:)

hi lisa,
nice pics you have .. please take the time to look at my eco friendly bamboo eye on my home page ..
regards colin

Hi Lisa,

I’ve just launched my ethical label and online boutique www.asparasilk.com selling exclusively silk accessories for women, produced by fair trade weaving communities in Cambodia.

I previously ran a variety of UN poverty-alleviation programmes for women, ranging from micro-enterprise to retraining victims of trafficking in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands. Among other projects, I was involved with the ILO’s Better Factories Programme in Cambodia working with the likes of GAP and H&M. Whilst these programmes have definite benefits, when the current economic meltdown began to empty order books it was a stark reminder that ethical business practices and large, outsourced factory production do not always make easy bedfellows.

At Aspara, we believe in creating lasting impressions not just through our unique accessories but in the way we work with the people and communities who bring these designs to life.

By providing training and livelihoods for rural women and young people, I work directly with producers to cut out the middleman. At the heart of Aspara lies the value of passing on knowledge. We also help financially so that small weaving communities – almost destroyed during the Killing Fields - are able to meet western production standards as well as offering a competitive and beautiful product.

I wondered if you might like to learn more about Aspara and would love an opportunity to show you our collection and expand on the stories behind the label.

Please feel free to contact me direct (katy@asparasilk.com) if you'd like to learn more.

Very best wishes,

Katy

Hello there Lisa,
Namaste from Nepal! I just wanted to drop you a line about our company, 'Heaven Hemp' here in Kathmandu which I run with my (British) wife. After leaving the Nepal Army as a lieutenant I've been working with natural fibres for ten years, starting with hemp. I used to be the supplier for Mother Hemp as well as THTC (the former sold their clothing side as the food side was making more money and the latter went to China as things were cheaper ).

I've been working here in Nepal since 2002 when I set up my own workshop (we have a permanent team of 8) to design manufacture and export ethically produced natural fibre goods - hemp, wild hemp, wild nettle, banana, peace silk, wool and bamboo.
We now export clothes, accessories, homeware, fabric and yarn to the UK, Norway, the US , Japan and India. As well as using power-loomed natural fibre blends for our clothes, we also source wild hemp and wild nettle yarn and fabric (naturally organic) from farming families in the hills who hand-spin the yarn and hand-weave it on small looms. We have also just started to design and make our own handloomed fabrics too.
You can see someof our products at www.wildweaves.co.uk, including the new Balika range of kids' clothes which Rosie (my wife) designed (and my kids modelled!) The site www.heavenhemp.co.uk is our wholesale catalogue. We are trying to spread the word about what we do to create interest in our products, create jobs, and to keep the tradition of hand spun yarn and hand loomed cloth alive in Nepal.

Please drop me a line if I can tell you anything more,

Take care
Udaya

Hi Lisa
I dont know if you can ever help us as you work for Marie Claire UK, but we run our own dedicated ethical magazine on line - Daisy Green Magazine - and are always looking for advice and contributions!
Anyhow, thought would just drop you a line.
Cheers
Nicola