywear or dressed down for a more casual vibe.

This zip purse is our absolute favourite piece.

All the large leather totes also include a beautiful Kanga drawstring bag that can either be used as a dust bag or as an inner lining inside the bag. Kanga is a brightly coloured and patterned traditional African material. Made work with Kenyan co-operative SOKO to produce all their Kanga bags.Prices range from £32-£220 and are all available from Mid-March 2012 at www.made.uk.com and through House of Fraser stores.

NEW!! SAVANNAH COLLECTION FROM £18

FEED is an ethical brand that sells bags, teddy bears, t-shirts and other accessories. Not only are the products beautiful and unique, but also with each product that is sold, up to 5 children in school are provided with nutrients and food for a whole year. The brand’s mission is to ‘create good products that help FEED the world’ and this is achieved through the sale of their products.

FEED first began in 2006 when founder Lauren Bush designed a bag to benefit United Nations World Food Programme’s School Feeding program. On her visits to Asia, Latin America and Africa, Lauren, who grew up in Texas, USA was inspired by the plight of the people she met along her travels. Lauren took a keen interest in WFP’s School Feeding program, which feeds and educates hungry children and her first creation, FEED 1 bag, an organic cotton bag distributed buy WFP to help raise funds and awareness on such school feeding programs. The reversible FEED 1 burlap bag, reminiscent of the bags of food distributed by the WFP, was stamped with “FEED the children of the world” and the number ‘1’ which signifies that one bag will feed one child in a school for a year. In 2007, both Lauren Bush and Ellen Gustafson founded FEED Projects LLC to produce and sell these bags, in order to help feed and educate hungry children.

The FEED 12 TOMS Classics is mentioned by Ecouterre online site as ‘Best Charity Collaboration Ever’ and we as good as agree. Featuring the traditional FEED burlap fabric, along with the FEED stamp logo, these limited-edition shoes introduce the first partnership of FEED project with TOMS Shoes. They are vegan friendly, using no animal products
with a canvas insole with cushion for comfort and a latex arch insert for added support. Available for both women and toddlers the FEED 12 TOMS Classics = 12 school meals + one pair of new shoes.

In 2008, Lauren launched her new fashion brand Lauren Pierce Atelier. She consciously sources fabric that is handmade by female artisans all over the world, most of which has been hand-dyed by women in Congo. The women’s wear line lives up to high environmental and humanitarian standards, while each unique hand-dyed piece supports women’s livelihoods and provides them with an income. The line has been sold in stores around the world, such as Barneys New York.

FEED takes pride in their use of environmentally friendly and artisan made materials, alongside fair-labour production, in creating all of their products. We at AFG are especially interested in the FEED Kenya products. The FEED 5 Africa Bag shown below is handmade by artisans in Kenya. The outside of the bag is made from traditional burlap material, along with the “FEED the Children of the World” logo from the first-ever FEED bag, the FEED 1 Bag. The bag is lined with traditional African kitenge fabric. Each FEED 5 Africa bag provides 5 children with micronutrient powder for 1 year through the FEED Foundation’s Nutrients Fund. Artisans in Kenya intricately handcraft the beautiful FEED Kenya bracelets. This provides them with much-needed work, support and income to Kenyan communities particularly for a nation that is now dealing with a food crisis leaving 10 million Kenyans at risk of hunger.

Image courtesy of FEED project

Since they began, FEED has raised enough money to provide over 60 million school meals, solely through the sale of their products. They have since partnered with UNICEF, raising funds for a vital Vitamin A and micronutrient supplements program and provided over 46,000 children with essential nutrients. FEED has also started a non-profit organization called the FEED Foundation, which is dedicated to supporting programs and organizations that are effectively working to fight hunger and eliminate malnutrition throughout the world.
FEED is proud to help FEED the world, one bag at a time, and will continue to do so.

Renowned Ugandan designer Sylvia Owori, who in 2011 was named ambassador for the USA based Alicia Keys founded charity Keep a Child Alive, started her Sylvia Owori foundation in 2010. It is a non profit organisation which aims to raise awareness and resources for different causes within Uganda and the African continent at large.

Following up on the recycled denim collection that we featured in October on Africa Fashion Guide, end of 2011 was held a Forever Love fashion show, for which the Sylvia Owori fashion house has embarked on a bag collection entirely made of local Ugandan raw materials such as cotton, kitengi, kikoyi and a blend of denim. These bags are exclusively and individually crafted hence each bag having its own design and style. They are developed by a design team at the company and are part of, or are initial to the Wabibi Project taking place in Mukono. THE WABIBI COMMUNITY PROJECTS is a current project that involves training of local communities mainly women to produce textiles and crafts among other products in mass for export and sale within Uganda. This project aims to create holistic approach to community development through facilitating a workforce to produce textiles, art works and crafts which will be marked through the Sylvia Owori brand.

It has a strong benefit to the women and their communities as it provides practical skills such as tailoring, beading, craft work and life skills thus empowering them to support themselves in the future. The foundation also reinvests a percentage of earnings from products sold into the community.

Loza Maléombho is a women’s ready to wear clothing line based in New York and supporting women empowerment, social and economic trades in Cote d’Ivoire. Their designs and development take place in New York employing experienced patternmakers. The patterns and garment samples are then sent to be produced in Cote d’Ivoire, West Africa, by a small group of trained women.

Loza Maléombho is a designer born in Brazil and raised in Cote d’Ivoire and the United States. With work experiences with designers Yigal Azrouel, Cynthia Rowley and Jill Stuart all this adds to her experienced worldwide exposure at a young age which has inspired her artistic expression through Fashion Design.

“I believe fashion is at its’ raw shape when it exudes a true culture’s aesthetic and authentic traditions” says Maléombho.We first came across Loza and her eponymous label through the Ethical Fashion Forum as her design aesthetic in relation to Africa stood out amongst many as well as her desire to create a sustainable business model too.

This season, for Autumn/Winter 2012/2013, Loza makes a focus on tailored jackets and cropped vests with curved heavily piped detailing. Toureg’s were the inspiration for the full skirts and low slung trousers and these are paired with turbans for styling along with backless dresses for added accent. It is a true African journey through the medium of fashion and textiles you will find here. Once again she uses kente fabric which has been hand woven from 100% cotton from the Akan’s tribe in Ghana along with that made by the Baoule’s tribe in Cote d’Ivoire. Along with this Ankara (Wax print poplins) are added to give a culturally eclectic mix.

These are my favourite pieces – beautifully crafted and with a great use of fabric and inspiration. This collection exudes style and originality.

Loza intends on building a successful and visible company that hires local Ivorian women and their talents, and as a result provide fair living wage compensation, employ ethical business working practices and showcase some of Cote d’Ivoire’s artistry with positive and lasting social and economic development. Above all Loza and team intend on setting foot in the fashion industry as a successful sustainable modern label for an intellectual and socially conscious woman. With the recent accolade of ‘Emerging Designer of the Year’ at Arise Magazine Fashion Week 2012 and the promise to show with them at their Made in Africa fashion show during New York Fashion Week in Sept 2012, it is looking very promising from this culturally eclectic brand.

For more information contact info@LozaMaléombho.com

See the website at www.LozaMaléombho.com