Get a peek at the designer’s limited-edition line that’s creating jobs in Africa.
(Photo: Christopher Polk/Getty Images for Palladium Jewelry)
Vivienne Westwood is launching a second collection of handbags and accessories for the Ethical Fashion Programme in Africa, but the British designer insists, “This is not charity, this is work.”
Westwood partnered with the International Trade Center—a joint body of the United Nations and the World Trade Organization—to produce the new Autumn/Winter 2011 collection in industrial Nairobi; the aim is to employ local women and help them learn design skills that can allow them to have sustainable work and income. The Ethical Fashion Programme currently supports the work of over 7,000 women who live in conditions of extreme poverty.
The new collection includes 14 styles of handbags—including the classic Westwood Yasmine bag, weekenders, laptop cases and key rings that are all handmade out of recycled materials, including roadside advertisements and safari tents. Items retail for $49-$339 and are available at yoox.com.
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