Virginia Dooley and Nicole Jones are doing their bit to help women out of poverty with their fashion label Rising Tide Fair Trade. The company launched in 2004 with a view to help the planet and its people.
Rising Tide Fair Trade sources materials from local marketplaces or creates its own textiles from upcycled materials. Some handbags are finished in leather, but these skins are taken from naturally deceased animals so they’re entirely cruelty free. That practice may divide some animal activists, but I see no problem with making use of creatures that have led full lives and didn’t die in the name of fashion. In fact, it might even be a good way to honor their legacies.
I really like the way that Rising Tide Fair Trade blends the leathers with traditionally crafted fabrics including batiks, wax printed materials, and shwe-shwe cloths. The blend of high end fashion and traditional craftsmanship give these bags a true global feel.
The label shuns the mass production methods of its peers, and instead employs women in need working in a cooperative. These women earn fair trade wages for their labor, which creates far fewer carbon emissions than any factory. As each bag is handcrafted they’re also better quality than the ones which simply fall from the end of a production line.
These sustainable and socially conscious bags are available from the Rising Tide Fair Trade website.
